Leading Your Way Through Uncertain Times
How to keep leading through ambiguity
Written by: Adelee Penner
We all have the tools to lead through uncertainty, uncharted situations, and ambiguity. We have been reminded over and over again in the last few years that we can do hard things. Being able to move through hard times and leading our way through hardships are not the same thing. While they require similar strategies – moving your organization to action requires considerations different from what propels you to keep moving forward.
To be successful in your ability to walk through uncertainty, I believe there are three central questions that a leader should be able to answer on the spot:
- Who Am I?
- What causes me to shut down?
- How do I navigate through situations when my core values are being compromised?
Who Am I?
To be able to answer this question a leader must know who they are and be able to identify their core values. We tend to lead from a central belief system and work to ensure that who we are and what we value is easily understood by the way we prioritize decision-making, approach our team and how we respond to others.
Can you identify your core values?
I have been working with clients to identify their core values before, during, and after the COVID lockdown, and it has been interesting. We discovered that as we created our top 10 list of core values – they tended to change in ranking and phrasing. However, a leader’s top 2 core values remained the same in phrasing but shifted in ranking between #1 & #2 at some points.
What did we learn from that observation? Once a leader knows the core values that shape their perspective, they can understand their bias. It was powerful to watch folks reflect on their decisions and reflect on those that still bothered them. The decisions that bothered them the most were made in direct conflict with their core values.
You bring certainty when none is apparent. Your core values can serve as your concrete benchmarks for how you can lead your way forward. Your values are the rope you can use to anchor yourself when surrounded by uncertainty.
What causes me to shut down?
Another part of effective leadership is knowing what conditions you require to be present to protect your core values. All of us have had moments where we completely shut down and walked away from the table, project, initiative or situation. Why did we do that? Do you know what causes you to shut down? What conditions need to be in place for you to stay as a productive member of the team? What do you need to be in place for you to make decisions?
Many leaders are triggered to leave situations or stop doing things without knowing what caused their shutdown. To be able to lead in uncertainty, you need to have done the reflective work to understand what drives your shutdown. This information keeps you in the driver’s seat and able to hold conversations and initiatives moving forward when others might quit. You can ensure that your work’s framework contains the conditions you need to succeed. Revised protocols and procedures will help your team to be successful too. It is hard to keep going if the leader has shut down. It is up to you to remain available to your team, your position, and your stakeholders.
How do I navigate through situations when my core values are being compromised?
Recently, many organizations have found themselves in tight financial situations. So tight that folks have already moved through each budget line to trim the “nice to haves” from the leger. The forced budget cuts – impact service, operations and the organization’s mission. As a leader, you may be forced to make cuts that you know will impact the reputation that you have created in your space. You may not be able to provide services to your clients that you are used to delivering and that they have come to rely on. These events may cause a challenge to your core values, making you uncomfortable.
At this exact point, you can freeze, flee, fight OR lead your way through the situation. To pilot your way through the event, you must control your amygdala.
To have any chance to control your amygdala, you will need to consider mindful leadership practices. The amygdala triggers involuntary responses in each of us. It was designed to protect us and has been critical to human survival.
Think about the last time you took a walk in some trees. As the leaves crunched, the breeze blew, and birds sang, your brain was with you, letting you know when to be concerned and what to keep going as you were safe. On that walk, let’s assume you heard a fallen twig break away from your spot on the path. At that point, your amygdala will stop your forward motion to consider your safety – some of you will freeze in place and listen for more noises, some of you will choose that this is time to return to your vehicle as the walk is now over, some of you will turn to see if it is a bear and want to stand your ground. Mindful Leadership practice would have us embrace the message from our amygdala and then choose to accept or override our reaction to the noise. That’s right. We need to acknowledge that right now, and I want to run – need to breathe – and then decide the best decision moving forward.
When we take this into the workplace, it looks and feels similar. Have you been in a conversation with someone, and the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, or you begin to feel angry, frustrated, or you start to feel flushed? When that happens, you need to take time at the exact moment for a quick self-reflection. Your amygdala is being triggered, and to control the response and not have your body speak for you – you will need to reflect. Ask yourself – what am I reacting to? Once you have the answer, you will stop being triggered and will be able to respond in a thoughtful way that reflects who you are as a leader. This picture is what your inner dialogue might look like:
Once you have sorted out what is happening, you will feel the reaction you were having melt away. REALLY. It is that dramatic once you have the practice learned for yourself. With this mindful approach, you will experience more and more of the conversation. It will help you remain present for more of the conversation than you were able to in the past. The practice will also help you identify what is rubbing against your core values so that you can lead your way through the situation. We want to avoid having our amygdala speak for us.
Having the ability to answer, reflect and consider the questions: Who Am I?, What causes me to shut down? And, How do I navigate situations when my core values are being compromised? will help you to lead your way through uncertainty, uncharted situations and ambiguity.
Let’s talk again soon. Take good care of yourself.
