Leading Ways: Some General Rules for Uncertain Times
/Bill was one of the most effective agency heads the state had ever had. He had risen quickly through the ranks with a series of successful leadership assignments that not only accomplished great things, but also left him with an admiring network of leaders throughout the capital and in his leadership team. But his first real setback was a big, and very public, failure around the roll out of a new public-private partnership that not only failed to deliver, but had some serious accusations. These accusations were not against Bill, but were against his private sector partners of self-dealing. His “golden touch” reputation was more than a little tarnished. Not having any experience with adversity, he didn’t know how to respond and walled himself off from his network and even his own team. He was suddenly taking every opportunity to travel out of state to any location where “the questions would cease.”
Liz had a very different problem. Her department had just made a very important discovery that led to the CEO of the corporation using the department’s success as the best example of where the entire company needed to go in the future and promising that he would be investing significantly in this work. Everyone on her team was ready for the circus to come to town with something for everyone. Wish lists were dusted off and began to appear on her desk. She wanted to be sure that she moved in just the right way, so she thought she would just let them enjoy all of the good news while she took the time to make some decisions about redirecting their work. She didn’t notice that every day she failed to communicate something led to more distrust, anxiety and withdrawal by the very people she thought were enjoying the moment.
Whether they are good or bad, uncertain times can be very dislocating for any organization. It might be a new organizational leader, potential lay-offs, a change of policy at the corporate or national level, a challenging new program, a disappointing outcome, or the loss of a key team member. When your universe gets hit with one of these wrinkles of uncertainty it is important to respond in the right way. Here are some steps that I have found useful:
Be Present - There is a sort of physical presence that is needed during an uncertain period. This is not a good time to be absent if at all possible. If the disruption is an opportunity, it is likely to come with some increased travel demands to fully secure it. If the change is not so positive, you may be tempted to take more than your usual number of days away to get a break from the situation. Resist this in either case; physically being there, even if some things move a little slower or get delegated or you have to sit through the angst, is important to keep all engaged in the right way. In addition, you will need to be fully engaged with them emotionally by being aware of what is going on with them and the changes.
Be Transparent –This does not mean that you talk endlessly and speculatively about the situation. It does mean that as information comes to you, time is taken to share it with your team, group and organization. Letting people know that you will be as open as possible does not mean completely transparent as some information may be highly speculative, sensitive, or not for broad public consumption. A commitment to more and more open communication will likely mean that there will be more formal time dedicated to sharing this information. This is a great opportunity to encourage more direct questions from the team, a candid response from the leader and more practice of saying, “that is a good question, but I cannot fully respond right now, but I will when I know or understand more.” It is essential that you focus on what is known, not the fear driven gossip and speculation that will be most of what is discussed. If there are rumors that emerge and seem to have taken on a life of their own, address them quickly, directly and candidly. Do not speculate on the source, just be as clear as possible about what is the case.
Be Positive – Uncertainty is easier if you deal with what is known and you are able to indicate faith in whatever process is being pursued. If you have a positive attitude, others will focus on this for coherence in dissonant times. It will be important to remind team members that they have done and currently do good work. Their good work has value for them and their professional life, independent of what might come out of the process. Do not be overly or widely optimistic about the future, this will make your positive attitude seem unrealistic and thereby discounted and devalued.
Be Empathetic – Many people who report to you are your peers and they will have feelings which range from being distraught to mildly anxious. This will impact their work and probably change some of the patterns that you have become accustomed to. There are two things that you can do that will be helpful for them. First, acknowledge your own disease with the developments. Directly and discreetly say, “yes, this troubles me as well.” Then tell them what you are doing about it. Share whatever is on your list of coping strategies, i.e. - remaining positive, doing the work you control, exercising, sharing with a few others, trying to see it in the larger context, reflecting on all of the good work the team has done in the past. Second, when uncertainty is at hand, you can help by being an understanding person and remembering that this is a unique situation, and try to suspend judgement about them or what is driving them. It will help immensely if you take the time to sit with them one to one and indicate that they seem stressed and offer them a chance to talk. Encourage them to stick to the known facts, not speculations, and to affirm all of the positive dimensions of the current reality.
Be Self-aware – You may see it better than most and be following all of the rules above and fail to see that the anxiety is creeping in on you as well. You need to be mindful of this; particularly if you are in a situation in which you are “taking care” of others. When you feel an emotional response welling up do not deny it or explain it away. Experience it and then ask yourself if this is rational, not in the immediate moment, but in the larger context of your life and career. Be sure to share your feelings and anxieties with a partner either at work or at home. At home, there will be similar anxieties and it will not help if you do not mention them. Talk about them in the way you deal with other problems. Hopefully you have a good work – life balance. This is a time when you will need to call on those life resources including partners, family, friends, avocations, and exercise. At a time when work may seem to be at risk, don’t let it further become the only focus of your life.
Remember what you have learned in leadership class -This will also be a good time to dust off the MBTI and FIRO-B reports. In times of stress you will go to your preferences whereas countervailing preferences may in fact be what is needed for the situation. For instance:
Extroverts might gossip too much.
Introverts might not talk enough about the situation.
iNtuitives might try to get the big picture when it is not possible at this time.
Sensors might focus on irrelevant details and draw too much from them.
Thinkers may focus too much on the work at hand and not see the walking wounded need to talk.
Feelers might spend a little too much caring for everyone.
Judgers might start making all kinds of decisions that really need to be postponed.
Perceivers might take a holiday from any decisions, even those that are needed.
Be Proactive – Even if you follow every suggestion it will not keep you from periods of anxiety. When they occur, give yourself some grace and allow that it is happening to everyone. But don’t let the “black dog” pull you into the fight. Rather direct the energy to work that needs to be done, regardless of what finally shakes out in the organization. There are always things that you and your team control regardless of the swirl that is happening. Get yourself focused on what you can do, do it, and invite others to join you and celebrate the successes- even in a world that has turned a bit upside down. This is what drives your work and what you enjoy. Place the energy somewhere it is useful, and you will be a good role model for others.