Five Practices To Lead In Ambiguity And Disruption

As we continue to receive news of the spread of the coronavirus, we are learning to adapt individually and collectively. We sense this is a major disruption with far-ranging impact. We are uncertain about the ripple effects as well as how long they will last. We are juggling taking health precautions, adjusting travel and work plans, trying to make sense of what’s happening in the stock market and wondering whether we are in for a global recession.

High potential for impact. Low sense of control. For many of us fear is kicking in.

If there was ever a time to learn how to lead in ambiguity this is it.

Here are five practices that will help us get started.

First manage your own state of mind. Disruption causes our amygdala (fight, flight, freeze response-driven part of the brain) to take charge. Adrenaline floods the body. Our heart pumps more blood and oxygen to our muscles. Our thoughts race. We become hyper focused on the danger in front of us. While this evolutionary survival mechanism is very useful when chased by a lion in the jungle, it is less useful in making decisions because for most of us there is actually no immediate threat to survival. The amygdala is quite counter-productive for making well-considered decisions.

In an actual or perceived crisis or disruption, the first place to start is by becoming present to what’s happening in us. Restoring calm within allows us to perceive the threat from a balanced (not overly excited, nor in denial) perspective. We can then exercise better judgment. Even a five-minute mindfulness exercise is useful to manage your own emotional state. There are many apps like Calm, Headspace, and others that can help you get centered. You can also try a practice called “Get Grounded in Change” on LinkedIn Learning’s Mindfulness Practices course. You can then bring a more zen you to team meetings. Since our emotions are contagious, our calm presence will help others be calmer.

Clarify what decisions need to be made and gather stakeholder perspectives. From this calm place, take a step back to determine what decisions need to be made, by when, and who the stakeholders are that need to be engaged in these decisions. Since things are changing rapidly, we are tempted move fast. That’s the amygdala. For speed, we are tempted to narrow down the list of who we need to engage. Instead, take a step back and really consider with your team what decisions are urgent and which can wait. Take the time to determine what assumptions you’re making and think through various scenarios. Be sure to look at your ecosystem. Who are all the people this decision will impact? How will you engage them? Stay in communication with your stakeholders as information evolves. A lot of teams are doing daily stand-up meetings to share information fluidly as things change.

Embrace your role as a force for good in disruption. Some of us can get shut down with unexpected change. Instead, make a proactive commitment to reconnect with what engages and energizes you. What is a difference you want to make? We each have unique strengths and ways for us to contribute in the midst of ambiguity and change. Tom Rath’s new book “Life’s Great Question” can help you discover the top three ways you are most energized to contribute to workplaces and teams. From a neuroscience perspective when we shift our focus to how we can contribute with others rather than focus on just protecting ourselves, it helps us find opportunity in the crisis. A great example of this is Zhexuan Huang, a UPenn student who was visiting his family in Wuhan when the coronavirus spread. He is now detained there in quarantine with no way to return back to classes. He’s decided to be a force for good by helping his elderly neighbors get much-needed food and necessities.

Find the opportunity to be creative in disruption. We can find opportunity in disruption as soon as we take ownership of our attitude. Many schools have moved to online classes for students. A friend of mine who is a speaker is creating an online offering for conferences as many have cancelled due to travel restrictions. What are the opportunities for you to be creative in this change?

Learn from experiments. When things are changing rapidly, a great way to learn about what will work or not is by stepping into small experiments. As you connect with people on your team, create small safe-to-fail experiments that may help you get more information or test your assumptions. One experiment to try is to find a practice that works best for you to become more centered (e.g. breathing deeply or exercising or yoga). Another experiment may be to try new language for times of ambiguity. For example experiment with saying “I don’t know” or “my assumption is” rather than assuming that you have the “right” answer. In an ambiguous and changing world we are better off admitting we don’t know than feeling the need to be certain. Another experiment might be to ask more open ended questions like ”what assumptions are we making?”.

What else are you learning about how to lead in ambiguity? Join me as we together create a community of leaders who are willing to disrupt themselves to be a force for good in disruption. We are just getting started so join our Disrupt For Good community on LinkedIn.

A version of this post first appeared in my Forbes leadership blog.

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Henna Inam is an executive coach, speaker and author of Wired for Authenticity. Connect @hennainam and check-out her course "Mindfulness Practices"on Linked-In Learning.