Help Your Team Thrive in Uncertainty
Karin Hurt
CEO, Let's Grow Leaders. Practical Leadership Development for Human-Centered Leaders. Inc. 100 Leadership Speaker.
I've always loved this time of year at work. Yes, it's inevitably stressful with the fast-paced race to the finish-- but it's also filled with ideas, plans, and strategic planning for how to make next year EXTRAORDINARY.
And this year, it's complicated.
I know, I know, it's ALWAYS complicated. But, yikes, the last eighteen months have made us all experts in contingency planning.
So as the year draws to a close, I thought it would be helpful to continue our conversation around navigating uncertainty and keeping your team focused, productive, engaged, and maybe even a bit joyful.
(By the way, if you haven't read this article on Ambiguity and Change it continues to be our #1 blog post year after year).
"Where There is Chaos Seize Control"
A good place to start when helping your team thrive in uncertainty is to make it clear what they are empowered to do at a TEAM LEVEL.
This brings me to one of my favorite bosses, Gail, and one of the best pieces of leadership advice I ever received about thriving in uncertainty, "where there is chaos seize control."
Every time I would walk through her open door with an idea, she would say the same thing: "Where there is chaos ____________ (and she would smile, wait for me to fill in the blank with the words "seize control", and then eagerly listen to what I had to say.)
"Seizing control" had nothing to do with power or politics. It was all about learning to lead courageously when others were not, and to do the right thing for the business.
In this Asking for a Friend, I share what I learned from Gail and PRACTICAL ways to empower your team. Jump to 4:39 if you want to skip past the story to the 5 tips.
Teach Your Team to Be Impact Players
And, if you're looking to help your team thrive in uncertainty, it's helpful to arm them with practical skills to do that. In case you missed my LIVE Asking for a Friend interview with Liz Wiseman about her new book Impact Players, this is a great one to watch with your team to kick off the new year.
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I love her five practices of impact players.
5:10?Make yourself useful
“While others do their job, Impact Players do the job that needs to be done.”
10:10?Step up, step back
“While others wait for direction, Impact Players step up and lead.”
18:08?Finish stronger
“While others escalate problems, Impact Players move things across the finish line and build strength along the way.”
24:10?Ask and adjust
“While others attempt to manage and minimize change, Impact Players are learning and adapting to change.”
27:34?Make work light
“While others add to the load, Impact Players make heavy demands feel lighter.”
Oh, and for grins, you might enjoy this early interview I had with Liz's team about being a talent magnet.
I'd love to hear your thoughts. What are your best practices for helping your team thrive in change? What are you doing to prepare them for the uncertainty the new year will bring?
Also, in case you missed last month's newsletter, it's filled with practical approaches for better End of Year Meetings.
Helping organisations achieve business benefits through People Focused Leadership.
2 年Great article Karin. I love the concept of a talent magnet. Using your leadership skills to bring out the best in others who have talents in that particular field that way surpass your own, is what I’ve based my management career on. The real key is to let them know that their strengths are vital and that they are valued. Some leaders struggle to admit that they don’t know as much about something as members of their team, but I make it a mission for them to know it. If we show our vulnerability, we achieve true trust. If we have true mutual trust, we thrive as a team.
U.S. Marine / Practical, Creative and Innovative EHS Professional / OSHA Outreach Instructor
2 年Thanks for sharing....
Corporate Engagement Coach for Leaders and Managers◆ Hold Difficult Conversations with Your Team ◆ Increase Accountability ◆ Increase EQ ◆ Keynote Speaker ◆ Author ◆ Executive Coach
2 年Very impactful article and tips for improving engagement and productivity!!
Columnist at BIZCATALYST 360
2 年I might not seize control but I seize the opportunity to thank you for this great post Karin Hurt. My posts of today and yesterday addressed the question if SMART Goals can ever be smart? This s because of the VUCA environment we experience. Your five points tips resonate with me and make a lot of sense.