Leading through Uncertainty

“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth”. When he said it, legendary boxer Mike Tyson was talking about boxing. But he could just as well have been talking about leadership, and life itself.

You see, when times are good, leadership is easy. But over the past three years or so, we’ve all been punched in the mouth. More than once. We all had grand plans. Then along came COVID-19, economic headwinds and geo-political upheaval. Right now, the only certainty is uncertainty.

But let’s face it, disruption is nothing new. In fact, some of our greatest ideas and successes are born out of adversity. Many of today’s hectocorns – companies with $100 billion market valuations – were born after the global financial meltdown of 2008. Look no further than WhatsApp, Airbnb, Uber and even Bitcoin.

As Albert Einstein himself said: “In the midst of every crisis, lies opportunity”. So, what does this mean for us as leaders?

Embrace the power of reimagination

Global management guru Terence Mauri ?talks about “reimagination being the new execution” In other words: you can either reimagine, or die.

“Without reimagination, leadership breaks down, organisations die younger, people stop learning and cultures decay,” he writes. “It’s time for leaders to put reimagination… at the forefront of their purpose, strategy and planning and use it as their North Star for navigating deep uncertainty and complex futures,” he writes.

What does this mean? We should be asking ourselves whether our business models are evolving to go beyond mere survival, and to use disruption to our advantage in a brave new world.

Be prepared to move with the times

As Nautilus CEO Jim Barr points out, situational leadership is key to navigating uncertainty. Changing times call for the ability to change your leadership style to adapt to the environment you’re in to meet the demands of your staff, customers and stakeholders.

“When you embrace flexibility, you’re more likely to find your footing and lead effectively. Don’t be resistant to change - embrace it,” writes Barr.

What does this mean? Fixed mindsets simply don’t cut it in volatile times. As leaders, we constantly have to be modelling ways to develop a growth mindset, with various options and scenarios. Sticking to old mindsets is a sure road to irrelevance.

Build great teams, and surround yourself with people you trust

Back In September 2020, I wrote an article entitled ‘Leadership lessons from the life of Chadwick Boseman.’ Looking back, I’d be inclined to combine two of those lessons. As a leader, I’ve always tried to surround myself with the smartest people. But you learn the true value of a great team in uncertain times.

“In your business, you might be the king, but you’re going to need a royal court to support you if you’re going to get anything done. T'Challa was the king, but Black Panther was not a one man show. He surrounded himself with smart and highly capable people,” I wrote.

What does this mean? We can’t grow through uncertainty by doing it alone. As leaders, find people you can trust to run parts of your business, make sure they’re focused on growth and flexibility, and leave them alone to do it.

Be okay with not having all the answers

In a Harvard Business Review article entitled 6 Strategies for Leading Through Uncertainty, executive coaches Rebecca Zucker and Darin Rowell talk about the need to embrace the discomfort?of not knowing.

As they point out, many high achievers have built their careers on knowing or finding the ‘right’ answer – but this can become a significant barrier to learning, future growth, and ultimately performance. Rather, they say, we must learn to acknowledge and embrace the discomfort as an expected and normal part of the learning process.

What does this mean? Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has long talked about the need for leaders to shift from a?‘know it all’ to ‘learn it all’?mindset. We can’t have all the answers – and we must learn to be okay with that.

The bottom line

We’ve been living through disruption since humans first walked on two feet. Right now, this is no time for us to retreat into our shells. As leaders, we have the opportunity to forge a bold new path for our organisations. It’s not going to be easy, or comfortable. But that’s not why we signed up to be leaders. This is our time to shine. Let’s grab it.

#GetAhead