Predictability May Not be in Our Path, But Potential Surely Is

We enter 2022 with Omicron strengthening, inflation rising, and geopolitical unrest growing. Due to kismet or karma, or both, predictability is not quite yet in our future, yet potential is ever-present.

Understanding how to manage day-to-day complexity is a requirement for those who lead and seek to realize organizational potential as we enter year three of this seemingly bottomless pandemic. History and mythology remind us that the ultimate predictor of success or failure is will, in large part defined by personal choice, rather than predetermined destiny. We can’t escape human emotions of frustration, anxiety, or the variables created by a world in flux, but we can continue to move forward by diligently focusing on who we are and how we behave.??

During Covid, I have come to realize turnarounds and their management are a relay race which requires forethought and constant attention. There are daily choices to make, and how you manage the options and communicate them says a great deal about your character and commitment to colleagues and the enterprise in which you are engaged.??

Transparency and directness are best for all involved. It may be time to acknowledge that you have run your leg of the relay and are ready to pass the baton. Or perhaps, you need to clearly reaffirm your willingness to take one more lap so that others are confident they will have your expertise as the torch is passed. Here are a few steps of that race.

Step 1: Document and communicate clearly. You are responsible for ensuring those who come after you have a clear understanding about past decisions made and boulders to be overcome. Enable new employees or recently promoted individuals to enter a path cleared of the less predictable outcomes. Organize information so that it is easy to understand the group’s internal processes.

If you are the one picking up the baton, ask questions and save your notes. Validate the point at which you are entering the organization’s maturity of concept as this will allow you to clearly define your starting point for actions that you take. Understand key attributes of the organization. What is the long-range vision? How is it being funded? What activities are being tested within the context of Covid market dynamics? What are the options available to solve problems??

Step 2: Manage the transition. If you are stepping back, do so with the same level of professionalism with which you entered. For those who are just arriving, be respectful as people are a bit battle weary.?

If you remain in place, foster a culture which is open and transparent. Be specific with your recommendations and concerns when speaking to your board, leadership, and staff. Passive aggressiveness is out—bold honesty is in. Work as a team to offer solutions to critical challenges and highlight what you personally plan to do to meet those challenges. Your moment to demonstrate leadership is now.??

Step 3: Be patient and willing to answer questions again and again. People don’t know what you know. They may not understand why the organization has made certain decisions as continuous pivots were an unfortunate byproduct of the Covid environment. Paint a picture of where you have been and articulate the future you envision. Take time to walk through the steps taken to move from past to future. Utilize decision trees and share your ranking and rating processes, but also patiently explain the nuances behind the scenes. You may need to present information in different ways to provide clarity.?

Whether you are receiving or giving information, be patient and understand where the other person has been. Recently, I have been thinking about one particular scene from my favorite war drama series, Band of Brothers. The Easy Company reassembled after the successful landing in Normandy, to only later find themselves fighting in the Battle of the Bulge. Enmeshed in one of the most difficult battles in human history, teetering on the edge of losing the gains made after the invasion of Europe, they ultimately prevailed to win after great sacrifice.??Following the hard-fought victory, the mini-series features a contrast of the new freshly minted soldiers arriving in Europe and those who emerge from the battle disheveled with wariness in their eyes.?

It is quickly apparent that the recent recruits could not comprehend the combat fatigue experienced by their colleagues. They could not relate to the hard decisions and compromises made or the torture of the last engagement as the band of brothers never gave up on their end goal – survival.??

Because people are at different stages, let professionalism and understanding be your guide. A person may have fought the good fight only to see gains slip sideways as new hurdles emerge, so they are adjusting their approach again…and again. Others may be facing personal challenges that they are quietly managing.?

In the Covid odyssey we tell our grandchildren someday, our?legacies?will be shaped by the factors unique to us. However, I encourage you to have a second story to tell. It is your story of teamwork as players come off and on the field.??It is a picture of perseverance and determination as you kept moving forward supporting each other with patience and a commitment. It is a story of survival and success.

"Greatness finds us by obstacles in front of us. I don’t look at hurdles as obstacles blocking my path but opportunities to overcome."

- Lolo Jones

Lisa Gable's?The Wall Street Journal?and?USA TODAY?bestselling book, Turnaround, can be found on?Amazon?(https://lnkd.in/ewqYdDib).