By Sarah Noll Wilson
Uncertainty is a certainty in life. As humans, we face it every day. (Last week on the blog, Dr. Teresa Peterson shared how uncertainty impacts the brain. If you missed that one, I highly recommend checking it out.) Businesses face this challenge every day, too—there are simply factors that are out of our control.
For business owners and those in leadership roles, there’s an extra layer to that uncertainty because your actions—or inactions—through the fog directly impact other people. It’s a tremendous amount of pressure.
The most effective leaders we’re lucky enough to work with and observe put in tireless effort when it comes to being able to ride the waves of uncertainty. They understand how their brains react to uncertainty and know when they’re responding productively. When they’re not responding productively, they are self-aware enough to recognize the impact of that and self-regulate for their personal betterment and the betterment of their teams/organizations. This self-awareness piece is important because it’s so necessary, especially right now, to be adaptive, nimble, and ready to change, and we can’t get there if we’re not in tune with our own patterns and behaviors.
A trap we sometimes see people fall into is that they feel like they need to have all the answers to everything, especially those in positions of authority. This pressure could be self-induced or put on by other stakeholders, but the detrimental impact is the same. If this is you, I lovingly invite you to remember that being in a leadership position does not mean you’re an oracle who can see the future or predict what’s going to happen, nor does it mean that you’re a superhero who can come in and save the day instantly every time something goes a bit haphazard. Of course, the goal is to anticipate as much as possible, react quickly (or know when it’s time to slow down), and continue to show up.
To help you do just that, let’s explore five ways to lead through uncertainty:
1. Be confident in what you know and what you don’t.
It’s okay to say something like, “I don’t know what’s next for us when it comes to this change in the market (or whatever the challenge of the day is). Here’s what I do know to be true, though: regardless of what happens, our team is going to continue to show up with integrity (or compassion, collaboration, curiosity, whatever your team’s strength or focus is).
Reminding folks—and yourself—of that kind of foundation, when it’s authentic, is invaluable.
2. Avoid the blame game.
If you’re not part of the decision-making process but are charged with implementing changes—in other words, the marching orders came from above—resist the urge to fall into blame mode. It can feel seductive in the moment to rally your team around the common enemy of senior leadership, absolving you of the weight of some of the pushback. Note that I’m not saying you can’t disagree or push back to them on your own terms—and you are absolutely within your rights to decide whether or not a company is right for you by the way they handle these decisions—but remember that your role is to set your team up for success. Ask yourself: What would that role look like within the parameters of this new decision, whatever that may be?
3. Have an outlet.
We know that leadership can be lonely. Whether it’s a mentor, coach, therapist . . . the bottom line is that you need somebody to be messy with out of view of anyone consequential to your role. This works especially well when you’re talking with someone who has been through something similar—a fellow leader or professional coach, for instance—who can help. Having an outlet is extra important when you’re feeling personally unsure and need to re-anchor. Being a business owner, I feel—whether it’s right or not—a hundred percent of the responsibility for the success of the company. This isn’t a burden I want to put on anyone else. My colleagues would maybe disagree with me. I know they have full commitment, but it is an incredible amount of responsibility and ownership that I carry. For me, when I’m in a place of uncertainty, I’m trying to notice when it becomes overwhelming to me and to pay attention to those cues of when I’m feeling frazzled, doubtful, and overwhelmed so I can take some action and seek support as a re-anchoring exercise.
4. Seek perspective.
Having people who can pull you back and help you see the bigger picture is critical in the face of uncertainty. When things get tough, ask better questions. Who can you involve in these conversations to get more clarity? From an equity standpoint, I challenge you to consider whose perspectives you are asking for and centering as you navigate change (and who is left out of those conversations). The more heads we have thinking about possibilities, the more likely we are to pull together a plan that we all feel good about.
5. Embrace experimentation.
Many of the uncertain situations leaders have to navigate do not have obvious solutions. To top it off, there are almost always factors outside of our control to contend with, which means the first solution you come up with is rarely the one that sticks. That’s why our ability to thoughtfully and intentionally try different things—to see what works and what doesn’t work, to adjust and adjust again—is a cornerstone of agility. Of note is on the other side of that trying what works is being open to the idea that it might not. (For more on that, later this month, we’re talking to Amy C. Edmonson about her new book, Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well. Stay tuned.)
What’s Next?
How do you approach leading through uncertainty? What tips would you add to this list? Share your experiences with us so we can all grow together.
Sarah Noll Wilson is on a mission to help leaders build and rebuild teams. She aims to empower leaders to understand and honor the beautiful complexity of the humans they serve. Through her work as an Executive Coach, an in-demand Keynote Speaker, Researcher, Contributor to Harvard Business Review, and Bestselling Author of “Don’t Feed the Elephants”, Sarah helps leaders close the gap between what they intend to do and the actual impact they make. She hosts the podcast “Conversations on Conversations”, is certified in Co-Active Coaching and Conversational Intelligence, and is a frequent guest lecturer at universities. In addition to her work with organizations, Sarah is a passionate advocate for mental health.
