We see the news with war in Ukraine, interest rates rising and the cost of bread and milk increasing to new heights. With all the uncertainty in today’s world I am noticing a worrying trend. Leaders are hesitating. Rather than assessing the current environment and developing a strategy to move forward, many are freezing. It is almost as if because things are so uncertain and moving so fast that many leaders are not doing what they should – lead.
We all know that the world is very complex and new technology is constantly moving forward to change the way we operate. This is nothing new. Previous generations of leaders have had to face similar environments. The leaders that keep moving and keep adapting are the ones that lead their people to be focused on the important things when things are fluid. So what are you doing? Are you hesitating and delaying decisions or are you actively moving forward?
Here are a few ideas to help you as a leader:
- Be Clear on Your Vision Forward. Leaders need to have a forward vision. It needs to be a goal and a direction, as well as the culture that will be created or maintained. If there is uncertainty around the way forward, staff get confused and unmotivated. The good news is top talent is motivated by a clear direction and they are also just as likely to leave (or be poached) if leaders are not reminding people of the way forward.
- Make Decisions. I remember working with a leader who was a perfectionist. Because of this she did not want to make a decision because she was afraid it may be the wrong one. The problem, everyone else could not trust her because her deadlines always slipped and others had to pick up the pieces. Once she realised that one of the most important roles of leadership is to make decisions and live with the outcome she became a much better leader. So what decision have you been putting off that you should make?
- Adapt with Change. Nobody has a crystal ball that will predict the future. We will make the best decision at the time and things will change and we will need to adapt. Great leaders adapt to change. More importantly they are constantly looking for what changes or modifications need to be made so they can quickly integrate them.
Much of this is common sense, unfortunately when times are stressful and challenging, we often forget the universal tenets of leadership and go a little off path. I am currently starting a new Leadership Mentoring Program for leaders that provides a 90 day time-frame to help them lead more effectively.
If you would like to have a discussion about me working with you as your Leadership Mentor or to find out more about our leadership programs, please click here.
