How to Lead During Uncertainty Without Burning out

We live in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world. Whether we like it or not, it’s the truth. People’s needs and wants are changing. Supply and demand are uncertain, even for things like toilet paper and cleaning products. I believe, and studies reveal, that this demands continuous organizational change so that we can continue to meet or exceed the expectations of those we serve.

And there are four things that matter most when it comes to leading during uncertainty: clear priorities, creativity, collaboration, and commitment.

Clear Priorities

As leaders, when we set clear priorities, we can create alignment throughout our organizations which empowers people to invest their resources and energies so that the organization can reach its potential. When everyone knows that what they spend their time doing day in and day out actually helps your organization reach its goals, people become invested!

And in order for organizations to not just achieve short-term success, but to actually realize their potential for the long run, Hughes, Beatty and Dinwoodie argue in Becoming a Strategic Leader that organizational direction, alignment, and commitment are essential. And I couldn’t agree more. In their book Making Strategy, Ackermann and Eden share that setting effective strategies, requires encouraging authenticity, diversity of perspectives, and contributions by everyone. Strategies to complex challenges cannot be made in silos.

Creativity plus Collaboration equals Committment

When it comes to the creativity process, the more people who engage in it, the more ideas you’ll have for moving forward! And the more people who engage in it, the more people who will be committed to your strategy both in their attitude and in their minds. Leaders who value the process of strategy making as a collaborative effort more than strategy making in a silo, have team members who are both emotionally and mentally committed to the goals.

The Great Part About Conflict

Obviously, conflict will occur if you engage your team in the midst of uncertainty. The great part about conflicts though, is that they give us the opportunity to facilitate creativity so that we have new options for moving forward. More often than not, there is a win-win when it comes to conflict and it might not be either possibility currently on the table.

When I see my son do something that I don’t want him to do, my initial reaction is to ask him to stop doing it. Which usually leads to him putting up a stink about having to stop. I’m learning to get better at stopping myself in the moment and asking “what’s going on in me? (thanks to our parenting coach). And then when I realize why I want him to stop, I explain it to him. And then I ask him the why behind what he wants to do it. Almost every time, we can come up with a win-win solution so that he’s not about to break a vase and he still gets to make big arm movements without throwing a huge stuffed animal in our living room.

The same can happen on our teams when conflict arises. A win-win and a new creative solution are more common than you might think.

Not to mention the common language and shared culture that emerge through collaborative processes which help everyone on the team feel safe, comfortable, and productive, as leadership expert Edgar Schein points out in his book Organizational Culture and Leadership. And as the level of trust between team members increases, so does their interdependence upon each other and ultimately their achievement of a shared vision!

Jesus did not have it any easier

In Jesus’ ministry, He chose disciples with a diversity of perspectives, encouraged them to all participate in His ministry (Matthew 10), and engaged them authenticity. Conflict inevitably arose, and Jesus helped them see new and different perspectives moving forward (Matthew 20:20-28). When Jesus left the disciples to carry on His work, the disciples could be found banded together through their direction, alignment and commitment (John 20:19-20; Acts 1-2).

Leading during uncertainty can be unsettling. When we put trust in our team and collaborate as we continue to find new ways to meet and exceed the expectations of those we serve, the outcomes can be better than we even thought possible.