6 Leadership Strategies To Get Through Times of Turmoil

Leaders say they feel stuck, underequipped or overwhelmed as they face increasing challenges in their roles. To lead others effectively in a context of increasing volatility, leaders must first learn to lead themselves. In particular, they need strategies to increase the speed and ability to learn, grow, and overcome increasingly complex challenges.

Accept the uncomfortable feeling from the things you don’t know

Scientific research shows that our brains are designed to see uncertainty as a risk or threat, it’s normal to feel stress in the face of unfamiliar situations. physiological aspect. This is especially true for high achievers, who have built their careers by finding the “right” answers. While avoiding these unpleasant feelings is a natural human tendency, it can become a significant barrier to future learning, growth, and current performance.

Instead of hiding from these feelings, we must learn to acknowledge and accept discomfort as a normal part of the learning process. As described by Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, leaders must move from a “know-it-all” mindset to a “learn it all” mindset. This mindset shift in itself can help ease discomfort by removing the pressures that make you want answers to all of your problems.

Distinguish between complex and complex

Most of us often use the terms complex and complex interchangeably when, in fact, they are represented with different degrees of severity.

Complex challenges contain many interdependent factors, some of which may be unknown and may change over time with unpredictability. In addition, an action, or change in one direction, can lead to unforeseen results. For example, foreign policy and climate change are complex challenges. While there is practically no shortage of opinions on these topics, there is no definite solution that can be completely resolved. As a result, solutions to complex challenges often emerge through trial and error, requiring leaders to be willing, able to act, learn, and adapt.

Abandon Perfectionism

In a complex environment with a constantly changing context, it is futile to aim for perfection. Instead, aim for improvement, expect to experience mistakes, and realize that you have the ability to continually correct as needed. For high achievers with a tendency toward perfectionism, ego and status can get in the way. To let go of perfectionism, identify and acknowledge your core fears – such as “I’m afraid of failing,” “I’m afraid of looking bad,” or “I’m afraid of making decisions.” mistake”. Removing the grip of assumptions in failure situations can allow leaders to let go of perfectionism and accept that mistakes and failures are opportunities for learning and career growth. wonderful.

Resist excessive exaggeration and quick conclusions

Leaders can simplify complex challenges to make them appear less daunting. For example, breaking down a challenge into small problems gives us a sense of control. However, the disadvantage of this strategy is that it narrows the leader’s vision, makes the links missed, and obscures the holistic view.

In addition, many leaders tend to act quickly, and also quickly become frustrated when they do not come up with a clear solution and action plan. Instead of wanting to solve problems quickly, leaders must learn to balance the desire to act with a more conservative approach to getting to the bottom of the problem.

“Don’t go alone”

Many leaders feel isolated as they constantly face the change and uncertainty that come with new challenges. Part of their sense of isolation stems from their implicit belief that they need to deal with all their problems on their own. As our complexity and workload increase, our natural tendency is to redouble our focus and individual effort. However, when faced with challenges where the scope of the issues is unclear and fraught with tangles, that course of action can lead to disaster. Instead, it’s time for leaders to purposefully reach out to those in their network, to capture the essence and other aspects of the problem that they may not see on their own.

Zoom out

Leaders often find it difficult to face complex challenges because they are so immersed in them. Zoom out or step back from the scene to give yourself a broader perspective, a more systematic view, and a more informed assessment of assumptions. In the “remote position”, the leader can see the full picture of interdependencies, patterns, potential risks, and solutions. When we master this practice, we can develop the ability to see the big picture and think more quickly.

Rebecca Zucker and Darin Rowell

Harvard Business Review Page

Compiled and compiled by GEM . Academy of Management