1 Minute Summary of: What Employees Need from Leaders in Uncertain Times
What employees need from leaders in disruptive times
WHY READ THIS
Here is how leaders can guide their teams during times of extreme uncertainty.
WHAT YOU WANT TO KNOW
Navigating uncertainty has always been a challenge for leaders, but the recent years have made it even more demanding. Here are four strategies to help leaders create a stable internal environment, enhancing team engagement, morale, and productivity.
WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW
Inspire trust. Offering high levels of predictability in your behaviour as a leader helps create trust in an otherwise uncertain environment. During uncertain times, the history of leaders fulfilling their promises inspires others to give their maximum effort.
Communicate a strong vision. This is what pulls people out of survival mode in the face of uncertainty and offers inspiration for people to move towards something. A well-communicated vision reframes uncertainty as simply part of the pursuit, offering stability when things get challenging. It also helps people maintain a long-term perspective, pulling them through any intermediate discouragement.
Be honest and transparent. Leaders who try to create false certainty by building a narrative that’s detached from reality only end up making false promises. It's better to maintain honesty and transparency, especially since people often struggle with decision-making, interpersonal interactions, and tend to catastrophise in times of uncertainty.
Turn uncertainty into opportunity. Reframing uncertainty in this way helps foster innovation. Given that times of uncertainty make it very difficult to deliver immediate value, fostering innovation can help organisations prepare to deliver value in the future.
