Top 5 Skills For Leading Effectively In The Era Of Uncertainty

Every organisation faces a season of uncertainty that can be caused by external or internal shocks. Either of them causes tension and stress among the teams within the organisation. It is always the responsibility of the leadership to ensure that the team stays intact and productive all through the era of uncertainty.  

Leading through uncertainty is a significant aspect of a leader’s job but even with that said, sometimes circumstances and challenges can push even the most seasoned leaders to the limits of their capabilities. To successfully lead others, leaders must first learn to lead themselves. Granted that each leader faces unique complexities, inorder to lead effectively during era of uncertainty leaders must accelerate thier ability to learn, evolve, and navigate complex circumstances. 

Some people think risk and uncertainty are the same thing, but they couldn’t be more wrong. While both involve unexpected results, risk involves unknown odds, while uncertainty is something that cannot be determined due to lack of data. To say someone incurs risk would mean they knew all possible outcomes; however, with uncertain events, there isn’t even knowledge about how bad things could get — which means it’s nearly impossible to plan ahead for anything that might happen next when any option seems like possible future reality. 

When the world faced the COVID-19 pandemic, every business and organisation was faced by uncertainty. Leaders were under pressure to keep the team together and the business and organisation afloat amidst it all. Most organisations were forced to work remotely to minimise the person-to-person contact. The only path most leaders had to survive through the pandemic was to keep the team focused and together. This could only be achieved through a leadership that is able to build trust among the team.  

In this article, I will detail my top 5 skills for leading effectively in the era of uncertainty.  

Key Lessons for leading in uncertainty 

Here are some lessons every leader needs to learn to ensure that they are able to lead effectively when the organisation hits an era of uncertainty. 

Practise Emotional Intelligence 

Whenever we’re faced with uncertainty, both the leaders and the team members tend to experience emotional exhaustion. It is a result of stress and anxiety associated with the high level of emotional exhaustion experienced. This significantly reduces the performance of the team. A leader needs to practice emotional intelligence to keep the team afloat through the era of uncertainty. As a leader, emotional intelligence enables you to recognise, manage and influence your own and the team member’s emotions. 

Be Resourceful  

Being resourceful means one has the unique ability to find some quick and smart ways to help overcome difficulties. Being a resourceful leader means you need to think outside the box – to come up with solutions for the team to stay strong and deliver during the era of uncertainty. Leaders who are considered resourceful are creative and open-minded to ideas that will enhance production. They are persistent – and move towards the end goal strongly despite the setbacks they face as an individual or as a team. 

Show Empathy 

As a leader, one needs to see the world from the team member’s perspective. It helps the leader understand the team’s distinct personality, and beliefs. It becomes easy to understand how the team feels during the era of uncertainty. By utilizing the knowledge of the individual team member’s goals, challenges, objectives, values, culture, and motives, the leader can lead the team while appreciating every team member. This makes the team successful even in times of uncertainty. 

Build Trust 

During an era of uncertainty, a team may break due to trust issues that may arise from team members having polarised views. It propagates mistrust within the team which may lead to a disconnected team. This may end up causing low production by the team. One of the key responsibilities is to build trust within the team. The first step is to accept that difference in opinion is a must and may lead to the team being disconnected. Hence, as a leader create room for different ideas, appreciate every team member for their effort, and make them feel safe. Fostering an atmosphere of psychological safety helps build trust within the team and this will become fruitful even during an era of uncertainty. 

Uphold Your Humanity  

As a leader, you remember that the team’s success is dependent highly on you. This means that you need to recognize how your emotions and behavior impact your team. The pressure that comes with uncertainty can be too high to accommodate the team nd hold it together. Take time out to cool off or take deep breaths when in a meeting to stay grounded. Take care of yourself all the time as it will help you be kind and accommodating towards your team. 

A few reflection questions for the reader as you navigate uncertainty 

• How is my behavior as a leader affecting my team members?
• I’m I able to see the world from my team member’s perspectives?
• Do I appreciate the efforts of my team members?
• How can I improve my demonstration of a sense of our shared humanity towards my team members? 

Dr. Akin Oke is an executive coach and convener, Leadership Express – a global leadership development platform. He is based in Abuja. Nigeria.