Tips for leaders to think systematically during times of chaos and uncertainty:
Take good care of yourself and disrupt yourself at the same time.
During times of chaos and uncertainty, team members look to leaders for safety and yet a leaders own sense of uncertainty will tempt them to try and control the situation.
Slow down, reflect, and create space taking yourself out of the chaos and look at your team and yourself from the outside.
Anchor yourself in purpose.
Dig deep and give unwavering thought why you are in a leadership role. Often you will find that it is not what you expected or even perceived status that comes with it.
What does your team give to the organization? What do your team members need to find purpose?
Purpose is a collective gift to the team that fuels all involved, including the leader.
See the whole that your team and organization really is.
Develop eyes and ears beyond the confines of the team and separate parts of the organization.
Take time to zoom out and take a look at the entirety of the organization.
What are the patterns of behavior that you see?
Discover underlying structure(s), these will inform you about why the organization is functioning the way it is.
Listen.
Actively listen, hear what is going on from your people.
Pick up on emotion and anxiety. Plan on hearing about problems.
Listen without judgment creating safety and a sense of trust.
Tap collective intelligence by creating conversations.
Interact with team members and let team members really interact.
Let the team understand problems by working through them without having a solution first.
Take a close look at what they say the problems are that matter to them and they want to take on.
Network with other organizations or teams within the organization that can bring a different perspective.
Trust that the right future will emerge.
An organization will do just about anything to survive and thrive. This may include a solution you may not have thought of.
As a leader it us up to you to let it develop in that direction.
Focus on serving the team and the organization.
Accept mentoring and be a mentor.
Leaders need outside perspective, not consultants, but people who can help see with an outsider’s perspective.
