Leading in uncertainty
In today’s rapidly changing business environment, leaders often feel uncertain about the future. They may worry about how economic, political, or social changes could impact their organizations, and whether they will be able to adapt and succeed in the face of uncertainty.
Those areas may all play a part in the overall picture, but there is another uncertainty in business that causes leaders a build-up of stress, late evenings, and lack of a good night’s sleep. That is, knowing the organization has challenges, but not knowing exactly what they are.
In a LinkedIn article from last year, more than 70% of leaders were dissatisfied with the effectiveness of the learning and development programs they had invested in; The training provided at all levels of their organizations.
This is very understandable when, too often, training gets implemented, the box gets ticked, but no sustainable progress is detected. I have personally experienced this in a major global organization I used to work for as a project manager.
Every single person had to get involved in a six month program to improve their communication.(I worked in the oil industry J)
There were a few issues with the program they had invested in. I have been involved in personal development, coaching, and leadership training since I was still a teenager so for me it was interesting enough but, for most of the people, it went way too deep AND…It was all done online!!! Nobody actually communicated and they couldn’t care less. Without going into the details, needless to say, the program failed miserably.
Leaders really desire stability and predictability in their organizations. They want to be able to plan for the future with confidence, and minimize risks to their organizations.
In this uncertainty, leaders often believe they have to control everything, they may struggle to navigate uncertainty, and may even be more resistant to change, especially when this is at best, a vague area.
All of this can so easily be resolved, when the real problems are known and the right focussed programs can be invested in. You will be able to lead more effectively in the areas that need and deserve your attention, without having to spend your weekends behind a laptop, without coming back to work tired on Monday mornings…or any morning for that matter, because you finally managed to get some quality time at home and good nights of sleep.
This is not just a pipe dream, or a magic vision for the distant future, this can be sorted RIGHT NOW!
Jan Robberts
Co-Founder of Ki Leadership Institute
Founder of JR’s Speakers Club