Written by Holtby Turner
Rewind your minds back to the morning of Friday June 24th when you arrived in the office, disorientated and shell-shocked by the referendum result. Now picture your CEO, or Chairman of the Board.
Can you recall what their attitude was, their body language and presence as they tried to work out what to say and do? Did they make you and your colleagues feel safe and secure? Did they demonstrate contemporary leadership, or did they hide away, relying on the corporate comms team to send a vague ‘container’ email out?
How leaders have responded to BREXIT, the removal of Britain’s AAA+ status and America’s continued political chaos are indicators of their leadership preparedness, maturity and acumen. Contemporary leaders take a step back and quickly detect the causes of adversity in order to identify their resolves, maintaining composure throughout.
It helps to be mindful of the following five points when leading during times of uncertainty and change, because everyone will be watching you and looking for guidance. Any sign of immaturity or lack of preparedness will prompt mass corporate insecurity – bad for staff, shareholders and clients alike.
1. Reign back your emotions
Maintaining composure and showing formidable strength of character whilst expressing concern and care takes practice, but it must be mastered. Imagine yourself as a powerful swan: graceful, stoic and in control. No one wants an overly emotional boss, flapping and honking like a goose. If it looks like you’re taking things personally or getting defensive, your credentials will nose-dive rapidly and you’ll end up a rather ‘unattractive’ leader. If you take things personally, or are overly animated in the justification of your decision-making, your composure crumbles and prompts those around you to think you’re losing control – even if you actually do have a solid plan.
Leading during crisis really is a time to ‘keep up appearances’. Don’t be a goose.
2. Remain Objective
When you panic, you mentally freeze and your mind loses focus. Objectively and practically ask yourself “what’s the worst possible thing that can happen?” Realizing what that might be leads to directional thinking and makes the situation manageable. You’ll be surprised at how quickly fears get diluted when rinsed through with rational, calm consideration.
3. Build positive momentum
Employees are always watching you: what you do, what you don’t do, what you say, and what you don’t say. Even the way you breathe when speaking has an impact. You set the tone for your organisation and a positive attitude can neutralise chaos. Focussing on the problem will bring everyone down, so you must find a way to stay strong internally so that it’s manifested with an authentic sense of compassion and positive, solution focus.
4. Be decisive and accountable
Leaders who maintain their composure alleviate signs of doubt and give employees a much-needed sense of everything being under control. Assuming accountability has a neutralising affect during times of crisis and quietens speculation and tones down stress levels. It’s OK to say “I don’t know yet” when asked what the plan is, as long as you begin confidently to work towards one – even if that requires asking for help from those who will know and support you as you lead through uncertainty.
5. Swans, not Geese
While no one expects (or wishes!) to have a leader with a “been there, done that, got the t-shirt” attitude, leaders who demonstrate a strong sense of knowing will approach crisis-led uncertainty with both elegance and grace. Even if by nature you’re a racer in business and lead with a highly energetic pace in your organisation, this gung-ho approach doesn’t work in a crisis. Even though it’s normal to experience internal combustion when the proverbial sh*t hits the fan, you have to remain patient and do more listening than speaking.
Autopilot is dangerous as a strategy because it’s not reflective and can let concern turn into worry, and worry spiral rapidly into fear. And leading with fear is a bad place to be. No one expects perfection from a boss, especially a CEO during times of crisis. Most of us don’t mind seeing those at the top sweat a bit under pressure, but it won’t win loyalty or respect.
Once you realise what’s what, you must critically evaluate the cards on the table, consult your board and leadership team, and then make your position and strategy clear to all. Remaining decisive, but not being afraid to show a human face engenders great loyalty and teamwork within an organisation and helps differentiate the “goods” from the “greats” in times of potential uncertainty.
