The Principles of Leading in Turbulent Times
When you are bouncing around in an aircraft on top of a tropical storm you value the calm voice of the pilot explaining that there is some heavy weather ahead and that they plan to climb a few thousand feet to avoid the worst of it. You would not be happy to hear them say that actually the problem is a bit of a mystery and they are not sure what to do. Worse, perhaps, would be total silence from the cockpit whilst anxious-looking cabin staff rushed to and fro. This sort of behaviour would undermine confidence and could lead people to panic.
Confidence is a crucial factor in surviving turbulent times in the workplace, such as an economic downturn. During periods of instability, the volume is turned up on problems-solving, decision making, planning, and crisis management. There is more to do and perhaps fewer people to do it with. The last thing you need is a nervous and distracted crew. When your organisation is getting tossed around by events, all your readouts are glowing red and you are wondering if you are going to make it to your destination, asking people to remain calm is unfortunately not enough.
When circumstances are assailing people from every side it is tough to keep up morale and to get people to be effective in spite of the distractions. People become fearful and frustrated, leading to ‘flight’ or ‘fight’ responses in which people either go into ‘avoidance mode’ keeping their heads down, doing the bear minimum and hoping that the storm will pass, or they can go into ‘attack mode’ looking for people to blame for the difficulties they find themselves in. Both responses serve to make them feel better in the short term but are not much help in managing your way out of a crisis. The starting point is getting to grips with the underlying forces at play causing people be react badly.
To have the best chance of prospering in difficult times, you need to concentrate on five areas; Certainty, Purpose, Control, Connection and Success. In short, if you can make people feel more certain, more purposeful, more in control of their circumstances, more connected to their organisation and their work, and more successful then you have the best chance of emerging stronger once the storm has dissipated.
“Leaders are dealers in hope”, said Napoleon Bonaparte. In time of danger or confusion, we look for leaders who are optimistic, self confident, have a clear sense of purpose, and remain resolute. It is in times of war and revolution that such leaders emerge on a world stage. Great change leaders do not make light of the dangers but challenge us to rise above short-term difficulties to achieve things beyond normal expectations. They also create trust through their words and deeds. At a time when they may feel undermined by events, leader must find inner strength - nothing will kill confidence faster than a nervous leader.
Great change leaders communicate constantly. They never allow a vacuum in information to be created as they know that gossip and misinformation will always fill the void. Better to tell people the bad news yourself that have others spin it out of proportion. They do what they ask others to do, displaying integrity between their words and deeds. They persuade people through a positive vision of the future and have a clear and simple plan of action. In short, out of chaos and confusion they create certainty.
When you are caught in a storm a compass is an invaluable possession. It helps guide you when visibility is poor and you cannot rely on the familiar landmarks to help you find your way. When organisations face tumultuous times, they need a steadying influence; something solid they can rely on to guide them. This compass or guiding star comes in the form of an unchanging purpose – an organisation’s vision and values. In stable times, these can seem like ‘nice to haves’, but, like the training of a professional pilot, they come into their own when things get rough. In times of crisis, leaders need to re-iterate the long-term vision of the organisation, reminding people of the larger goal that they are working towards. They need to promote the organisation’s values, like looking after their customers and working in partnership with their suppliers; both easy to do in the good times and more testing in the bad. It is these values that will help see you through and keep your customers and suppliers loyal to you after the storm has passed.
When outside forces, such as an economic downturn, conspire to put an organisation and its employees in difficulties people can feel like helpless victims. It can lead to introspection and in-fighting and is damaging for morale and for performance. Add to this a paternalistic leadership team that believes in hording information and making all the big decisions behind closed doors and people will feel even more helpless.
Tough times call for trust. People need to be involved and included. They need more information, not less. They need a chance to understand the situation, warts and all, and the decisions that need to be taken. If people understand the current circumstances they will understand the need to take drastic action, like slashing expenditure or reducing headcount, in order for the organisation to survive. By treating people like adults you can engage their ingenuity in finding the best way out of difficulties. People might, for instance, decide that they would sooner take a pay cut than have people let go, something they are far less likely to do if redundancies are announced out of the blue. Leaders that help people feel in control of their circumstances gain the trust and cooperation they need to see them through hard times.
People have a strong connection to work. It often forms a big part of their identity and purpose in life. That’s why retirement or redundancy can come as a big psychological blow. We form strong attachments to the people we work with, to particular ways of doing things, to status symbols, and even our personal space such as a desk. Turbulent times call for change and can threaten our very identity. Where change cannot be avoided, people need help in understanding and accepting the difficult emotions associated with letting go of the past. It helps people if they know that it is acceptable to feel bad and that difficult emotions will pass eventually. It helps also to know that past practices were not somehow ‘wrong’ (and by implication the people using them where not misguided), but that circumstances have changed requiring new approaches. Laying old ways to rest and building new connections, for example, through training and team building events allows people to renew their sense of identity and self-respect.
A crucial motivating factor at work is success. But in challenging times, good news can be in short supply. How can people remain motivated to give of their best if all they hear at team meetings is a stream of poor results? On the other hand, people cannot be motivated by a false show of optimism any more than wallowing in self-doubt and gloom. You need to be honest about your situation, but have a clear plan for turning things around. Focus on the future and the action that is required to steady the ship, recover your position and then to surge ahead. Actively seek out successes and to praise people who are doing what’s required to turn things around even if it is not yet delivering the results. Nurture success wherever you find it.
Finally, don’t forget that all your competitors are going through the same turmoil, so whoever navigates the storm most skilfully will come out ahead.
