In early March 2020, I left home on a multicity business trip. On Monday, we agreed not to shake hands at our meeting. There were bottles of antibacterial hand gel placed around the conference room. I ate dinner alone on Tuesday because we weren’t sure about gathering in groups. We promised to dine together on my next trip. On Wednesday, with uncertainty swirling around us, a colleague pulled me in for a quick embrace. By Thursday, airports were empty, schools were closed, and workers sent home.
The unexpected became our reality.
I remember that week so clearly. Just as I remember September 11, 2001. Just as I remember the week my father died in 2013. Change can happen suddenly, painfully. Change can occur on a personal level or at a global scale. The unexpected can happen at any time.
What should leaders do when faced with personal grief or political shifts? How can leaders be ready for changes in technology, economic instability, and pressures from the workforce?
The most important thing we can do is always expect the unexpected.
Be Prepared
Having a contingency plan means that you are ready for uncertain times and have strategies to keep your working operations as normal as possible. You want your organization to be able to maintain functions or quickly resume operations after disruptions. A good backup plan includes people as well as strategies and procedures. If you need to be out unexpectedly, who can be your backup? And what is the plan for your team?
Be prepared. Leaders who prioritize preparedness help their organizations withstand unforeseen events such as natural disasters or technology outages without major disruptions.
Be Agile
Leaders must foster a culture where flexibility is accepted and even prioritized. You may need to establish different ways of operating for different situations. How will you pivot? Can your leadership style and workplace policies change as needed while still focusing on the core values of your business?
Be aware of and open to different business models so your teams can respond creatively to uncertainty and unexpected challenges.
Communicate Quickly
Say what you can, as soon as you can. Say it honestly. Times are tough, but communicating with your teams builds trust and a shared understanding of the problems and solutions ahead. Transparent communication reduces anxiety, keeps teams aligned, and strengthens organizational cohesion.
A lack of communication is often an opportunity for rumors and misinformation to spread. That only adds to the stress of uncertainty. Have a strategy for ongoing communication during any challenging time.
Listen to Your People
Effective communication includes dialogue. Leaders should create structured opportunities for conversation and feedback in one-on-one and team meetings. This allows employees to voice concerns, ask questions, and feel heard, which is critical for morale and engagement.
Uncertainty can be stressful for employees, so listening matters. Your people are your greatest asset. How you listen during times of crisis will improve how you are heard when times are calm.
Ask for Help, Give Help
Build relationships between your business units. Leverage external partners and competitors. Sharing knowledge or strategies during uncertain times can provide additional resources and stability. Future collaboration may develop from connections that start during times of uncertainty.
By asking for help or giving help, you allow your organizations to minimize risks and evolve for the future.
Uncertain times are a certainty. Every generation can recall a touchpoint in their time that fundamentally changed how they did business. Those times were tough, but the future was not written yet.
As a leader, you write the future of your organization, and often the best parts of history are written after uncertain times. Be prepared, be agile, communicate often and regularly, remember the value of your people, and focus on collaboration.
Leaders who adapt to uncertainty, both short- and long-term, are best positioned for future success.
