If the past few years have taught us anything, it’s that change is a constant, and when change occurs rapidly it can create an environment of uncertainty. Business disruption is not new, however the worldwide pandemic has created an environment that we have never seen before. Uncertainty can create fear, and your team may feel scared or worried.
You need to find strength within yourself to lead your team, but also to lead with an element hope and possibility.
As a leader, here’s some strategies that we’ve found helpful.
6 ways for new managers to lead during times of uncertainty
1. Be visible and transparent
Straight up, your team needs to know that we’re all in this together, and that if needed, you’re in the trenches with them. Be accessible to them, they just need to know that they aren’t alone. Be transparent with all things, such as the why behind certain decisions. Be honest that you might not have all of the answers, they know times are changing, but they also need to know that being flexible and adaptable is required.
2. Manage communications well
We have found that when dealing with different groups of people, it’s extremely helpful to build out FAQ documents for your team to support them to respond to any enquiries. It provides you with confidence that the correct message is being shared, and also takes the pressure off, as you aren’t providing the same answer 10 times to 10 different people.
3. Take advice only from reliable sources
There’s a lot of information out there, as well as a lot of misinformation. Make sure you’re only taking your advice and developing actions based on information from reliable sources.
4. Don’t make knee jerk decisions
When you are in an uncertain environment that is changing so quickly – you may be tempted to make a quick decision thinking it’s the right thing to do at the time. Generally, it’s not – these decisions are made in the spur of the moment, often with a scarcity mindset, and poor quality information. Take your time to get all the facts and work through the impact of each decision before implementing it. Which leads me to the next point.
5. Have a good contingency planning in place
Contingency plans help you make sound decisions when the time comes. Use data where possible, as this provides sound insight. This includes using both hard and soft data sources.
6. Remember the people
Try to maintain your emotional intelligence. Being aware of how your emotions impact on the team, and being in touch with how your team is feeling is critical through this time.
Remember, we control the future even though we cannot predict it.
