Managing in times of uncertainty requires communication, composure

I am involved with a not-for-profit organization whose revered and extremely effective general manager is gravely ill after a stellar 10-plus years run at the helm. The GM’s temporary absence for illness has morphed into a resignation as the GM has been offered the job of a lifetime elsewhere. Needless to say there is uncertainty all around. The staff and multiple community stakeholders are uncertain of the likelihood of what would be a temporary return so a replacement is in the offing but when? The GM’s new employer is uncertain given the health issues of when and if their prize candidate will be able to join the team.    

Recent announcements at Bell Aliant of impending cuts of 50 managers (names have not been named) is just the latest news that reminds us that individuals and many organizations in all sectors and of all sizes carry on in spite of a variety of types of uncertainty. We hear most often of the uncertainty associated with mergers, takeovers, significant change initiatives, closures and downsizings mostly having to do with the potential for job loss. However, uncertainty in the workplace takes many different forms. It is commonly understood, for example, that government bureaucracies at senior, mid-management levels and beyond are impacted considerably in the weeks and months preceding and following an election when there is much uncertainty about the impact a new government will have on budgets, programs and human resources.   

There is certainty that people react to uncertainty differently and there have been many studies to help us understand why some folks sail along while others feel paralyzed.

I believe the aggregate of how senior leaders navigate their way through uncertainty and ambiguity ultimately determines how organizations large and small behave in such times. The collective consciousness and ability around ambiguity of senior and middle managers will determine at least in part whether large and small organizations paralyze or carry on productively in uncertain times. Whereas leadership was once grounded in certainty and control, we appear forever destined for workplaces that favour those who can develop or strengthen the skills that enable grace and agility in uncertainty and ambiguity.

Whether leading ourselves or ourselves and others it seems at least one of the ways forward lies in making the decisions we can make and acting on those decisions. Efforts to advisedly carry on wherever possible and with appropriate adjustments during uncertainty and seek some normalcy in routines is typically beneficial.

In times of uncertainty we also look to those who by instinct, learning or experience tend toward helping themselves and others ride out the storm.

In times of uncertainty we also look to those who by instinct, learning or experience tend toward helping themselves and others ride out the storm. People who display empathy to others and recognize not everyone copes with ambiguity the same way are especially helpful.

Effective leaders (regardless of role or title) double or triple their communication efforts without giving in to unproductive speculation and in order to avert unnecessary gossip. They communicate regularly and consistently even when there isn’t much new to say about a situation or when they have to openly admit that they are not in a position to divulge certain things they are aware of at that particular time. Saying something is usually better than saying nothing and the listening and dialogue that occurs is hugely impactful and helpful. Restating and being as clear as possible under the circumstances on roles and expectations can also go a very long way.

Lastly, as Glenn Lloppis argues in his Forbes magazine article 7 Ways Leaders Maintain Their Composure in Difficult Times, there is much to be said about keeping your composure regardless of your role by “act(ing) like you have been there before” and always striving to take the situation on with “elegance and grace.”

I think the objective is to shift away from a constant need to know what is happening at all times or needing a sense of control about organizational life given that our ability to reduce uncertainty is limited in most of our roles. I suggest our required focus is to develop ways to work more effectively when facing uncertainty.

Recognizing we all deal with uncertainty differently, making and acting on the decisions we can, dramatically increasing communication efforts and clarifying roles and expectations can go a long way towards giving us “mastery of mind” in uncertain times.