This happened to me during Pandemic (Covid19) hit during early 2020. I was promoted as a GM (P&L Responsibility) during mid of 2019 and the pandemic hitting the globe during early 2020 made more uncertain times and I've handled the situation very carefully . Most importantly, we need to remain confident and calm to clearly assess the forward path. Communication is super critical to the team members and highest level of openness and trust to be maintained to support each other. Planning with flexible approach is necessary as times are completely unclear. Priorities are to be set and unimportant tasks to be faded to focus on the main tasks. Regular feedback is required to course-correct the actions and tacit knowledge needs to be templated.

In uncertain times, it's crucial to see change as an opportunity rather than a setback. This approach not only fosters innovation but also builds resilience within your team. Embrace the unknown, understanding that adaptability is a strength. Cultivate an environment where change is anticipated and utilized as a tool for growth. Leadership in such times means guiding your team through the evolving landscape, encouraging them to view each challenge as a chance to excel. By doing so, you're not just navigating change, you're harnessing it to propel your team forward.

Uncertainty is always. I agree with J. Katz, if in leadership, one is probably being constantly tested. As a nuanced view to this nuanced topic, consider it said that people with capturing skills are more successful. Capturing should be a leadership philosophy, since experience is the best teacher. Leaders should be capturing, whether mentally, by chronicling or other means because experience is nothing if not nuanced and thus allows solutions to flow quicker over time. In real uncertainty e.g a pandemic, I agree with N. Ngeh, empathy not only shows leadership skills but allows leaders access to nuanced solutions. A lot of us lost jobs in COVID, because companies were self-absorbed in keeping "status quo", when it clearly had gone to pots.

You can't lead w/o a following. Create resilience. Ask questions. Talk to people that have more experience than you and a good attitude any way. Remember for example that the United States has changed dramatically in 300 years as a business space. Europe, Africa and the UK have been around thousands of years as business entities. Certainly chaos sowing seems to have become a reliable business like way of getting someplace.... Wouldn't take much for the uncertainty to become certain....

During Covid, especially in healthcare, every leader had to embrace uncertainty and change. It was hard to overcome everyone’s natural fear as things were developing and becoming known about the virus week to week. One way to retain trust and confidence of the team was to communicate information as quickly and clearly as possible. Additionally, taking an attitude of “we are in this together” Can also be supportive and help maintain trust. And, not just saying these words, but actually showing that you mean it through your behavior and actions.

Sight is a function of the eyes. Vision is a function of the heart. Perspective is a function of the mentality. Ensure you are keeping a keen eye on your organization and recognizing patterns, trends, and even monitoring morale. Body language always gives more insights than verbal communication. Vision is arguably the most critical skill. Newton once said that if I have seen further than others, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants. You have to be able to create and articulate a vision for your team that goes beyond what is happening in the present. Lastly, perspective always keeps you centered in times of change and even crisis. The ability to keep calm and play to your strengths cannot be overstated.

See the future for what it can be. Describe that picture early, often, and in general terms. This allows others to make the jump with you, add their perspectives, and if kept general - they will add details too.

Sometimes, massive results do not require massive actions. Rather, it requires the clarity of effective small steps and progess towards exponential growth. Spend some time pondering on what matters the most as your next steps in your leadership. That will increase your chances of creating more positive impact on your team.

Using COVID-19 pandemic as the reference point, the overarching unifying message was that everybody safety was top of mine. That every decision would boil down to patient and staff safety. That was the same goal we were all working towards as employees who provided care to patients. And, as leaders, ensuring that to staff, safety was top of mind, always as well.

Amidst uncertainty, a leader's clear vision acts as a beacon, illuminating the path forward. It's more than a destination; it's a guiding light that offers hope and direction. By articulating this vision with clarity and conviction, you provide your team with a sense of purpose and focus. However, the true strength of a vision lies in its flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances. Regularly revisiting and refining your vision ensures it stays relevant and attainable, fostering alignment and collective momentum. In turbulent times, a clear, adaptable vision is not just a goal, but a compass that keeps the team unified and resilient.

Part of being a great leader is being a great follower too. Part of being a great follower is your ability to 1)listen to other - being coachable, and 2) being collaborative and staying calm through the storm. Think back to how Martin Luther King and Lech Wałęsa handled themselves. Virtually everyone is a follower. A CEO reports to board of directors... Yes, some roles have clear leadership requirements. Yet, everyone role has followership requirements. To build team trust, each person has to believe in each others ability, benevolence, and integrity - through shared experiences. Right skills experiences to do their jobs? (ability) Does what's right for the team (Benevolence) Follows through on their commitments - Integrity

Humility and the ability to admit when we dont have all the answers as a leader are imperative to building trust. Particularly during challenging times. Change is difficult, there is no skirting around the issue, however, how we navigate it can make a huge difference in whether people come along on the journey with us. One thing that has been very important to me in building strong and reciprocal relationships has been to build trust from the beginning. Not by trying to be the best, but by listening and learning with the humans within the organisation. When people have intrinsic trust in their leaders and know that their opinions matter then the conversations within times of change are different.

Listening continues to be the pending task of leaders. But not listening. Listening is different. Listening is paying attention to what is heard. It is to take a genuine interest in the other person. But there is a price to pay, and that is to understand the other person, and eventually, to do things to help. And that's why many managers prefer to look the other way. "If you don't see it, it doesn't exist."

When uncertainty looms, decisiveness becomes your compass. It's about striking the right balance between careful deliberation and swift action. As a leader, showing confidence in your decisions inspires your team to trust in your direction. Hesitation, on the other hand, can result in lost opportunities or escalate challenges. Embrace decisiveness as a trait and a leadership strategy to cut through uncertainty. By making informed choices promptly, you set a course for your team, demonstrating that proactive problem-solving paves the way forward.

When a decision is unpopular, or the best decision, one can make with the information at hand, it’s important to give the rationale for the decision. And, let the team know that if new information comes to late that we can reopen the discussion on the decision. There are some decision, especially those that come to financial matters that are more black or red i.e. if there’s a budget deficit, then there may be very little room to maneuver change of decision, unfortunately.

Decisions = outcomes. I have seen so many issues come out of leaders who think they need to run everything up to the highest level for decisions. Stop. Make decisions, any decision that you can make. If you need help with a thought decision, ask for it - but make a proposed decision in the request for a second ear. Additionally, ask peers for help. Your “bosses” have bigger decisions to make - don’t give them extra work by having to make your decisions. This isn’t helpful to anyone.

Think about decisions differently. Think who. Who is the expert who can handle this issue? Who can lead this solution? Who would love this project? It’s not delegation of tasks, it’s empowerment of decisions AND when done correctly, it creates the desired outcome faster, under budget, and produces more winners.

Embracing resilience is the cornerstone of thriving in uncertain times. It's about seizing setbacks as opportunities for growth and maintaining an unwavering sense of optimism. By prioritizing resilience and rallying around one another, we foster a culture where challenges are met with unwavering determination. Encourage your team to fortify their resilience, transforming obstacles into catalysts for advancement. This approach not only bolsters the team's capacity to endure adversity but also fosters a spirit of solidarity and perseverance. Together, we have the power to overcome any challenge.

Set the example by modeling resiliency. As a leader your team is looking to you for guidance during difficult times. It’s imperative that you keep a positive attitude in the face of adversity.

There is a Chinese saying which states that "Failure is the Mother of Success". We don't grow as leaders because we are always successful all the time. Rather, we become more trustworthy and competent leaders when we are brave enough to step out of our comfort zones, make good decisions for our organization and encounter unavoidable mistakes. Do not repeat these failures. Yet, learn from these failures and acquire timeless gems of leadership wisdom. Don't give up, you will get better if you learn from your failures and develop greater resilience in your leadership journey :)

I believe that resilience is highly linked to a strong vision. The greater the sense of clear purpose and mandate, the easier it is to hold the rudder steady through patches of rough weather.

In addition to being resilient and unflappable, you must be humble enough to utilize the wealth of knowledge and experience in your network. When a crisis hits, everyone is looking to you for answers. Most of the time, you'll know what to do. But when you don't, and reading up on it is not a timely option, picking up the phone and calling a mentor or a colleague is invaluable! They have a point of reference on what will work and what won't! This saves you time and resources which ultimately mitigates the damage.

Adaptability is so important! One way to foster this is to do an ideas board or huddle on a weekly basis. This is a time and place where ideas can be shared and vetted by the group from ideas that can quickly be implemented in five minutes or less two ideas that require cross department collaboration Having a safe space to bring up ideas allows the team to be vulnerable and take risks in sharing their opinion of what is important and what they’re capable of changing versus what requires input from different departments or different leaders within the organization. It requires an experienced person to lead the huddle in order for it to be effective And deliver on its promise, which is implementation of great ideas by the front line.

Adaptability is the first sign of authentic leadership. As one adapts to the situations around and has effective mastery over emotional regulation, the consequent decisions will be contextual and authentic accordingly.

Enable adaptability. People will respond to what they see. The leader who crushes people who bring up future challenges will be surprised. Always offer a time for team-members to tell you their thoughts. Ask them individually, you’ll be surprised how empowering this is and less surprise at the things you will have to adapt to.

In uncertain times, effective leadership requires clear communication, empathy, adaptability, and decisive action. Prioritize transparency, support your team, be flexible, focus on what you can control, and promote unity. Take care of your well-being, seek feedback, and stay focused on long-term goals while building resilience. These strategies can help you navigate challenges and lead your team successfully through uncertainty.

Embrace this experience! If your leadership skills aren’t being tested, you’re not growing…and probably not doing much leading either! It is during these times that our values are challenged, our vision is questioned, and our constitution is tested. These are opportunities to be forged in fire and hone our leadership skills. Keep your ego in check. Leadership isn’t - and never will be - about YOUR greatness. Get out of your own way and your own head. Learn. Grow. Lead.

Adopt a PARADOX / BOTH AND MINDSET Usually we try to navigate uncertainties by finding the "right" answer. But it probably does not exist because of changing conditions round us. I suggest to change ou mindset, trying to see situations as Paradoxes to be navigated, not as problems to be solved. When facing a Paradox (or Polarity), we have to find a dynamic equilibrium between seemingly conflicting forces. We cannot choose. We need One AND the Other. Both sides have benefits we need. They are unsolvable; we have to combine both poles. It will help us navigate uncertainty. Examples in the context of "leadership" are: - Relationships AND Results - Others' objectives AND My objectives - Purpose AND Profits - Empathy AND Assertiveness ...

Stay resilient and don't be critical of yourself This shall pass is the mantra It will only help you become stronger and resilient even if you are unable to deal

Having your leadership skills tested in uncertain times is clearly a blessing in disguise. Leaders shine the most in uncertain times because people and processes need direction and perspective. Leaders often solve problems, cast vision, set direction and coach/mentor others. What better environment to do so in then uncertain times? Yes, it will be challenging but also invigorating at the same time. Learn to appreciate the "curriculum" not just the diploma. Leadership development is a process not an event.