A New Formula in the Age of Uncertainty
By Quang Le, CEO, Le Transformations
Part 2 of 4
Welcome to TRANSFORMATIONS!
A newsletter helping leaders navigate change.
In the 19 November 2021 article, we shared the 5 top priorities for leaders shifting in times of turbulence. This week, we pick up on the thread to share what shifts are needed when dealing with uncertainty.
A New Formula in the Age of Uncertainty
Leading in times of disruption requires a mindset shift to become comfortable with change. This includes how leaders understand and view change and become aware of their behavior when responding to change.
Also, the pace and complexity of change require new ways of working. Gone are the days where only a few senior leaders control the environment. Now, more than ever, knowledge is distributed across the organization internally and externally to customers and partners.
Is your strategy only looking inward or only outward?
Does your strategy include the necessary exchange of information and feedback from employees, customers, partners, and vendors?
Leaders and staff typically fear the unknown. Today, in particular, the lessons of VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity) are ever-present.
In a VUCA world, the best way to minimize risk is to adapt to new work challenges. The stability of the past, where managing risk meant limiting your exposure, doesn’t apply today as most companies are exposed one way or another. When the risk of failure is high, the question is: Will leaders help their company shift before it’s too late? Timing is critical, and responding to disruption isn’t the time to start assembling a response team. Leading change in an age of uncertainty requires your team to exercise new ways of working, leveraging feedback from stakeholder groups, and applying the essential skills of teaming. Overall, while leaders typically yearn to maintain the status quo, they need to be change catalysts and restore a sense of calm during these stormy times. Leaders themselves must change their behaviors and be role models.
Indeed, the world is forever changed, and the one certainty is that continuous and disruptive change is here to stay. So what is the solution? We need a new breed of leaders who are can navigate and lead change. We need not only transactional but transformational leaders who will embrace change. Leaders who are aspirational. Leaders who encourage staff to experiment, reward learning rather than punish failures, encourage innovation and challenge their own preconceptions of how things work.
No, great leaders are rarely born, and all leaders are anxious about how to proceed. But change leadership can be nurtured. They can be trained to lead change and not be led by it.
That is what the new frontier of Change Leadership is all about.
About Le Transformations. Le Transformations (LETS), a pioneer in the field of change leadership, is a leading change strategy consulting firm based in Washington, DC, with clients worldwide. LETS helps leaders navigate disruptive change and engage staff. It specializes in industries that are most vulnerable in the new normal, including healthcare, manufacturing, retail, hospitality, automotive/transportation, and real estate. LETS' approach features a blending of technology, processes, staff, and leadership, with a particular focus on culture. Leadership change coaching is a key part of LETS' services. For more information, visit www.LeTransformations.com.
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