Develop your resiliency
In companies focused on agility, leaders are torn between expectations for clear-cut decisions and the necessity to adapt to changing conditions. In this context, how can they move forward without burning out?
In an environment where no one can boast they know exactly what tomorrow will bring, leaders are nonetheless expected to take action resolutely. Indeed, who wants to follow a hesitant manager? “In control” leaders inspire confidence and command respect. After all, aren’t great leaders recognized by their ability to take the helm in a raging storm and guide the ship safely to harbor?
This vision of leadership is still highly popular and continues to be abundantly taught in business schools and MBA programs. However, the reality is often quite far from this image. The truth is that leaders today are constantly confronted with situations in which they largely lack knowledge and control. The American scientist Ray Kurzweil showed that at the rate of current scientific progress, we have advanced as far in the past 14 years as during the entire twentieth century, creating disruptions that are difficult to anticipate. Whole branches of industry have recently undergone profound upheavals, following the example of the printed press industry in the U.S., whose sales figures went from $65 billion in 2000 to just $20 billion in 2012. The economic crisis adds additional pressure, exacerbated by the increasing interdependence of the various branches of industry. Businesses are constantly restructuring to adapt as best they can. Under these conditions, very few leaders are able to say to what their environment will truly look like tomorrow.
This chronic instability puts enormous pressure on all those who have the heavy responsibility of managing organizations. How do you establish a clear heading when you don’t know what tomorrow will bring? How can you remain lucid about situations outside your control, while moving efficiently in the right direction? Rather than stubbornly pretending to know everything, the experts advise managers to develop leadership skills based on reasonable doubt and observation of the present.
In this synopsis:
- Prepare for the unexpected
- Show resilience in adversity
- Think positively when faced with challenges
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See also
Preparing for an uncertain future
In times of turmoil and strong uncertainty, how can you manage beyond simply coping with the situation? One solution consists in accepting the inevitable nature of uncertainty: the challenge does not consist in minimizing it, but in managing it.
