Executive Leadership in Uncertain Times, Part 1: Communicate, Collaborate and Engage

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Making decisions when there is certainty can be difficult, but it is not as difficult as having to decide in uncertain times. Leaders must make good decisions, regardless of the outcome. In some cases where the risks are minimal and the effects may be familiar, it becomes very easy and quick. But in critical situations, such as unpredictable events, making a decision without seeing all the available options can spell disaster.

A leader needs to understand both lack of certainty and extreme stress/uncertainty before they can think through their options and take advantage of everything they have at any given time. They need this knowledge, in order to know what actions will and will not work for different types of conditions, which will allow them to properly assess their situation and make an informed decision accordingly.

In some cases, we have just enough information to assess the likely outcome of a decision. These decisions are much easier than others because you can look at past data or past experiences and know that the future will follow a similar pattern. In these cases, it is easy to make difficult choices for yourself. For example, when you drop a glass of water on the floor, it spills; thus, it is clear what happens when you drop objects around liquids - this type of event is called certain.

Some people think risk and uncertainty are the same thing, but they couldn't be more wrong. While both involve unexpected outcomes, risk involves unknown odds, while uncertainty is something that cannot be determined due to lack of data. To say that someone is at risk would mean that they knew all the possible outcomes; however, with uncertain events, there's no telling even how bad things could go, meaning it's nearly impossible to plan ahead for everything that might happen when one option seems like an option. possible future reality.

Related: How to Become an Effective Change Leader

Successful change is one of the most difficult and important issues facing modern organizations. The world is changing rapidly and for businesses to survive they need to bring about positive change. Without doing things differently, it becomes nearly impossible for the business to succeed in such a competitive environment. However, even when organizational change is needed, many companies fail miserably because they don't understand what changes are needed and what strategies will work best, according to research. And this failure rate is also higher than the success rate! To successfully drive change in business, effective leadership qualities are essential. For leaders hoping to bring about positive change within their organization, understanding how you can use these three Cs of change leadership - Commitment and Collaboration - could be enough to guide you to success.

The first C of change leadership is communication. When it comes to bringing about positive change in the organization, communication plays a vital role. Leaders need to connect with their employees and tell them what and why. It is necessary to explain to them the purpose of making this change within the organization and why it is important. The leader must communicate with the entire organization to ensure that there is no resistance. Change must be communicated at all levels — no one should be left behind, as this can cause problems. When leaders make a change decision without communicating with their employees at all levels, problems and resistance arise, and this can negatively impact change.

Related: The 5 Most Important Aspects of Leading Others in Times of Change

Effective leaders are those who collaborate with their employees to ensure that the change they are about to make will be successful. Ineffective leaders don't include their employees in the decision-making process because...