Here is a “sneak peek” at the first chapter of Bobbie LaPorte’s upcoming book for leaders: When The Curveballs Keep Coming A Leadership Playbook For An Uncertain World.
How did we arrive at this point where we are living in a world of unrelenting uncertainty, with no idea of what is coming next or how to plan for tomorrow?
Surely, we didn’t just wake up one morning and feel like the ground was shifting under us, that we were completely unsure of how to plan for the day and what, if anything, we could count on.
It does feel like that sometimes. There is no question that we are living in one of the most challenging times in recent memory. The pace of change and the impact that has across not just work, but all the domains of our lives, have been accelerating over the last decade. We now see that disrupting markets are not just the focus of high technology; it is happening across all industries and in organizations of all sizes and stages. Nearly every business faces increasing competition to stay relevant from start-ups to mature organizations who are transforming and reinventing themselves every day.
Stakeholders from every corner – investors, clients, employees, community members, and others – have a broader vision of the role of corporations in today’s environment and are heightening their demands. It seems like everyone wants more of you as a leader, and that pressure, combined with an environment of uncertainty, can feel overwhelming, even for the most resilient amongst us.
There has always been change, but the type of change we are experiencing now is completely different from what we have known in the past. It is broad, structural, and impacts virtually everything we do. The structural impact is unlike anything we’ve experienced in the past. It is ongoing…. a continuous ripple effect that continues to degrade the structure we have come to depend upon. It is like an earthquake that never ends: you think it is over but it’s not; the aftershocks just keep coming and coming.
This is the age of unrelenting uncertainty.
Don’t think you can look the other way and hope that this unrelenting uncertainty will go away and you can get back to the times where you knew what was coming next and how to plan for tomorrow; when your team came to you for answers and you showed them the way; when you were clear on your path to continued success. That world is gone. Stop hoping that maybe, just maybe “things” will get back to normal….that you can just wait for things to settle down.
Or that you can create certainty because uncertainty brings more pressure to create certainty. Leaders who try to do more of the same of what worked in the past will be continually frustrated and stalled. Our brains don’t like uncertainty; they want to be in a “toward” state where there is at least some sense of direction, of promise, if not certainty.
Your role now is to provide reassurance that uncertainty affects everyone equally, that as a leader, you are on the same, unstable footing as the people on your team. You can provide general direction and guidance, you can help your team connect to their long-term goals, you can instill confidence and promise, but you can’t provide answers with any certainty.
This is the new standard of competence and confidence by which all leaders will be measured from this point forward.
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Bobbie LaPorte draws on the sciences of positive psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral fitness to help challenged executives navigate today’s uncharted territory to achieve their goals. Get in touch with Bobbie to learn how her approach can transform your people, your processes, and your entire organization—and help you get ready for anything!
The book is now available on Amazon.