Each week, I’m featuring excerpts from a chapter of my leadership book When the Curveballs Keep Coming: A Leadership Playbook for an Uncertain World to provide insights that can help all leaders adjust to these times of unrelenting uncertainty.
Last week, we introduced how you can make your journey someone else’s journey, creating an environment where your newfound confidence can be contagious for your team.
This week, we’ll share some excerpts from the final chapter in the book: Your Personal Journey, in which we take a closer look at what lies ahead for you and your team.
Of course, the road ahead is different for everyone; your steps and progress will be unique to you. That’s to be expected. It may feel slow and frustrating in the beginning, but you will make progress. Remember, when you are early in your journey—when you are working through the Practice step—you can’t expect to get things right every time. No one does. That’s what “Practice” is all about—trying things out, learning, reflecting, adjusting.
I know the value of Practice. It took me months to complete my first Ironman journey. I can’t tell you how much I doubted myself, felt inadequate, compared myself to others and their progress. I was scared, afraid of failing, and afraid of what I might learn about my own limitations and vulnerabilities. But I made it through that first race, which was a transformational experience that I rely on every day.
Just like I did during that first race, you will feel scared. You will worry about putting your well-earned reputation at risk with your team and your peers. Remember that the pushback and criticism you may get is temporary. The real competition here is yourself. VUCA Readiness is indeed an “inside job.”
And even with the best of intentions, there’s a high probability you will veer off course. The temptation will be strong to default to autopilot, to give in to peer pressure, to resign yourself to the way things were. But with time and patience, you will see progress. You are learning new behaviors, developing strategic awareness, building capacity and using personal agency—a skill we often forget we have.
The more you can make your initial response one that doesn’t rely on what’s known and comfortable, the sooner you will find your best next move. It may feel difficult and uncomfortable in the beginning, but as you practice, you will become adept at adjusting. You will gain momentum and make real progress.
Now that we’ve laid out the road ahead and understand what progress looks like, it’s time to assess your readiness at the highest level. Here are five signature questions to ask yourself before you embark on your journey—and to continue to ask yourself as you progress:
- Initial Response: What’s my first reaction to getting hit with a curveball? Do I automatically revert to autopilot? How fast can I move past any initial negative reactions to find my best next move?
- Contagion: What systems do I have in place to make my new confidence contagious? Can my team operate independently when they need to and find their own next move?
- Pushback: Do I have coping mechanisms for what always happens with change? Am I engaging my peers who may doubt my approach?
- Impact: What does my influence in the organization look like? Am I continually assessing the strength and breadth of my network of allies and advocates?
- Agency: Do I understand that making mistakes is now part of the process? How confident am I to act without knowing the end result?
I hope you’ve enjoyed this little peek into each of the chapters in my leadership book When the Curveballs Keep Coming: A Leadership Playbook for an Uncertain World.
Of course, what you see here is just a “bite-size” sample of the leadership lessons and practical tips that I outline in my book. Buy your copy now at Amazon or Barnes and Noble or go to bobbielaporte.com/curveballs for more information about corporate bulk discounts.
#readyforcurveballs