Leadership : the art of managing uncertainty
Author: Eric Kaufmann, CPCM

Uncertainty, whether brought on by war, changing economic conditions, or personal choices, often seems like an unwelcome guest or even a monster entering our office or home. We fear possible failure or loss, the humiliation it can bring, and the frustration we experience when seeming
incompetent.

Resistance to uncertainty is mostly emotional - usually fear and anger. We think up rationalizations - intellectual strategies to minimize the uncertainty and anxiety.

Leaders, because of their future-facing role, regularly face uncertainty.

The ideas that follow have a two fold purpose:

1. help you as a person, and
2. help you lead more effectively.

The one thing we can count on in life is that things will change. When change is the result of external forces or actions, and lasts a while, our inclination is to fear the uncertainty of the change.

Uncertainty is a time when the future is unclear. It is an in between time that may feel chaotic and frightening. As a leader, gracefully handling uncertainty goes a long way toward engendering feelings of trust, respect and loyalty from the people you lead.

Here are proven leadership tips for uncertain times:

1. Deal with uncertainty directly. Don't pretend that ignoring uncertainty will make it go away; this just makes the uncertainty harder on you.

2. Talk about it. Sharing your experience with your team can bring them relief and afford you new insights.

3. See the uncertainty as an opportunity rather than a threat. Chaos is the forerunner of order, and the vision that you nurture and pursue will help to shape the order that arises.

4. A clearly defined vision of the end result enables all the people to define the most efficient path for accomplishing the results.

5. Treat your team as adults. Many organizational systems treat people like children and expect them to act like adults.

6. If you want cooperation, share information. The more input people have into defining the changes that will affect their work, the more they will take ownership for the results.

7. "Truth" is more important during periods of change and uncertainty than "good news."

8. During uncertainty, you will earn and keep trust as you demonstrate consistent behavior and clearly defined values.

9. Manage stress. Because uncertainty is stressful, it's important to have positive ways of minimizing stress.

10. Take care of yourself. Your ability to deal with uncertainty will be better if you are eating healthy foods, exercising and taking time out for your favorite activities.







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Eric Kaufmann is an executive coach. He works with mature and intelligent leaders who recognize three things: 1. technology is not always the answer, 2. culture emerges from the character of the leader, and 3. change begins from within.

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