Are You Leading or Falling Behind in the Age of Uncertainty?

Not so long ago - I saw a commercial for an airline that featured a nervous flyer.  This “nervous flyer” talked about how she would look for the flight attendants when the airplane would hit rough air (they no longer call it turbulence!) - to get her cue regarding how worried she should be.

Of course - the commercial highlighted flight attendants that looked supremely calm, cool, poised, gracious, and confident - thereby alleviating the anxiety of this nervous flyer - and empowering her to be more resilient - and maximize the enjoyment of her flight!

And even though these were actors - helping to sell an idea for this airline - I found the concept of how people in position to lead - respond to uncertainty and chaos - and what message their response sends to those they lead - to be highly compelling and relevant for anyone that hopes to be an effective leader.

This should challenge each of us (cause face it - we are all called to lead in some capacity) to examine who might be looking at us - or - led by us - and what message might they be receiving from us when we experience the “rough air” of running a business, married life, raising kids, etc.!!??

In a Harvard Business Review (HBR) article from 2023 - the author suggested that uncertainty and chaos are the new norms in the modern workplace (and really - contemporary life).

I mean - since 2020 - we’ve experienced a global pandemic - economic uncertainty - the threat of WW3 - massive layoffs - political turmoil - dealing with the effects of social media - non-stop news cycles - and honestly I have a feeling that 2024 might be the most chaotic year yet!!

So - if uncertainty and chaos are the new norm - what can we do about this (hey - I think through the lens of solutions - and this is a huge problem to solve - where the science of psychology can play a big role!).

Well - according to the HBR - resilience is the answer.

And while i agree - I am going to take it a step further - and declare that it’s resilience anchored to our True North (our values, purpose, mission, guiding principles, character, and TN relationships) - that is our BEST answer.

It’s the understanding of what constitutes our True North that makes a resilience strategy truly radical (when we are aligned with our True North - we are operating in a radically resilient manner - and when we get out of alignment with our True North - a resilient response should direct you back to your True North - but stronger, better, and wiser!).

This way - when we encounter uncertainty, chaos, setbacks, failure, stress, adversity, etc. - we can bring order to chaos - identifying where the opportunities for growth, learning, healing, and improving are (and I’m not talking about false bravado here - that tends to be rigid and easily exposed - but - authentic resilience - that is anchored to what is most true and meaningful - so it has roots that are 10 miles deep!).

And when we know that we are equipped to respond to hard times in such a way - we spend a lot less time avoiding challenges - staying stuck in unproductive cognitive loops - engaged in self-defeating behaviors - and/or making rough air - well - rougher!!

Instead - the people that work for/with us - our kids - our spouses - our friends - etc. - see that we are moving forward in the face of uncertainty and chaos with faith, conviction, and clarity in knowing who we are - and what direction our True North is in.

In turn - this will have a profound impact on them - as they feel more secure in the presence of your resilient leadership - and it will dramatically increase their ability to respond in kind.

But - why do I care about this (you might be asking)??

Because I know first hand - that a highly specific resilience strategy is soooo much better than a - fake it until you make it, white knuckle (just trying to force it), or - we will figure it out when we get there - approach!

And - a resilience strategy that is anchored to an awareness of what a company - or family - stands for - and is connected to what matters most to them - has a powerful effect on them - where they believe that they can overcome just about any external circumstances they encounter!

Plus - while I will admit that I may be the victim of regency bias - it feels like the stakes are higher than they’ve been at any time in my life.

I mean - we know that companies that have received resilience training far outperform their non-resilient trained counterparts (in 3 critical areas that are essential to a business’s survival).

We also know that individuals who have received resilience training - are consistently more successful in their careers (they make on average - 25% more than their peers), tend to be healthier - physically and psychologically, have stronger relationships, and experience more happiness and fulfillment.

So - there appears to be something to the HBR study that suggested resilience as the best response to an era of unprecedented uncertainty and chaos!

And I believe that the gap between the most resilient businesses - families - or individuals - amongst us (you might call them Radically Resilient : ) - and those who get swept up in negative responses/reactions to uncertainty and chaos in their environment - is going to become greater and greater.

Therefore - I feel called in this moment - to do something!

(I’m sure we all want to be one of the businesses, marriages, families, individuals, etc. - that stands out - and is able to be Radically Resilient to our True North - where we grow, improve, expand, and get better in times of uncertainty and chaos - and the more leaders we can equip to do the same - the better off we will collectively become!!).