Ten upskilling areas to enrich leadership through turbulent times
Likely already exhausted, your leaders are under unprecedented pressure from all fronts. After the overnight shifts that were necessary to keep working through a pandemic, they find themselves overwhelmed by wave after wave of rapidly appearing new challenges. These are unpredictable times. But it’s not all bad news. These days also present a golden opportunity for change which, if we’re observant and imaginative, we can embrace and utilise to everyone’s advantage. Your people are at the fulcrum and the way you address their skill gaps, utilise their natural aptitudes and feed their vision will have an impact on how well you all weather the storm. The time for line manager upskilling is now. It has to be about more than talk, so here we share ten specific areas for leadership behaviour and mindset development that need your urgent attention.Living and working in a VUCA world
In 2022, unpredictable markets, a wavering economy, work culture shifts and a workforce shortage crisis exert an unprecedented external force on our leadership and management teams. Having a crushing effect, it can lead to confusion, poor performance, crippling inefficiencies and sadly, in some cases, burnout. The acronym VUCA, coined in 1985 by two professors and economists, Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus, is as relevant today as it was then. It stands for:- Volatility
- Uncertainty
- Complexity
- Ambiguity
Flipping the VUCA mindset
How do we restore equilibrium? A company’s success rests in the hands of its people, so in order to weather the storm, we need to overhaul our systems, skills and competencies. The success of a company is determined by its people and so leadership in a VUCA world will take a positive VUCA mindset. Futurist Bob Johansen proposes reframing the acronym into:- Vision
- Understanding
- Clarity
- Agility
Countering volatility with vision
Constant changes becoming less predictable but happening faster and faster can dent once robust confidence, deepen insecurity and lead to exhaustion. Whether on a large or small scale, it can be difficult to determine cause and effect in the situation we’re dealing with from moment to moment.- Rediscovering our why allows us to reconnect with what we stand for and why the business exists.
- Establishing meaning and purpose not only helps you to push through when things are tough but also unites people behind you. Everyone is working towards a common goal and the hurdles are part of the pathway.
- This is the time to have meaningful conversations at all levels. Making the space and energy necessary to do this when efficiency is key seems counter-intuitive but being brave will pay dividends.
Rework uncertainty into understanding
When historical forecasts and past experiences are losing their relevance, it can be difficult to plan.- Zoom out to see the bigger picture. How do the smaller parts add up to fulfil this? What role does each person, team and department play in bringing things together? What information have you lost track of and how do you get a comprehensive overview?
- Start from the result you want and work backwards. Take time to understand how each one of the pieces fit together.
- Be curious about what motivates and limits your people so that you get the very best out of them. Of course, it has always been the right thing to do but it makes business sense now more than ever. Genuinely empathise with their challenges and nurture their aspirations: both career and personal. Don’t just embrace differences, learn from them and leverage the skills and natural aptitudes that come along with them.
- Become adept at uncovering and developing hidden talents.
Draw clarity from complexity
Multi-layered problems lead to multi-layered repercussions. Interdependencies, resource management woes, workforce shortages, rocketing expenses or market movements can lead to intermingled issues that are tough to untangle. Decision-making becomes a complex web of reaction and counter-reaction.- It’s easy to be distracted when fearful narratives get more airtime than positive ones. Focus on one main thing and be clear on your priorities.
- Stay consistent in your behaviours and values because this promotes the culture you’re aiming to uphold.
Remember that ambiguity begets agility
In times of rapid change, where black and white are no longer so clearly delineated, we find ourselves working in grey areas, and it can feel like the safety rails have been removed. Contradictions and paradoxes abound. What do you do when it seems like the goalposts keep moving? Get good at changing direction quickly.- Times like these call for flexible thinking. How can you encourage and facilitate innovations and creative thinking? What kind of decision-making climate are you creating: one of judgement and criticism, or ownership and continuous evolution?
- Lean into change and be ready to adapt as the context around you changes. Move from a fearful mindset to one of competence and capability. The more you look for opportunities and solutions, the more you’ll see them.
- Embrace failures and learn from them collectively. This is not a time for pointing fingers. You need every member of your team to feel included and valued for their own unique skills, talents and experiences. Draw on everyone.
Our ten vital areas for development you can’t ignore
One Gallup report found that 70% of variance in employee engagement can be attributed to the manager. This is not because they’re necessarily toxic or poor in their role, but their skills may not be up to date or their leadership skills may be underdeveloped. Can you afford this? Not everyone will be equipped to deal with VUCA, so we’ve listed ten aptitude areas that not only serve as indicators for where change is needed but they’ll also direct your leadership upskilling strategy.- Leading with compassion. This means being observant of and responding to individual needs.
- Taking time to listen and understand, and creating space for honest, frank and useful feedback.
- Breaking the parent/child relationship dynamic. Allow employees to make their own decisions and solve their own problems but be on hand to support them when needed.
- Being open and genuine.
- Actively promoting high levels of well-being – physically, emotionally and mentally.
- Modelling self-regulation and self-awareness.
- Offering a balanced approach to leadership – supporting risk-taking, autonomy and moving away from micromanagement.
- Embodying a positive and progressive mindset – because this is infectious.
- Embedding an air of joint responsibility and accountability so that everyone owns the plan for the way forward.
- Valuing diversity and all the problem-solving skills, resilience and varying perspectives that come along with it.
Where to start
Moving out of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity into vision, understanding, clarity and agility will mean identifying and closing skills gaps. It’s surprising the effect that upskilling just a few key people can have across a department or organisation:- Where do you need a new approach altogether? Keep profiling human-focused so that leaders feel engaged and in control. Where does this process fit into their life and career?
- If someone is already on the right track and their vision aligns with yours, how are you going to develop their skills and fire their enthusiasm further?
- Don’t assume that everyone will be engaged with or able to handle the reworked version of VUCA. It may be a difficult conversation to have but it’s vital in making sure everyone is pulling in the same direction.