What’s Next — And How Do We Navigate It? Leading Yourself And Others Into An Uncertain Future

We have been reading reports and whitepapers, listening to podcasts and webinars, all in pursuit of trying to make sense of where we are and where we might be going. As a self-confessed learning junkies, we have always relished finding out who the experts are and learning from their wisdom and insights — an approach that has served us well in a (relatively) predictable world.

This time it feels different. Our search for the "answers out there" is yielding little in the way of coherent insights. We sense many of my colleagues trying to do the same thing that we are, which is to make sense of an emerging reality, to come up with a plan. A timetable. A maximal number of conceivable scenarios. All with a view to mitigate the uncertainty, doubt, fear and overwhelm that we are experiencing right now. It's exhausting.

The most similar experience we have had of this kind of uncertainty was the 2008/2009 recession. Back then there was much talk of the "new normal" and the collective realization that our financial system was without a solid foundation — there was no "there" there. While that experience was extraordinarily painful at the time, this crisis feels like it's on an entirely different level — and I don't think that's the recency bias talking.

This is the first time in our lifetimes that we have witnessed a global disruption of the entirety of our individual and collective existence. Never before have the health, social, emotional, familial, financial and professional aspects of all our lives been completely upended simultaneously — for the majority of the people on our planet. How does one begin to lead oneself amid this level of uncertainty, never mind leading a team or an entire organization?

In our work coaching leaders, four guideposts are beginning to emerge. They are neither a panacea nor a silver bullet, but they are proving to be helpful; they are kindness, resilience, creativity and hope. These guideposts are distinct, yet related, and their power lies in their collective synergy. We are beginning to use these not only with our clients but also as touchstones as we navigate this path together as a team.

Here are a few questions for you to use as you navigate the weeks and months ahead:

Kindness — We are all experiencing chaos, disruption and overwhelm. Kindness is the foundation that will help us chart a way forward together. Are you being kind to yourself? If you have a tough decision to make, how might you make it, and share it, with kindness?

Resilience — Seek resilience, not stability. Stability implies a desired predictable state, whereas resilience describes a way of being, no matter the circumstances, that will hold us and sustain us. How might you build and nurture your own resilience and that of your team? How might you build a resilient organization?

Creativity — We are in a liminal state, and a liminal state always holds the promise of the new — and our vision for what that might and could be. It shapes us, and we have the opportunity to shape it. This chaotic time can be a rebirth for us, our organizations and our creativity. What will you create? How might you rethink and re-create your business model? What might be possible now that was not possible before?

Hope — Yes, hope (alone) is not a strategy, but I would argue that every single achievement has hope at its core. Hope is not ignoring reality with a set of rose-colored glasses, but rather a means by which to assert your internal locus of control. What do you hope for? Are you pursuing it? What are you willing to try?

We remain more convinced than ever that we always have a choice, regardless of circumstances. Uncertainty, ambiguity and overwhelm can overload our metal circuity and render us feeling powerless if we let them. And, equally, times of uncertainty can be opportunities to revisit values: what is most core and most meaningful in work, organization and life. I hope these touchstones help you bring yourself back to center and to a more generative place that expands the choices before you as you lead your people and organizations into our uncertain future.

(This article was also published in FORBES)