Ask An Expert: Tools for Uncertain Times
By Clive Shearer,
University Consulting Alliance Member
What are some practical approaches for leading in uncertain times?
Uncertain times can lead to tension, stress, and even fear. In these conditions efficiency can unravel, professional partnerships can weaken, and focus can be dimmed; as a result, you might be tempted to ignore problems, paper over them, or even develop ineffective solutions. “Let’s get productive, let’s take some action, let’s make a decision!” Yet, quick decisions may result in temporary improvements but not solve the problem. This is like taking an aspirin to heal a toothache. It won’t work.
Take Ownership
It’s comforting to seek blame outside the organization. “The economy is bad, the state has a lack of funds, we are all suffering in these tough times.” These statements may be true, but an “Oh, dear me” attitude is not the path for a leader. Your charge is to take charge, regardless of the source of any problems.
When you are faced with difficulties, do you tend to:
- Look outward (blame others)?
- Look inward (examine your own actions)?
- Look downward (feel dejected)?
- Or look upward (seek inspired improvement)?
When we succumb to negative thinking—blame, self-recrimination, dejection—we get weaker. Conversely, when we take ownership of problems that we and our team face, we can use difficult times as a learning tool. That in turns gives us an opportunity to build our abilities, our character, and our team.
Become a Better Problem Solver
Difficult times add to the problems we already have, and also increase the pressures to solve them. But now is not the time for panic. Take your head out of the pressure cooker and consider these seven tips for solving problems effectively:
- Go slow with the quick fix.
- Intuitive solutions that “seem right” may not be practical.
- What worked before might not work again if the cause is different.
- What failed before might work this time if conditions have changed.
- Let go of solutions that can’t be implemented for budgetary, resource, or policy reasons.
- "Safe" solutions that have no impact on staff might have no impact on the problem.
- When faced with people problems, first gather facts and information.
Keep the Personal out of People Problems
Avoid the blame trap. Blame adds emotion to problems, and cloaking a problem in emotion makes it harder to spot the underlying cause. Gathering detail about incidents is vital (What exactly happened? How often has this occurred? What’s the impact on the workplace?). Don’t try to fix people; rather, keep it impersonal and address the issue.
Here are four questions to ask yourself before you propose to solve a people problem:
- Do I have all the facts?
- Could I or others be leaping to a conclusion?
- Am I or others making assumptions and getting upset over an illusion?
- Could I be wrong?
At all costs, avoid butting heads because that just adds to the headache. Putting heads together, on the other hand, solves problems jointly. Move away from confrontation and to collaboration by inviting all involved to contribute ideas towards mutually acceptable solutions. People gain satisfaction when overcoming difficulties together, and bonds can strengthen. When you build a partnership, everyone wins.
Think Change Through
As things change around you and changes are required of you, be careful not to get swept up in the current of change. If a shoelace breaks, you don’t have to buy new shoes. Change brought in to layer over existing programs may not fit, leading to discord and disillusionment. Change brought in to replace a program may be unnecessarily disruptive and may need expensive propping up.
Change should be rationally thought through before being implemented. And this includes making sure your implementation plan makes sense. Timing is critical. If I run a marathon, my destination is clear—the finish line. But, if I start off too fast, I may exhaust myself and never reach the goal, even if my initial progress is astoundingly good. That is why the implementation of change has to be planned and paced, and the effects carefully monitored. Look at both direct and cascading impacts. Are the results sustainable? If so, you have a best practice to build on, and you are on the right path.
