Uncertainty as the prologue to a success story is an idea that, understandably, can be met with skepticism by business leaders in the current climate. After all, at a time when disruption and market turbulence often seem to be the only constants, it can be hard to look beyond the difficulty of the present moment and imagine anything else might be around the corner – let alone a redemptive narrative arc.
Yet it is exactly this kind of uncertainty that ignites change and growth and that pushes companies to innovate, to rethink methodologies, to adopt a more agile way of thinking, and to ask the right questions. The value within uncertainty is that it can allow for organizations, teams and individuals to achieve better outcomes by reimagining their processes and doing things in slightly different ways.
It is exactly this kind of uncertainty that ignites change and growth and that pushes companies to innovate, to rethink methodologies, to adopt a more agile way of thinking. The value within uncertainty is that it can allow for organizations, teams and individuals to achieve better outcomes.
Achieving this shift in thinking, and seeing the benefit of moving through uncertainty to success, lies in perseverance.
Three ingredients that transform uncertainty into opportunity
It’s easy to feel as if the world is against you when you find yourself in an environment that is very vague or unclear, or feel you have to clamber over relentless obstacles to ensure the sustainable growth of the business. To stay grounded, sometimes you will need to turn away from all of this and face inwards towards your organization – and this takes belief. Belief in yourself as a leader, in your team, and in your organization as a whole.
This belief means persevering with incremental changes that have a slow and steady impact on the business and its future. Iterative change that focuses on a clear end goal allows for you to take on a far more positive and agile mindset; one that results in small but regular wins. Celebrating these wins gives you the energy you need to persevere, to keep on believing, and to pass on this belief to the company and its people. If every step is celebrated and recognized, people will be re-energized and empowered, and will remain committed to heading in the right direction.
Paying attention to the small wins is particularly important in uncertain times, because the unpredictability of the business environment can feel overwhelming and, after a while, demoralizing – bringing the focus back to what you can control and achieve within your own organization, and recognizing the commitment and hard work behind every small success, reignites a sense of purpose and energy among employees. Together, these three ingredients – belief, perseverance and energized people – will transform how your business handles uncertainty.
Creating intent: the foundation of agile thinking
The organization has to be clear with its intent regarding the business’s journey, the desired outcomes, the role that employees play in realizing these, and the strategy that drives everything forward. Each of these components is critical to ensuring that an organization achieves its desired outcomes. This intent needs to be supported by clarity, because people need to understand the why so that they can handle the what if. Leadership has to provide people with visibility into why they are undertaking certain initiatives so that they feel secure in their roles and remain committed to the end goal.
The business of today has to change to ensure that it can survive tomorrow. To minimize the impact of this change, however, companies should take bite-sized steps to ensure that it’s easy for people to digest. There’s no need for seismic when gradual and intentional steps will do.
Change is turbulent by nature, but it is also essential. The business of today has to change to ensure that it can survive tomorrow – this much has been proven by research time and again. To minimize the impact of this change, however, companies should take bite-sized steps towards their end goal to ensure that it’s easy for people to digest. There’s no need for seismic when gradual and intentional steps will do. Done organically, companies can embrace change with stakeholder and employee support, and move forward with an agile mindset.
The role of the servant leader
The concept of the servant leader isn’t new, but it is one that should gain traction in 2023. Leaders are key to long-term success and overall business and employee agility. The servant leader takes the idea of engaged leadership to a far richer level, as this type of leader measures success by how they have helped others succeed. When applied to a business environment that’s experiencing complexity, this approach makes the concepts of failure, change and uncertainty more about teamwork and shared problem-solving than fear and blame. This will also be achieved via the leader’s appetite for risk – adopting a measured approach to taking risks alongside a tolerance for accepting failure and learning from it will create an environment in which employees feel safe to explore possibilities, learn, innovate, collaborate, and occasionally fail.
The servant leader takes the idea of an engaged leadership to a far richer level, as this type of leader measures success by how they have helped others succeed.
Each of these components comes together like cogs in clockwork. Each one turns the dial and keeps every person and team connected to the overall business purpose. Here, agility is defined by how a company can adapt to change, collaborate to overcome both uncertainty and the fear of failure, drive growth and achieve a mindset of constant learning.
The final thought is immediacy
Today is the time to start. Procrastination will only leave the business in the past, and in this high-speed, high-technology landscape that pivots on a dime, even small delays could leave you several years behind. Prepare your people to withstand anything, make change an advantage and always look ahead at your change journey: this will help you to progress as a business no matter what, and remain fresh and disruptive.
By recognizing the opportunities in an uncertain landscape, the potential of your people and the value of transparency, you can build an agile business that not only thrives on uncertainty, but has the confidence and morale necessary to grow through it.
