Leadership in uncertain times

In times of uncertainty, the need for great leadership becomes more pronounced than ever. Unpredictable challenges demand leaders who can offer clarity, inspire resilience, and guide their teams through turbulent waters. 

Effective leaders provide a steady hand and a vision that transcends immediate difficulties, instilling confidence and purpose amidst chaos. Their ability to navigate through ambiguity, make tough decisions, and communicate transparently helps organizations adapt and thrive, ensuring that even in the most unpredictable times, teams remain focused and motivated towards achieving their goals.

What are great leadership qualities?

In uncertain and often unpredictable times, effective leadership is crucial for navigating crises and steering organisations through challenges. Beyond the fundamental traits of emotional intelligence, communication skills, and strategic thinking, effective leaders need to exhibit several other important traits. 

According to Nancy Koehn, Harvard Business School professor and author of Forged in Crisis, great leaders exhibit these key qualities:

• Acknowledging and addressing fears: True leaders recognise and address the fears of their teams, working to build confidence and resolve. This involves being brutally honest about the challenges while providing a sense of hope and direction.
  
  
• Providing purpose and role: Effective leaders give their team a clear sense of purpose and role, helping them understand their contributions toward achieving larger goals.
  
  
• Emphasising experimentation and learning: Great leaders foster a culture that values experimentation and continuous learning, encouraging innovation and adaptation.
  
  
• Managing energy and emotion: Leaders must be adept at managing their own emotions as well as those of their team, maintaining morale and focus even in challenging times.

Why are leadership skills important in the workplace?

Leadership skills are essential in the workplace for several reasons:

• Navigating uncertainty: In times of crisis or change, strong leadership helps organisations remain resilient and focused. Leaders provide clarity and direction, enabling teams to stay motivated and aligned.
  
  
• Driving performance and innovation: Effective leaders inspire their teams to achieve high performance and drive innovation. By setting clear goals and creating a supportive environment, leaders help teams excel.
  
  
• Building trust and collaboration: Leaders who are transparent, empathetic, and empowering foster trust and collaboration among team members. This leads to a more cohesive and productive work environment.
  
  
• Ethical and strategic decision-making: Strong leadership involves making ethical decisions that align with the organisation’s values and long-term strategy. This ensures sustainable success and maintains the organisation’s reputation.

How to lead through uncertainty

Neal Froneman, CEO of Sibanye-Stillwater, says leadership involves understanding and motivating people, enabling them to flourish in the right environment.

“For me, leadership is the responsibility to create the right conditions for individuals from different backgrounds and with complementary skills to work together, find solutions, and create robust plans.” he says. 

During times of uncertainty, teams look to their leaders for guidance and security. Subsequently, leaders need to be sure of themselves and exhibit a calm, steady demeanour that instils confidence and direction. 

According to our experts, here are some of the leadership skills that are paramount during uncertain times:

1. Communicate frequently and transparently:  
   When it comes to leadership in uncertain times, clear and open communication is vital. Share honest updates about the challenges facing the organization and provide regular information on the steps being taken to address them.
   
   As Koehn notes, “Your job, as a leader today, is to provide both brutal honesty – a clear accounting of the challenges your locality, company, nonprofit, or team faces – and credible hope that collectively you and your people have the resources needed to meet the threats you face each day.”
   
   
2. Adapt and model flexibility: 
   Flexibility is essential when navigating through uncertainty. Demonstrate adaptability by remaining open to new ideas, revising strategies as needed, and being willing to pivot when circumstances change.
   
   Froneman emphasises, “Leaders must be nimble and entrepreneurial, adapting strategies to new realities and opportunities.”
   
   
3. Provide a clear vision and purpose: 
   Even amid chaos, offer a compelling vision of the future that provides direction and motivation.
   
   Investec Group Chief Executive, Fani Titi, advises that “painting a clear picture of the future and inspiring commitment to it” is crucial. Help your team understand their role in achieving this vision and how their contributions are crucial to overcoming current challenges.
   
   
4. Foster a culture of resilience and support: 
   Build an environment where resilience is cultivated and supported. Encourage experimentation and learning from setbacks and offer emotional support to help team members manage stress and uncertainty. Titi highlights the importance of resilience, noting, “During challenging periods... you need the tenacity and belief to keep doing what you believe is right.”
   
   
5. Empower decision-making and accountability: 
   Trust your team to make decisions and take ownership of their roles. Provide them with the autonomy to act within their areas of expertise and support them in taking calculated risks. Titi underscores this by saying, “Once there is a clear picture, trust your people to make decisions and get on with it.”
   
   
6. Lead with empathy and integrity: 
   Show empathy towards your team’s concerns and challenges. Address their fears and anxieties with compassion and understanding. Uphold high ethical standards and integrity in all decisions, reinforcing trust and credibility even in difficult times. Dr. Eelco Fiole, co-founder and managing partner of Alpha Governance Partners, points out that ethical leadership enhances accountability and aligns organisational actions with broader societal values.
   
   The definition of ethics is doing the right thing, which is vague. But if you’re a leader, it’s about asking, ‘What is the right act?’ That’s something you can define,” Fiole says, suggesting the process is about including an ethical analysis that results in finding the best course of action, all things considered.

Fani Titi: Group Chief Executive at Investec 

• Look to do something meaningful where you are and tomorrow tends to take care of itself. Sometimes, younger people tend to think too far ahead. If you have a level of preparation, you apply yourself, you have the right values, the future can take care of itself.
  
  
• During challenging periods, my predecessor, Stephen Koseff, would say to me, “Head down and keep batting.” The tough times do pass. In the toughest of times, you need the tenacity and belief to keep doing what you believe is right. Whenever we’re facing a challenge, he still calls me and says, “Fani, keep batting, just keep your head down.”

Neal Fronemann: CEO of Sibanye-Stillwater

• Choose your business partners as though you’re going to marry them (the best business advice I’ve been given).
  
  
• Complete what you start, always be well prepared and deliver the highest quality you can. Be number one in everything you do.
  
  
• Respect the company you work for – don’t bite the hand that feeds you.
  
  
• Teamwork is vital, so galvanise that skill. People are the most important part of the business.
  
  
• Learn multi-skilling and don’t get trapped in silos.
  
  
• Work hard, develop stamina, and always challenge the status quo.

Nick Binedell: strategy professor and founding director of GIBS

• Leaders, like golfers, must study what they do. Fifty years ago, very few executives went to business school. Today, very few don’t. Business school is a place where you can exchange ideas, learn from academics, practitioners and colleagues.
  
  
• Practise looking in the mirror and asking yourself the deeper questions about what you’re doing and why. Good leadership comes more from the “why” than the “how”.
  
  
• Learn from everyone and copy no one.