Whilst running organisation change sessions with leaders and managers, one question comes up time and time again:
“When are things going to settle down?”
It’s a completely understandable question, even if it’s an unrealistic one.
Many leaders and managers are exhausted. They’ve had multiple, complex and often competing changes dropped on them from above. The people in their teams are anxious, and leaders often feel unable to reassure them.
At the same time, they are expected to lead through digitisation, new competition and the need for greater collaboration, while maintaining quality and reducing costs.
The reality is that leaders in every sector are facing unprecedented levels of disruption and uncertainty about the future. This raises a critical question: how can leaders gear themselves up for the level and pace of change now required of them?
For years, we believed that better leadership meant working harder, knowing more, planning more and controlling more.
But the disturbing, and in my view actually quite exciting, truth is that this approach no longer works.
Leaders have a finite amount of time, energy and resilience. Trying to stay on top of and control every change we are required to lead is ultimately futile.
So who are the leaders who cope better with the pace of change and help their teams navigate uncertainty more effectively?
From my experience, four leadership shifts make the biggest difference.
The leaders who will thrive in times of disruption won’t be egotists or narcissists, even though those traits have dominated parts of the C-suite in recent years.
Instead, they will be lower-ego leaders who see their primary purpose as enabling their teams to do their best work.
That means spending less time on personal achievement and far more time creating an environment where people can be more creative, productive and agile.
It also requires leaders to genuinely know their teams as individuals, understanding what motivates them, how they respond to threat and where their strengths lie.
Uncertainty has a powerful impact on behaviour. I’ve seen perfectly reasonable people become angry, withdrawn, unable to make decisions or suddenly obstructive over seemingly small requests.
While this can be difficult for leaders to manage, these behaviours are entirely natural human responses to uncertainty. Recognising stress responses, understanding how much uncertainty people can cope with and leading with empathy is essential in today’s disrupted world.
This also means valuing humility far more than charisma.
One of my biggest regrets from my time as Director of People at the BBC was how I handled the closure of the final salary pension scheme.
This decision was always going to be difficult. Employees saw their pension not just as part of their contract, but as part of their relationship with the organisation. There was also a genuine financial problem, as the scheme simply wasn’t sustainable.
However, I was persuaded that we shouldn’t share the problem until we had the solution, based on the belief that people wouldn’t cope with uncertainty without answers.
In reality, people are far more resilient than we give them credit for. They respond much better when they are treated like adults.
Sharing the problem earlier wouldn’t have made the outcome more palatable, but it would have reduced the shock, grief and resistance. It would have given people time to discuss it, challenge it and come to terms with it, and potentially help shape a better solution.
Greater transparency around the problem, the options and the concerns builds trust and helps people live with uncertainty. Shielding people from bad news isn’t kindness. Honesty is.
Giving up control can feel counterintuitive during times of uncertainty. In practice, however, relinquishing control builds capacity.
When leaders treat people like capable adults who can make sound judgments, it reduces reliance on their limited time and energy.
Simon Sinek describes this as setting clear purpose and direction and then creating space for people to deliver in the way they believe is best, without micromanaging the “how”.
This might involve teams creating their own rules, as we have seen in organisations like TD Bank or Octopus Energy. It can also show up in much smaller moments, such as responding to requests with “What do you think?” or “Use your judgement. I trust you.”
These small acts of trust can have a powerful impact.
Today’s leaders aren’t just expected to drive performance and growth. They are also expected to reinvent.
Leaders who invest time and energy in broadening their perspectives will find this far easier than those who surround themselves with more of the same.
Curiosity might mean reading outside your profession, attending unfamiliar events, actively seeking different viewpoints or increasing the diversity of voices in your team.
Curiosity isn’t optional. It is essential for navigating disruption.
Leading through constant uncertainty is a tough ask. The old approaches of exerting more control, working harder or over-parenting our people simply aren’t enough anymore.
But greater transparency, more humility, giving up some control and staying curious can create environments where people don’t just survive change. They actually thrive.
This is just one of the sessions in our six-month Disruptive HR CPO Programme. Across eight virtual sessions, we help senior HR leaders build the confidence, capability and mindset needed to lead at CPO level. Book your place now!
