Change is inevitable, but the pace of change today is faster than ever. As a leader, how do you guide your team through an environment where the ground constantly shifts? How do you make decisions when you don’t have all the information? Managing change requires resilience, adaptability, and decisiveness.
Here are three keys to leading effectively when change is the only constant.
Stay Calm in the Eye of the Storm
When change happens rapidly, it’s easy for teams to feel overwhelmed. Everyone looks to leadership in times of uncertainty. If the captain panics, so does the crew. As a leader, your job is to model steadiness.
Lead by Example
Even when things feel chaotic, you set the tone by remaining calm, focused, and solution-oriented. Avoid getting sucked into the drama of change. Instead, project a calm confidence that you will navigate the challenge together.
This starts with managing your own mindset and stress levels.
Make time for reflection and self-care, so you have the capacity to guide others. Then, transparently acknowledge the difficulty of the situation, and emphasize your belief in the team’s ability to handle it.
Your Steadiness Gives People Courage.
When change creates anxiety, people long for something stable to hold onto; as a leader, you are that anchor. Your team needs to feel that you are in control even when events seem out of control. This does not mean faking confidence – be authentic about the challenges you face. But maintain composure and optimism that the team has what it takes to master change.
Modeling calmness also enables you to understand better your teammates’ different reactions to change.
What I know to be true is that calm is contagious.
Panic-stricken people do not make good decisions…
Some may embrace the new direction, while others struggle. By remaining level-headed, you can empathetically address fear and resistance. Highlight the opportunity these changes present, while validating emotions. Your composure reassures people that their concerns are heard.
Ask Insightful Questions
In times of rapid change, you need to make quick decisions with imperfect information. This requires asking the right questions to get at the heart of the matter, efficiently.
Your goal? To cultivate curiosity.
Approaching challenges with a beginner’s mindset allows you to question assumptions and see new solutions. Ask open-ended questions that draw out your team’s insights: What factors are driving this change? How might this affect our customers? What options do we have, and what are the key considerations?
In Times of Change, Debrief For Success
This is where you ‘make your money’, it’s in the Debrief.
Drill down on root causes. Ask “Why?” until you understand the crux of the issue. Peel back the layers on what is really going on and what is most important. Go beyond surface explanations to get to the heart of the matter quickly. Figure out what’s working, what’s not, and why.
Engage diverse perspectives. Different people see different aspects of the problem. Draw out ideas from across your team and stakeholders. Listen without judgment and build on others’ contributions. Make sure to include contrarian voices who may spot pitfalls others miss.
Target your questions—zero in on critical unknowns. Ask clarifying questions to synthesize the information. Identify gaps and seek data to inform your decision. Insightful questions lead to clarity in chaos.
Make Decisions with Conviction
In the face of rapid change, over-analysis leads to paralysis. Once you’ve gotten the critical information, avoid endlessly debating options. Be willing to make an informed decision with imperfect data. (Remember the 80% Rule I shared in Span of Control?)
As the leader, it’s your job to take a stand. State your decision clearly and explain the rationale simply. When you project confidence in the path forward, people feel reassured even if they disagree.
Balance conviction with humility. Remain open to feedback and adjusting course as new data emerges. But don’t let the specter of unknowns freeze you in place. People will accept imperfection, but indecisiveness breeds anxiety. Your bias for action gives direction amid disorder.
After making the call, align everyone around executing the plan. Dissenting voices need to refocus their energy on making it work, rather than re-litigating the decision. Change only happens when people act together.
At the same time, encourage team members to speak up if they see the need to pivot. Regular check-ins ensure you are not persevering down the wrong path when facts on the ground change.
Key Takeaways for Leading Through Change:
- Project steadiness to calm your team’s anxiety about rapid change. Avoid getting swept up in the drama.
- Ask insightful, targeted questions to quickly get the critical information for decision making. Engage diverse perspectives.
- Have the courage to make imperfect decisions amid imperfect data. Over-analysis leads to paralysis.
- Balance conviction with humility. Remain open to feedback, but don’t let uncertainty freeze you.
- Align people around executing the plan once you’ve made the call. Dissenters need to refocus their energy productively.
- Check in regularly to ensure you are not barreling down the wrong path when circumstances change.
The pace of change today demands resilient, adaptable and decisive leadership.
By modeling calm, synthesizing information, and acting with conviction, you can guide your team through tumultuous times. With focus and courage, uncertainty can be transformed into opportunity.
What changes will you lead today?
As one of the first female F-14 Tomcat fighter pilots in the US Navy, Carey Lohrenz is a pioneer in military aviation. Having flown missions worldwide as a combat-mission-ready United States Navy pilot, Carey is used to working in fast-moving, dynamic environments, where inconsistent execution can generate catastrophic results. She is the author of two Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestsellers: Fearless Leadership: High-Performance Lessons from the Flight Deck and Span of Control: What to do When You’re Under Pressure, Overwhelmed, and Ready to Get What You Really Want. Carey has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, NBC, CBS, ABC, and NPR, and in Inc., Time, Huffington Post, and more. She has delivered her leadership and strategy experience to 1000’s of the Forbes Global 2000, Fortune 500, and companies world-wide. Carey is one of the most in-demand keynote speakers in the world, for both onstage presentations and virtual presentations. She’s also one of fewer than 200 inductees into the Professional Speakers Hall of Fame. A CEO, Board Member, and Mom to 4 kids, Carey inspires individuals and organization to elevate their skillsets, lead through uncertainty, overcome adversity, win under pressure, and remain relevant in a competitive market place.
