Welcome to 2024, a year that will feel a lot like a roller coaster. That’s right – a year full of volatility, disruption, and constant change.
How could it be anything but that? When you take an unpredictable rate environment, add a few geopolitical tensions, and throw in an election year just to shake things up – you create a marketplace that is completely uncertain and one that is hopelessly unpredictable.
Economists are all over the map with their predictions, no one is sure what the Fed will do, and there are so many global crises happening it is hard to keep count. Yet still here you are. You need to grow your business, expand your sales team, help your clients, and get results.
And even with all the shifts in the marketplace, I know it can be your best year on record. If you are open to shifting how you think about uncertainty and how you lead your team through disruptive change. Because leading through disruption and volatility calls for a different set of leadership skills.
Can You Be Successful with So Much Change?
So, let’s start there, by asking the question that is on everyone’s mind. Can you be successful with so much change and disruption in the marketplace? And the answer is one-hundred percent yes. In fact, no matter the level of change or the headwinds you are experiencing, your ability to grow and succeed is unlimited.
How do I know that? I have done the research and seen the results. In 2018, I began studying and researching disruption and uncertainty, and the impact on organizational growth and team success. And the work has been fascinating. For most leaders and CEOs, uncertainty remains one of their top challenges and obstacles to success. With most sharing they have no strategy to lead through it, and uncertainty is what keeps them up at night.
Yet others, a small number, have actually learned to leverage disruption and use it as an opportunity to grow their organizations and move beyond their competition. Again, I want to stress that in our work, we were only able to find a small number of those types of leaders. But those we did find, talk with, and research, were able to share how they have grown their organizations through wars, economic depressions, and, yes, even pandemics.
So, we know that you can be successful in the face of uncertainty, because we have done the work and found the organizations have changed their leadership strategy to consistently turn uncertainty into growth for more than 250 years. That is strong evidence.
5 Sure Fire Strategies to Lead Through Disruptive Change
Here is what today's leaders need to do to effectively lead through disruptive change:
Get Your Head Right
It all starts with mindset. The most interesting thing we learned from the research is that success is not logical. Those who thrive in uncertainty do so, because they believe they will succeed even if logically the odds are stacked against them. Mindset is everything – work on yours.
Redefine Your Role
Your number one job is your team, and getting them in shape and ready to succeed through uncertainty. You have to predict change, create agility, and build a team that is mentally tough and excited about the opportunities. You need to lead your team to succeed now, while simultaneously being future focused.
Move Beyond Goals
Goals are for weak teams and weak leaders – you need purpose if you want a team that is engaged and passionate. You have to lead your team not to complete a job or achieve a goal, but to change the world. Okay, maybe not that big, but you get it.
Breakdown Silos
This is no time for you to be competing with other divisions or members of your team – no. To succeed in uncertainty, you need to redefine competition as collaboration, and realize the more you work together, the more productive, efficient, and successful you will be.
Over Communicate
And just when you think you have delivered the message and kept your team informed, you need to realize you are just getting started. Be as transparent as you can be, explain the why, get their input and feedback, and ensure everyone on your team is as aware of the challenges as they are of the opportunities.
Personally, I am excited about this year and all the change and uncertainty. Why? Because I know disruption is a competitive advantage if you understand the marketplace and how to lead through it. Want to learn more? Join our movement and check out our research and work on how uncertainty can be your greatest competitive advantage.
