Living and Leading through Uncertainty : Developing leaders’ capability for uncertainty [1 ed.] 9781869226619, 9781869226602

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Developing leaders’ capability for uncertainty “Uncertainty is opportunity.”

Today’s leaders are experiencing unprecedented turbulence. Trying to reduce or deny this uncertainty is a futile exercise. Leaders now need to acquire the capability to deal with uncertainty. Leadership coach and change leadership consultant, Dr Kathy Bennett offers organisations a comprehensive guide to develop this capability in their leaders. Her new book, Living and Leading Through Uncertainty, provides an in-depth analysis of uncertainty coupled with self-reflective exercises to help leaders cope in a VUCA world. By weaving together practical techniques for enhancing leadership capability, together with inspiring real-life stories of leaders who embraced uncertainty, this book provides a simple yet strong framework to become a more resilient, adaptive leader. Living and Leading Through Uncertainty is a must-read for ALL business leaders, professionals and executive coaches. “If there was ever a time for leaders to stop relying on their own experience and capacity to make decisions, it’s NOW! Living and Leading Through Uncertainty will give leaders the courage to embrace their strengths and weaknesses, surround themselves with people who complement them, share their collective wisdom and stop thinking they’re weak because they don’t have all the answers.” Dr Salomé van Coller-Peter, Head: MPhil in Management Coaching, University of Stellenbosch Business School

Mark Holtshousen, Executive Coach & Head of Global Career Management at MTN Group “Kathy has been on our coaching panel for more than 8 years, which delivers executive coaching services across a range of industries and sectors in South Africa and Africa. Living and Leading Through Uncertainty is a reflective and practical narrative based on her journey as an executive coach and on her research. It’s a must-read for leaders and executive coaches.” Dr Willem de Jager, Associate Director: People Advisory Services, Ernst & Young, Africa

KATHY BENNETT

“Kathy speaks from a place that few others can on the subject of leadership uncertainty, having delved deeply into the lives of leaders in transition as an executive coach, and with the solid foundation of a researcher. She allows us to understand that what we are experiencing is not unique, and more importantly that we have the capacity to rise and lead through uncertainty.”

LIVING AND LEADING THROUGH UNCERTAINTY

LIVING AND LEADING THROUGH UNCERTAINTY

LIVING AND LEADING THROUGH UNCERTAINTY

Developing leaders’ capability for uncertainty

KATHY BENNETT

LIVING AND LEADING THROUGH UNCERTAINTY

Endorsements Kathy is an author whom I admire as a person and as a professional. Her book could not be more timely as uncertainty becomes the new normal operating environment, globally. In my experience, the potential for even the greatest leaders to become debilitated at these times is unnerving. There are few constants left in organisations, and those that lead them require a new way of navigating both their own realities and those of the people whom they lead. Kathy speaks from a place that few others can on the subject of leadership uncertainty, having delved deeply into the lives of leaders in transition as an executive coach, and with the solid foundation of a researcher. She allows us to understand that what we are experiencing is not unique, and more importantly that we have the capacity to rise and lead through uncertainty. Mark Holtshousen, Executive Coach & Head of Global Career Management at MTN Group At last, a book that provides valuable guidance in dealing with the new normal called “uncertainty”. Kathy Bennett’s work empowers leaders with capabilities to navigate the world of uncertainty. The lonely and complex path of uncertainty can now be mastered and harnessed through this insightful and practical guide that provides an in-depth analysis of uncertainty and self-reflective exercises to deal with such. It is a must read for business leaders, professionals and executive coaches. This well-articulated written work is equally applicable to personal experiences of uncertainty. The book makes an important contribution in developing leaders’ capability for uncertainty with defined intention. Linda Manzini, Founder, Executive Coach and Mentor, Lima Business Solutions This book covers vital ground for all aspirant and active business leaders. Change is a constant and uncertainty is the new normal. If you are feeling challenged by the extra stress associated with leading against a background of uncertainty then this book is for you. It is well written and despite being structured in an easily accessible textbook format, reads like a novel. It is peppered with quotes from business leaders, coaches and interviewees that support the narrative. Not only is it interesting, it is also informative and thought provoking, and leaders will find it effective as a reference manual and a reminder of what they can do to cope better with uncertainty induced stress. I found the self-help questions in each section very useful. Grant Neser, Husband, Father, Engineer, Leader, MD of JoJo Tanks Living and Leading through Uncertainty is a cleverly written book, weaving together practical techniques for enhancing one’s own leadership capability, together with inspiring reallife stories of leaders who embraced uncertainty. In today’s complex world of business, where leaders know uncertainty is a sure certainty, this book provides a simple, yet strong framework, to reflect on as the journey of being a leader, unfolds. In particular,

the enchanting chapter, “A Sense of Positive Leader Identity”, is worthy of re-reading as one ponders the intricate questions of becoming a reputable leader who is experienced as credible amongst followers, whilst remaining humble and joyful at the gift of leading, in the discomfort of uncertainty. Hanje Botha, Executive: Human Resources & Organisational Development, TCTA Effective leadership during transformation and change has become the centre-piece of organisational differentiation and success. Kathy Bennett deals with the complex subject of living and leading through uncertainty with amazing clarity and practicality. Her book will be deeply welcomed by leaders of organisations in the private and public sectors where constant change and transition require them to be agile and capable at leading through uncertainty, while managing their internal personal uncertainty. Through her experience, research, case studies and guidelines, Kathy provides valuable insights and a wealth of ideas for leaders, organisational development practitioners, management consultants and business coaches, on how to build capability for leading in times of change and uncertainty. John Moalusi, Executive Chairman, Bridging the Gap Kathy Bennett has produced a timely and highly practical guide for leaders at any level experiencing uncertainty in their world of work and also in their personal confidence to meet these challenges. Enormously valuable to the reader are the case studies throughout drawn from Kathy’s wide experience. With a compassionate eye, she illustrates situations in the working world that many will recognise. Especially useful are the five ‘how-to’ steps and practices that provide the reader with insight into the impact of uncertainty as well as accessible tools for building resilience in an uncertain world. The suggestions for practices cover a variety of situations - retrenchments, mergers, take-overs - that can cause uncertainty for those tasked with leading teams and with carrying responsibility for decision-making. Essential reading for the development of leaders and their impact on organisational culture in navigating uncertainty. Dorrian Aiken, PhD, D.Prof, Integral Master Coach Kathy has been on our coaching panel for more than 8 years, which delivers executive coaching services across a range of industries and sectors in South Africa and Africa. Kathy’s deep insight into global and local socio and systemic dynamics, and the challenges executives are facing when confronted with VUCA, is most evident in her book. Feedback on Kathy’s coaching has always been impressive on how she is able to influence mental models of her clients to develop resilience and leadership capability to deal with uncertainty. Kathy’s book is a reflective and practical narrative based on her journey as an executive coach and on her research. It is a “must read” for leaders and executive coaches. Dr Willem de Jager, Associate Director: People Advisory Services, Ernst & Young, Africa

Copyright © KR Publishing and Kathy Bennett All reasonable steps have been taken to ensure that the contents of this book do not, directly or indirectly, infringe any existing copyright of any third person and, further, that all quotations or extracts taken from any other publication or work have been appropriately acknowledged and referenced. The publisher, editors and printers take no responsibility for any copyright infringement committed by an author of this work. Copyright subsists in this work. No part of this work may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the written consent of the publisher or the author. While the publisher, editors and printers have taken all reasonable steps to ensure the accuracy of the contents of this work, they take no responsibility for any loss or damage suffered by any person as a result of that person relying on the information contained in this work. First published in 2017 ISBN: 978-1-86922-660-2 eISBN: 978-1-86922-661-9 (ePDF) Published by KR Publishing P O Box 3954 Randburg 2125 Republic of South Africa Tel: (011) 706-6009 Fax: (011) 706-1127 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.kr.co.za Printed and bound: HartWood Digital Printing, 243 Alexandra Avenue, Halfway House, Midrand Typesetting, layout and design: Cia Joubert, [email protected] Cover design: Marlene de Villiers, [email protected] Editing & proofreading: Jennifer Renton, [email protected] Project management: Cia Joubert, [email protected] Index created with TExtract / www.Texyz.com

LIVING AND LEADING THROUGH UNCERTAINTY Developing leaders’ capability for uncertainty

by

KATHY BENNETT

2017

Acknowledgements I am grateful to the leaders who participated in my research. Your individual contributions have been most influential in writing this book. Thank you for sharing your stories and vulnerability of your experiences of uncertainty with me. Similarly, I appreciate the generosity of the executive coaches, who discussed their perceptions and learning openly with me, gleaned from their own coaching practices. This brings me to my own coaching clients, whom I have learned from about their challenges in living and leading through uncertainty. Our journeys together have enriched me enormously. I have heartfelt gratitude to Helen Minty, a dear friend and colleague, for being a thinking partner during my research and my book. Your robust critical editing of my book chapters was invaluable. I have truly appreciated the ongoing encouragement of my family (especially my niece, Tarryn), friends and colleagues in getting this book completed. A special thank you to Peter, my husband, for patiently listening to my making sense of the content of my book, as it unfolded over time. Finally, I want to thank Knowledge Resources for believing in and making this book a reality.

Uncertainty I have a doubt, A doubt that releases, Me from certainty's Constraints, A doubt, Self-evident, Yet hidden from view, A doubt that Comes as joyous daybreak, From bonds Of infallibility, So say it first, Softly, Quietly, With pride, “I know not what to do”; Allow your words, To break, gently Upon the shore, And hear them Whisper, Free at last, Free at last. Don Ledingham

Table of Contents About the author..................................................................................... iii Foreword by Dr Salomè van Coller-Peter........................................... iv Introduction............................................................................................. vii A typical scenario of uncertainty in organisations today….......... vii The context of organisational uncertainty................................... viii Why leaders need to develop their capability for uncertainty... viii The need to understand leaders’ experienced uncertainty......... ix Outline of the book........................................................................... xi PART A: SETTING THE CONTEXT............................................................. 1 Chapter One: Leaders’ experienced uncertainty................................... 2 What is experienced uncertainty?.................................................... 2 Setting the scene: Real contexts of organisational uncertainty.................................................................................. 7 The flux of experienced uncertainty over time............................... 9 What personal uncertainty is experienced by leaders?............... 13 What challenges are experienced in the leader role during organisational uncertainty?........................................21 The inter-relationship between personal uncertainty and leadership challenges.............................................................. 28 Key insights....................................................................................... 29 Chapter Two: The notion of a capability for uncertainty in leaders............................................................................................... 31 What is a capability for uncertainty?.............................................. 31 How is capability developed?..........................................................32 What capability for uncertainty do leaders develop through lived uncertainty?...................................................... 33 The components of a capability for uncertainty...........................37 Chapter summary............................................................................. 39 Self-reflection exercise for leaders................................................. 40

i

PART B: HOW LEADERS CAN DEVELOP THEIR CAPABILITY FOR UNCERTAINTY............................................................................ 41 Chapter Three: An acceptance of uncertainty..................................... 43 Overview............................................................................................ 43 How to foster an orientation towards acceptance of uncertainty................................................................................ 46 Chapter Four: Learning agility............................................................... 57 Overview............................................................................................ 57 Developing your learning agility..................................................... 59 Chapter Five: Effective sense-making................................................... 73 Overview............................................................................................ 73 Engaging in effective sense-making during uncertainty.............. 74 Chapter Six: A sense of positive leader identity.................................. 89 Overview............................................................................................ 89 Developing a sense of positive leader identity............................. 94 Chapter Seven: Relevant leadership practices during organisational uncertainty............................................................113 Overview..........................................................................................113 Adopting relevant leadership practices.......................................116 PART C: IMPLICATIONS FOR LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT.......... 137 Chapter Eight: How organisations can develop leaders’ capability for uncertainty...............................................................138 Intention and purposes.................................................................138 The impact of organisational culture...........................................139 Where to target the development of leaders – and how..........140 Utilising leadership coaching........................................................147 Appendix 1: Overview of research study............................................149 References..............................................................................................153 Endnotes.................................................................................................164 Index........................................................................................................167

ii

About the Author Dr Kathy Bennett has a keen interest in understanding how leaders need to develop their individual capability to be more effective in these times of increasing turbulence. Her perspective is that leaders need to be viewed holistically – as human beings who experience personal uncertainty or vulnerability, while they also lead others through organisational contexts of uncertainty. A key question that she believes needs to be addressed is: What is crucial for developing leaders’ confidence, flexibility and courage to act in increasingly complex and uncertain contexts? Her doctoral study therefore explored executives’ lived experience of uncertainty and the construct of a ‘capability for uncertainty’, with implications for leadership coaching and leadership development for enhancing such capability in leaders. In Kathy’s early part of her career, she gained extensive experience in all facets of HR management, culminating in an executive role in the pharmaceutical industry.

She has since then pursued a

portfolio career across a range of industries, comprising 3 primary roles: leadership coach, part-time faculty member on the M Phil (Management Coaching) programme at USB, and OD consultant (with emphasis on change leadership). Kathy has a PhD in Personal and Professional Leadership from the University of Johannesburg and a MA degree in Professional Coaching through Middlesex University in London. Kathy Bennett may be contacted via email at: [email protected]

iii

Foreword by Salomè van Coller-Peter Dr Kathy Bennett, a long-time colleague and friend, provides business people and academics with practical guidelines, supported by robust research and topped up with case studies, on how to lead through uncertainty. In all the endeavours in which I have had the privilege to work with her, she has been the voice of reason and encouragement. Although this book may refer to concepts and events such as the VUCA world and Brexit, the lessons transcend both time and context. Leaders of the here and now experience unprecedented turbulence, and I am of the belief that this turbulence, which comes with uncertainty, adds to complexity and causes volatility. Therefore, leaders, draw your journals closer and find a mindful space to absorb the realness of the wisdom that Kathy shares. Demand-and-control leaders have had to make way for a more inclusive, flexible and supportive leadership style. Leaders now need to acquire the capability to deal with uncertainty, which is not for the faint-hearted. In her authentic style, Kathy shares her own lived experience of uncertainty as an HR executive. She became curious about ‘how leaders experience uncertainty’. As an executive coach she realised how strong the need for ‘learning to live and operate under conditions of uncertainty’ has become; how vulnerable leaders feel when faced with their own uncertainty and the uncertainty of those they manage. Part A of this book describes aspects of uncertainty – for example, that it is multi-layered, that it is a result of a volatile business environment, and that it includes the organisation as well as the individuals who form part of it, resulting in ‘experienced uncertainty’. Leaders’ experience of personal and organisational uncertainty is described in-depth, informed by Kathy’s research, and includes the challenges leaders face in leading others during organisational change. Kathy argues that leaders need to develop their capability for uncertainty, and explains what such a capability is.

iv

Part B describes each of the components comprising a holistic capability for uncertainty. Useful ideas and guidelines are shared here for leaders to develop their individual capability. The good news is that the anxiety and/or excitement created by uncertainty can lead to a renewed look at one’s values, choices, possibilities and meaning. Who am I and who am I becoming? Who are we and who are we becoming? Aren’t these the questions we have to face when our contexts change? These questions may stimulate our curiosity about the changes we can expect rather than fearing change being forced upon us. So, perhaps it is time we talk about renewal (in anticipation of growth and development) rather than change (which carries a sense of loss). Kathy highlights that while some authors believe real leaders are those who pretend to be fearless and cool even when they experience inner turmoil, other leaders show up as they are and admit that they are feeling uncertain, which, in turn, gives their peers permission to do the same. Today, authenticity is seen as key to sustainable leadership. I believe those leaders who are willing to make themselves vulnerable are more courageous than those who pretend. One’s acceptance of uncertainty can be developed over time. Kathy explains how adaptive capacity is developed through the interpretation of context and the ability to develop hardiness, perseverance and optimism. What resonated with me was that, through self-appreciation, we can learn from past experiences and rekindle the recipes that worked for us before. Trying to reduce or deny uncertainty is a futile exercise. Effective sense-making of all the complexity and uncertainty requires us to challenge and reframe our need for certainty. Kathy explains why our need for perfectionism, for control, and having all the facts before making a decision, can trip us up. She proposes a focus on ‘what is within our control’ through mindfulness. She believes that a strong moral compass can transcend situations as it guides us to make decisions. Alignment within a set of values, which forms the basis of an organisation’s culture and leadership practices, has become an absolute must, should we as leaders want to move people with us.

v

In the last part of her book, Kathy provides organisations with guidelines to develop their leaders’ capability for uncertainty. The key is developing learning agility which is honed through experiential learning, seeing uncertainty as a learning opportunity, experimenting with new ideas, learning from failure, seeking feedback and developing one’s reflective capacity. Throughout the book, executive coaching is used to enhance leaders’ capability for uncertainty. Meaningful conversations with those we trust are indeed one of the most purposeful means to integrate different perspectives during uncertainty. The key message I got is that if ever there was a time to stop relying on one’s own experience and capacity to make decisions, it is NOW! Acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses, surround yourself with people who complement you, share your collective wisdom, and stop thinking you are weak because you do not have all the answers. Create a platform where your team members, following you, can admit to not knowing and to feeling vulnerable, and use this as fertile ground for creativity, boldness, bravery and co-creation to shape a future of possibilities. On behalf of the learning and development community, I thank Kathy for sharing her insights. Dr Salomé van Coller-Peter, Head: MPhil in Management Coaching, University of Stellenbosch Business School

vi

Introduction A typical scenario of uncertainty in organisations today… Stuart, a senior leader at a financial services company, has heard that there is going to be a merger with an international company. The rationale makes good business sense as the company has been struggling to achieve its targets. Stuart feels positive about the planned changes and portrays this optimism to his team. As time unfolds the merger becomes protracted and, disappointingly, is not approved by the competition commission. Stuart’s company continues to explore options with this international company, concurrently implementing more stringent cost-cutting measures, including not replacing staff when vacancies occur. There are rumours, however, that another local organisation wants to make a bid for their company. Stuart starts to feel uncertain and worries what will happen if the merger does not materialise. His team members have many questions and he finds it increasingly difficult to reassure them when he is experiencing doubts himself. He has been approached by head hunters and wonders whether he should explore personal alternatives, yet he is loyal to the company, enjoys the culture, and decides he wants to persevere and see things through. During this extended period of organisational uncertainty, Stuart is asked to act in a more senior role and be responsible for a division, possibly with a view to being appointed in the position, pending the outcome of the merger negotiations. His acting role extends beyond the few months initially agreed, and he finds it difficult to implement new strategies and make key decisions, also feeling the added pressure of knowing that his new team wants more direction. He ruminates about how much longer it will go on and when he will have clarity about the position. Another month goes by, when senior management are informed that the other local organisation has put in a favourable take-over bid most likely to be approved by the competition commission. Everything is up in the air. Stuart is really pleased that there is some resolution and a way forward for the company, but what strategies and structural changes are going to be implemented? What will the implications be for him – and his division? He does not know where he stands, or what to expect. He puts on a brave front to his team, while inside he feels unsure and vulnerable.

vii

The context of organisational uncertainty The above scenario of living and leading through uncertainty is now defining organisational life – and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Many organisations refer to the VUCA world we are living in – an acronym coined by the US military for velocity, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. Although organisational turbulence is certainly not a new phenomenon, there is general agreement that the scale of the turbulence being experienced globally is unprecedented.1 Key drivers of turbulence include inter-connectedness through globalisation, intensified competition, technological innovation and disruption, increased diversity, political developments, increased regulation and the changing nature of work.2 An example of how turbulence and uncertainty can explode in the markets around the globe was seen in the week following the result of the UK’s Brexit referendum to leave the European Union. Headlines in the media at this time (24th June – 1st July 2016) were: •

Turbulence and uncertainty for the market after ‘Brexit’.3

•

Brexit: What options must businesses consider now?4

•

Brexit means uncertain future for infrastructure projects.5

•

Banking IT community faces uncertain Brexit future.6

•

The many uncertainties unleashed by Brexit.7

•

Brexit bedlam: UK ponders uncertain future after historic ‘leave’ vote.8

These increasing levels of turbulence require organisations to adapt and make strategic choices to position themselves for success, resulting in internal changes which foster contexts of uncertainty.

Why leaders need to develop their capability for uncertainty With the leadership of organisations traditionally being rooted in control and certainty9, the environmental and organisational challenges sketched above are creating new demands for leadership capabilities, such as flexibility and the ability to cope with uncertainty.10 Yet in a

viii

recent global survey by Development Dimensions International, many leaders indicated that they were not very confident in their ability to deal with the challenges of an increasingly complex and uncertain world.11 Leaders are also influential in setting the tone for how uncertainty is approached in their organisations.12 This requires leaders to be accepting of uncertainty themselves, to contain their own personal anxieties, and to often express confidence to others when, for them, the future is full of unknowns. No doubt this can be unsettling at the least, and at the most, invoke doubt in their role as a leader. Leaders therefore need to develop their capability for uncertainty – that is, their ability for engaging with uncertainty in their organisational context and leading others, while managing their own experienced uncertainty. But just what is such a capability for uncertainty? There is consensus in the leadership development field that we need to find ways to develop leaders that better serve their requirements in an increasingly uncertain and complex world.13 This book helps to clarify the notion of a holistic capability for uncertainty – what it is and what key components constitute it.

The need to understand leaders’ experienced uncertainty My interest in the vulnerable side of leadership was initially triggered some time ago, after personally going through a profound experience of uncertainty as a leader. At the time, I was head of HR for a business unit within a pharmaceutical company. Our company was acquired by another pharmaceutical company, and it really translated into a hostile take-over. With anticipation of re-structuring and downsizing, even though we knew many of us could be retrenched, within HR we assumed we would remain in the company to assist with the change process which would unfold. We spent time developing HR strategies and plans to this effect. My team were all aware that down the line there would be downsizing and retrenchments within HR as well.

ix

What a shock when our CEO (my boss) popped into my office for a chat, just before a retirement awards function we were both attending, and told me that the CEO of the acquiring company wanted HR out first, and that all the change processes would be facilitated by their HR function. I remember going to the awards function, even delivering a speech, but feeling the weight of what was to come. How was I going to tell my team? I was so apprehensive and concerned about the impact on them, particularly knowing that several of my team members were single parents. I had been prepared for being retrenched, but had expected we would still have time to breathe before it happened. Now it was on our door step, and I felt extremely vulnerable about what lay ahead. Fast forward to two months later, and everyone in my team had a sense of where they were going. Some transferred to other units, and others, including me, were retrenched. Ultimately it was a good ending, and the beginning of new chapters for all of us. I actually set myself up as a freelance OD (Organisational Development) consultant working primarily in the field of change leadership – and the rest is history. This vulnerable side of leadership is very real, no doubt about that! It ignited my interest to learn more about the subject going forward. Despite some research on leaders’ uncertainty as a result of the global financial crisis14, there is a scarcity on the subject of leaders’ experienced uncertainty in the executive and leadership development field.15 As a leadership coach, I began to notice that how leaders’ experienced uncertainty – in relation to organisational changes, transitions and increased pressure in their roles – was becoming more prominent in our coaching work together. This makes sense, as research has indicated that executives and leaders are favourably disposed to coaching because it affords them a safe and confidential place for exploration and reflection.16 I observed how unsettling my clients’ uncertainty could be for them, but also realised that in most instances their uncertainty was a force for personal change and growth. Individual capability develops through the interaction of individuals with their context, through real-time experience.17 Developing

x

individual capability therefore requires different learning experiences, with an emphasis on learning through and from experience. In order to develop leaders’ capability for uncertainty, we need to learn more about leaders’ experienced uncertainty as a basis for informing approaches to leadership development and leadership coaching. More specifically, we require a more in-depth understanding of the following aspects of leaders’ experienced uncertainty in organisational contexts of uncertainty: •

What uncertainty do leaders experience – both personally and in their roles as leaders? That is, what makes them feel vulnerable, particularly since most leaders would not be comfortable acknowledging or speaking about what might be construed as weakness?18

•

How do leaders develop personally in living and leading through an episode of organisational uncertainty? That is, what capability for uncertainty do they develop through experienced uncertainty?

I chose to explore the above questions further through reading and research19, examining leaders’ experiences of uncertainty and investigating executive coaches’ experiences of, and approaches to, working with leaders’ uncertainty, as well as through learning from my own coaching practice. My learning journey has now culminated in this book which I hope will be a stimulus for further review, debate and experimentation.

Outline of the book This book is intended for those who have an interest in: (1) understanding more about leaders’ lived experience of uncertainty; (2) what a capability for uncertainty is and the key components that constitute it; and (3) guidelines for developing leaders’ capability for uncertainty. Likely target audiences for this book are leaders, sponsors of leadership development and leadership coaching in organisations, and executive or leadership coaches.

xi

This book has three parts to it. Part A lays the foundation for developing leaders’ capability for uncertainty. Here I give more depth to the key concepts used in the book in two different chapters. The first chapter clarifies the meaning of experienced uncertainty as a precursor to exploring leaders’ lived experience of uncertainty, that is, their personal uncertainty and challenges in their leadership roles during organisational uncertainty. In the second chapter, the notion of a capability for uncertainty is explained, based on an understanding of what capability for uncertainty leaders develop through their lived experience of uncertainty. Part B incorporates five chapters, with each one addressing a key component of a capability of uncertainty. These components are:

(1)

an

acceptance

of

uncertainty;

(2)

learning

agility;

(3) effective sense-making; (4) a sense of positive identity; and (5) relevant leadership practices during organisational uncertainty. In each chapter I give a brief theoretical overview of the component. I follow this with guidelines for leaders who wish to develop that component, so that they can become better able to enhance their own overall capability for uncertainty. While these chapters have a self-development focus for leaders, the guidelines contained therein are potentially useful for sponsors of leadership development and leadership coaching in organisations, as well as for executive or leadership coaches interested in developing leaders’ capability for uncertainty. Part C addresses the implications for leadership development in organisations towards developing leaders’ capability for uncertainty more intentionally and explicitly. In particular, the questions of where to target the development of leaders’ capability for uncertainty in organisations, and how, are considered. I also place emphasis on leadership coaching as one viable option for developing this capability in leaders.

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PART A SETTING THE CONTEXT

This section sets the context for developing leaders’ capability for uncertainty, including the key concepts used in the book. •

Chapter One: What is experienced uncertainty? This underpins the understanding of how leaders live and lead through organisational uncertainty, particularly personal uncertainty and challenges in their leadership role.

•

Chapter Two: What is a capability for uncertainty? This concept is clarified and the five key components of a holistic capability for uncertainty are also briefly outlined.

Note to the reader: The content of the above chapters draws from the findings of a research study I conducted (see Appendix 1), in which executive leaders from two different companies were interviewed about their experienced uncertainty. As part of the study, executive coaches were interviewed about their personal observations of leaders’ experienced uncertainty. These were clients with whom they worked with in their own coaching practices (who were not leaders in either of the two companies involved in the study). Participants in the study requested anonymity regarding research findings and their experiences as leaders or coaches, as shared in this book. Given the personal nature of experienced uncertainty, names have therefore been withheld or changed, with some key facts altered to conceal their identity.

1

Living and Leading Through Uncertainty

Chapter One

Leaders’ experienced uncertainty “The reality of leadership is denied, including its self-questioning, its self-doubt, even its vulnerability”.20

What is experienced uncertainty? Uncertainty is pervasive in many contexts of life, and is therefore a subject of great interest to a wide variety of disciplines.21 There are many different types of uncertainty and varying definitions as to what it really is, making uncertainty a difficult concept to conclusively define. Within the organisational context, the nature of uncertainty is complex, since it is both multi-layered and inter-connected.22 There are three key layers of uncertainty affecting organisations and the individuals within them – the external environment, the organisation (or internal environment), and the individual in the organisation. These layers of uncertainty are also inter-dependent.

EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT:

Turbulence and environmental uncertainty Leads to

ORGANISATION:

Strategic positioning and adaptation of organisation

Organisational context of uncertainty (Contextual uncertainty) Individual response to contextual uncertainty ͳͳ leads to

INDIVIDUAL:

Experienced uncertainty by individuals Figure 1: The multi-layered nature of uncertainty in organisations

2

Chapter 1: Leaders’ experienced uncertainty

Environmental uncertainty relates to the complexity of factors in the organisation’s external environment.23 These factors pertain to globalisation, customers, suppliers, competitors, socio-political trends, the industry, regulatory changes and technological developments. Rapid and disruptive technological change is considered to be the greatest threat facing big business. Disruptive technologies, including the mobile internet, cloud computing and advanced robotics, can significantly alter the rules of the game for different businesses through the creation of entirely new products and services.24 A recent survey25 asked all the Fortune 500 CEOs: “What is your company’s greatest challenge?” The response that topped the list was “The rapid pace of technological change”. Moreover, 94% of those who responded said their companies would change more in the next five years than in the past five. Today’s CEOs clearly recognise that new disruptive technologies are going to radically change the way they do business. And they know they need to figure out how to harness disruptive technologies before their competitors do. Consider the start-up by Uber, UberEATS, in South Africa during October 2016. UberEATS has integrated a new app with the Uber taxi-hailing service for food deliveries, which has implications for the fast food / delivery sector. Mr Delivery Food has dominated this sector and it is likely that UberEATS will eat into their market share. In July 2016, Devin Sinclair, the head of Mr Delivery Food, said they had anticipated UberEATS’ impending arrival in SA, for which they had “been quietly preparing for over the past 18 months”.26 What emerged is that they were busy developing their own delivery app, announcing this the day after UberEATS went live.27 In a Google search I noticed that customers were doing comparisons of service by the two companies. Now time will tell what the impact will be on this sector.

The interdependent nature of organisations and their external environments means that an organisation’s performance depends largely on its ability to read and respond appropriately to an uncertain environment.28 One only has to consider organisational responses to the outcome of the Brexit referendum in the UK in 2016, as reported in the Wall Street Journal on 27th June, 2016:29

3

Living and Leading Through Uncertainty

Fallout from Britain’s vote to break with the European Union cascaded through the boardrooms of the UK’s biggest businesses on Monday, triggering profit warnings from two of the country’s best-known firms and forcing executives across Europe to rethink investment and hiring plans. Budget airline easyJet warned that consumer and economic uncertainty following last week’s so-called Brexit vote would hurt results for its third quarter ending June 30. London-focused real estate agency Foxtons Group said its 2016 earnings would be significantly lower than last year’s. It had been forecasting a boost in London sales on an expected “remain” vote. That “is now unlikely to materialize,” it said on Monday. Other executives were already charting strategic shifts and defensive plays. In a weekend survey of more than 1,000 members by the Institute of Directors, an organization for company directors and senior business leaders, more than a third of those polled said the vote would force them to cut investment. “We can’t sugarcoat this — many of our members are feeling anxious”, said Simon Walker, the institute’s director-general. “A majority of business leaders think the vote for Brexit is bad for them”.

Organisations make choices regarding strategic positioning30 and adapting to changes in their environment, which lead to internal change initiatives such as restructuring, culture change, or new product strategies. These then foster an organisational context of uncertainty. Adding to this are other forms of uncertainty triggered by the inter-play of personal and social dynamics, for example power struggles, feeling excluded from core groups, and requiring credibility for influencing key stakeholders.31 Individual organisation members, including leaders in their personal capacity and in their role as leaders, respond to the uncertainty they find themselves embroiled in, in the form of experienced uncertainty. The definition of experienced uncertainty used in this book and outlined below is informed by that of Arkin, Oleson and Carroll.32

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Chapter 1: Leaders’ experienced uncertainty

Experienced uncertainty is personal or subjective uncertainty, manifesting as ‘feeling uncertain’ about: •

the self (or one’s identity);

•

one’s context; and

•

the inter-relationship between the self and one’s context.

Returning to the example of the impact of the Brexit referendum on organisations, just imagine the levels of experienced uncertainty triggered by the outcome for individuals working in UK-based organisations. An article at the time captures some of the felt uncertainty:33 In offices around the UK, Friday 24 June, 2016 was not the most productive. Many staff had stayed up all night to watch events in the EU referendum unfurl; others had woken up in shock to find that a slim majority had voted in favour of Britain leaving the EU. But for staff in companies that trade heavily in EU countries, or with large numbers of non-UK EU citizens, that drain on productivity came not just from shock or constantly refreshing news feeds to see the latest political surprise, but from real concern that their jobs could be at risk. Jamie Dimon, chairman and chief executive of J.P. Morgan, was quick to address concerns, sending out a memo that very Friday to its 16,000 UK employees. “Regardless of today’s outcome, we will maintain a large presence in London, Bournemouth and Scotland, serving local clients as we have for more than 150 years,” it read. But the memo did not shy away from the fact that there could be unpredictable times ahead: “In the months ahead, however, we may need to make changes to our European legal entity structure and the location of some roles. While these changes are not certain, we have to be prepared to comply with new laws as we serve our clients around the world. We will always do our best to take care of our people and do the right thing during times of change”. Eugene Farrell, head of trauma support services at AXA PPP, stated that: “The decision has caused a considerable amount of anxiety for many people and they’re only now starting to consider what the bigger questions might be”. Farrell added that those concerns might not just be limited to employment status or potential redundancies, but any number of knockon issues such as the impact of Brexit on housing prices or members of the family working abroad in EU countries.

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Living and Leading Through Uncertainty

As depicted above, experienced uncertainty is a personal, subjective sense of uncertainty, operating at the interface of the individual and their context. Individuals may indeed face objective uncertainty in their unique context, such as that triggered in UK organisations by the outcome of the Brexit referendum; however, it is the subjective uncertainty experienced by leaders and employees in UK organisations in anticipating the unknown implications of Brexit that is crucial for understanding human behaviour.34 So, even in instances when you have relevant knowledge or information about a topic or event, it is still possible to feel uncertain because feeling uncertain is subjective. Van den Bos described this feeling as “a subjective sense of doubt”, which is generally “an aversive or at least an uncomfortable feeling”.35 Typically, when you experience this discomforting feeling of uncertainty, it tends to motivate you to take action or behave in ways to reduce it,36 because you want to feel a sense of control or confidence. Yet in existential terms, personal uncertainty and its associated state of anxiety are seen to be essential to the nature of existence, because life is viewed as inherently uncertain. These feelings of anxiety are considered crucial for questioning one’s values, choices, possibilities and meaning of life.37 So, although personal uncertainty is often viewed negatively, it is also essential for spurring people on to self-improvement and to search for meaning.38 Many individuals therefore set personal goals or take on new challenges, and in doing so open themselves to increased uncertainty, but this gives them the opportunity to pursue more meaning in their lives or careers. Consider Mark Barnes, a seasoned business leader, who put up his hand to take on the CEO role of the South African Post Office (SAPO) and was appointed to this position in January 2015 for a five-year period.

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Chapter 1: Leaders’ experienced uncertainty

Prior to his appointment as CEO of SAPO, Barnes was executive chairman at Purple Group, which resulted in him taking up a non-executive role at the company. Barnes was previously an investment banker at Standard Corporate and Merchant Bank (SCMB). He was also the former head of private equity firm Brait. Barnes’ appointment at SAPO came at a time when the state-owned company had been experiencing many years of instability among its leadership and a negative financial position. “Since about 2006 this one-time behemoth has been reduced to a husk with about R3-billion to R4-billion “thrown away” due to corruption and gross mismanagement, and so far, no one has been held accountable”.39 When appointed, Barnes said he believed that SAPO had the potential to “become profitable again” and that he wants “to adapt the company to the internet age”.40 This raises the question: What led Barnes to take on the CEO position of SAPO, a position that will clearly encompass huge challenges? Barnes has expressed his belief that business needs to get involved and support the government in ways that will add value to the economy. He is clearly walking his talk – and finding meaning in doing so – stating that he is “looking forward to being of service” and “I am overwhelmed by Government’s willingness to appoint a businessperson to head up a parastatal”. Yet he has also acknowledged his personal uncertainty in saying that: “I’m apprehensive. I hope I have it in me. But I’ll do exactly what I feel is right”.41

Having introduced the concept of experienced uncertainty, in order to accelerate the development of leaders’ capability for uncertainty intentionally, we need to understand more about leaders’ lived experiences of uncertainty over a period of time.

Setting the scene: Real contexts of organisational uncertainty In my study, leaders who were members of their executive committees of two companies were interviewed about their lived experience of uncertainty. Here I outline the organisational context of uncertainty in these two companies to provide a background for the key findings shared with you.

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Living and Leading Through Uncertainty

Company ABC This is a private South African company in the manufacturing sector, previously owned by an international organisation. The holding organisation entered into a black empowerment deal, which leaders of Company ABC initially felt optimistic about. The deal, however, encountered problems, resulting in a change of ownership with a large financial debt to be paid off by the company. This initiated a five-year period of intense uncertainty, with a very real concern for many that the business may not survive. There were changes in the Board, several of whom now lacked experience within the industry. There were also changes in the executive team, including the CEO, and several key leaders were appointed in acting roles with no clear indication of what the future held for them. Added to this there were suddenly severe financial constraints due to the debt incurred by the new ownership deal, coupled with the impact of the global financial crisis of 2008-2009 and the threat of new competitors in their markets. Coming after years of success, this placed enormous pressure on those tasked with maintaining business viability.

Company XYZ This company is a utility service provider for a major city in South Africa. An 18-month period of uncertainty was triggered by the secondment of the CEO to another role in their holding organisation, leaving an acting CEO in charge for a few months. The plans then changed as the CEO was appointed permanently into the holding organisation’s management structure. The Board of the company decided to have different executives rotate as the acting CEO, until a new CEO was appointed. This process became protracted, resulting in a period of limbo extending beyond a year, with a consequent lack of direction and decision-making, which fostered concern and frustration among the leaders. Over this time there were also changes in the management style of the holding organisation towards the company, which adopted a more centrist approach. Moreover, there were alterations in the membership of the company’s Board, as well as financial constraints within the business, all of which further fuelled the uncertainty.

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Chapter 1: Leaders’ experienced uncertainty

The flux of experienced uncertainty over time The leaders’ experience of uncertainty was one of flux – irrespective of the different contexts of organisational uncertainty. Their flux comprised ongoing shifts between periods of feeling more uncertain and then periods of feeling less uncertain (or more certain), as shown in Figure 2. These periods of uncertainty were longer or shorter, and more intense or less intense, depending on the individuals’ specific context, different and/or simultaneous triggers for the uncertainty, coupled with unfolding events within the organisational context.

Level of experienced uncertainty

Time

Figure 2: The flux of experienced uncertainty over time

This flux of experienced uncertainty was evident in the way the leaders expressed their lived experience. For example, one of the leaders, Kabelo, described it as, “That has come and gone. It’s tough, but tough times don’t last forever, they do come and go”. The leaders also acknowledged that there were still uncertainties going forward, suggesting continuous flux. Next, one of the ‘peaks’ of experienced uncertainty in Figure 2 above is deconstructed in the figure below, showing the main processes which formed part of the unfolding dynamic of the leaders’ experienced uncertainty over time.

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Living and Leading Through Uncertainty

Experienced level of uncertainty Duration of uncertainty

2. Felt uncertainty 3. Making sense of uncertainty 5. Adapting 4. Implementing strategies and actions 1. Triggers for uncertainty Figure 3: The leaders’ lived experience of uncertainty

As depicted, the peaks of felt uncertainty motivated the leaders to make sense of their experience (that is, arriving at a plausible account of what was going on), which became the springboard for generating strategies and actions for moving forward in their context of uncertainty. Their strategies were adapted iteratively, through further sense-making, in relation to unfolding events or through gaining new information in their contexts. Ultimately their level of uncertainty decreased, until it was once again triggered by other changes, new events or altered circumstances in the organisational context. And the cycle then repeated itself. While leaders were initially positive, this response shifted as events unfolded in their companies, initiating their felt uncertainty. In addition, the leaders in both companies also all experienced, or were affected by, the various forms of transition they were undergoing: •

Some were newcomers to the organisation.

•

Some moved into new roles, either in an acting or in a permanent capacity (for example, a promotion).

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•

Some began reporting to a new executive (or ‘acting’ executive) or reporting to several acting senior executives over a period of time.

Transitions were found to be key triggers of experienced uncertainty. This is prevalent for most leaders making transitions into new roles, and even for experienced leaders transitioning into a more senior role, as shared by Doug McMillon when he became CEO of Walmart. CEO Doug McMillon may be the best prepared executive to lead the company since Sam Walton. In his more than two-decade career at Walmart … through it all he has rarely, if ever, appeared flummoxed. And never at any point can anyone recall him struggling. Until, that is, his first day in the office after officially taking charge as CEO of the world’s largest retailer on Feb. 1, 2014. The problem? He wasn’t sure where to sit. McMillon arrived early on that Tuesday and reported to his new workspace—the same modest, 15-by-17-foot room with cheap wood paneling that has belonged to each chief executive of the company going back to Mr. Sam himself. That’s when McMillon froze up a little. “I couldn’t sit behind the desk,” he says. So he didn’t. He plopped down on the visitors’ side and began working from there. After a while, Mike Duke, his predecessor as CEO and until days earlier his boss, stopped in to check on him. Gesturing across the desk, McMillon said, “I can’t really go over there. I’m expecting you to be there”. He added reverentially, “This is Sam Walton’s office”. Duke laughed sympathetically and then nodded to the empty chair. “You’ve been appointed by the Board of directors to be CEO,” he said. “You’ve got to get on with it”. One could forgive McMillon, 48, for being momentarily daunted by the magnitude of the job. He is, after all, just the fourth CEO to lead the company in the years since Sam Walton left the post in 1988. Walmart’s founder is still revered as something close to a deity… And his influence lingers in many ways in the organisation. The Walton family, one of the wealthiest in the world, owns roughly 50% of Walmart’s stock. Rob Walton, Sam’s eldest son, remains chairman. The three previous chief executives who came after Walton — David Glass, Lee Scott, and Duke — were executive all-stars in their own right, growing Walmart from merely one of America’s biggest retail chains to the colossus it is today. Sitting at Sam’s desk isn’t just any old job. “Having been here a long time, I think I had the feeling that I knew what responsibility felt like,” says McMillon. “And then you move into the role and you find out there’s a whole ’nother level of it”. Source: Adapted from Brian O’Keefe.42

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Living and Leading Through Uncertainty

Delays in the unfolding of organisational changes and transitions were an additional trigger for these leaders’ experienced uncertainty. They spoke about their frustration related to delays in organisational re-structuring and other key decisions. One shared her concern: “We were living in this limbo space. A long period of time – let’s just keep the wheels turning … how long will it take?” Others experienced discomfort due to the extension of acting roles; whether to their own interim positions or those of more senior executives to whom they reported. Consequently, these delays intensified the degree of uncertainty, because they extended this feeling of being in limbo. Many organisational change processes can be incredibly complex, for example, mergers and acquisitions in global organisations which are often lengthy, involving many delays due to regulations in different countries that need to be dealt with. Consider the acquisition of SABMiller by the Belgian brewing giant Anheuser-Busch (AB InBev), which was announced in November 2015 and only concluded in October 2016. Although the CEO of AB InBev, Carlos Brito, referred to the acquisition as a combination or joining of the two companies, there was speculation in the media worldwide about the different cultures, the different leadership styles and what the new mega beer company would be like. One could expect that there would be much uncertainty both at management and at lower levels.43 Coupled with this were the delays associated with the regulatory approvals required in the different countries and regions involved, i.e. SABMiller in SA, the US, China and the European Union. Hilary Joffee 44 observed that getting large deals done in SA “has tended to become an increasingly lengthy and difficult process, in part because of the Competition Commission’s increased focus on public-interest issues such as employment and local suppliers when it scrutinises mergers, even when these raise no competition concerns”. The outcome of the Brexit referendum at the end of June 2016 also had an impact on the process, because the share offer for SABMiller by AB InBev became significantly less attractive for shareholders after a slump in sterling against other currencies.45 This resulted in further negotiations around the original deal price, exacerbating the uncertainty felt within SABMiller.

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One can imagine that these delays to the process would have heightened the levels of experienced uncertainty of managers and employees alike in SABMiller. I personally interacted with some individuals during 2016 who worked at the company; it was clear that while they were committed to continuing business as usual, they felt frustration and that sense of being in limbo – of waiting ... and waiting. Uncertainty was clearly ‘felt’ by all the leaders. But what exactly was this experienced uncertainty? What was it based on? And how did it manifest? One of the critical factors is that while leaders are grappling with their own sense of uncertainty during organisational change, and possibly being negatively affected by it, they remain responsible for leading others through the turbulence. They may therefore be required to conceal their own concerns or misgivings and present a positive perspective they do not share. This can create discomfort in terms of their inability to live by their values if honesty is important to them, and therefore their sense of leader identity in terms of being unable to express who they are. These two facets were therefore explored in my study: •

What personal uncertainty do leaders experience?

•

What challenges do leaders experience in their roles during organisational uncertainty?

What personal uncertainty is experienced by leaders? All the leaders experienced personal uncertainty during the upheavals they faced and lived through, manifesting mostly in feelings of a discomforting nature. They experienced two predominant types of personal uncertainty: (1) Who were they really and who were they becoming? (identity uncertainty); and (2) What would be happening next and the possible impact of this? (anticipatory uncertainty).

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Living and Leading Through Uncertainty

Both types were also highlighted by the executive coaches interviewed in relation to leaders they had coached. These coaches observed that their clients’ issues of experienced uncertainty tended to emerge during the coaching, rather than being presenting issues when the coaching commenced, most likely because their clients felt vulnerable about sharing their personal uncertainties. Similar to my own experience, several coaches referred to clients even presenting a façade of confidence when the coaching first began. This is understandable because there are high expectations of executives to be outwardly confident, making it difficult for them to acknowledge their feelings of vulnerability when entering a coaching partnership. Yet over time, as the coaching relationship and trust builds, clients do tend to open up and share their vulnerabilities, including their experienced uncertainties. Identity uncertainty The leaders experienced issues of identity, manifesting as feelings of self-doubt, being unsure, in limbo, and feeling frustrated or excluded, accompanied by a decrease in their sense of confidence and/or control.46 The executive coaches interviewed also observed issues of identity as a form of uncertainty experienced by their clients, mostly triggered by transitions such as promotions, moving into a new organisation, or being in an acting role. For example, one coach spoke about a client’s vulnerability in transitioning to a new role, in which he did not have technical expertise or positional authority: “How do I make my shift from being a medical doctor to being in a COO role? That’s where he [my client] felt most vulnerable … at the peer level, because he didn’t have any power in the sense of control and ownership …. he wasn’t as confident as he used to be”.

Turning to the leaders in my study, their identity uncertainty was also mostly triggered by transitions, resulting in them feeling uncertain about their leadership identities in terms of ‘who they were’ and ‘who they were becoming’ in their contexts of change. They started to

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question themselves about who they were as leaders, what their role was, and whether they needed to lead differently – and if so, how. In the case of Nick, his acting role was extended way beyond what had initially been agreed. Nick was asked to act in a more senior role at the executive level, with the initial expectation that this would be for a couple of months. In reality, he ended up acting in this role for just over a year. Around the six-month mark, he really felt very uncertain and frustrated. “I think the difficult part came after the initial six months. With the view that it’s going to be a three month period, I never envisaged that it’s going to be a year, never. This thing was dragging on and on… Nothing was coming to a head. Everything was still hanging in the air … and I mean you’re not yourself. You try and maintain … the way things have been done in the past (referring to the previous incumbent in the role). Now you’re also not, and if I can use the word ‘authentic’. You’re not totally authentic and everyone knows it, because they know you as a person, as a leader … that’s where the frustration was coming in … as I was dying to move into that direction [referring to adopting his own leadership approach]”.

Nick felt suspended and in limbo. His expression that he ‘was not himself’ clearly suggests his loss of identity and frustration in the acting role. His sense of his own identity as a leader was adversely affected, because he was simply maintaining things in line with his predecessor’s approach. He was uneasy about adopting his own leadership strategies as his predecessor had also been appointed in a different acting role, and might, in the foreseeable future be returned to the role in which Nick was acting. Coupling his experience of being betwixt and between with the delays in resolving the appointment of someone to the position, meant that Nick was forced into an extended period of limbo or liminality.47 Since he was also a candidate for the permanent position, this exacerbated his felt uncertainty, as he wondered whether he was viewed as sufficiently competent for the role: “I started self-doubting… Am I good enough? …because now this thing is dragging on for so long. Are they looking for someone else and they’re using me?” 15

Living and Leading Through Uncertainty

For Siphiwe, who was responsible for a core, visible function in his company, he emphasised how having a series of acting senior executives over a period of time affected him. “And that cast a lot of uncertainty onto me, or made it difficult, because I’m the face of the company. When there’s a problem, they [key stakeholders] look at [his function]… Then you start feeling unsure … it got worse and worse and worse – which also impacted on me. I was also getting worse and worse and worse, and eventually … more and more unsure”.

Siphiwe experienced uncertainty due to criticism from key stakeholders, in a context of a lack of support, decisions and direction from acting senior executives. What was frustrating was the discontinuity in having a series of acting senior executives and their continual postponement of key decisions, because they were ‘acting’. His words convey the increasing intensity of the uncertainty he felt. And his “feeling unsure” in himself implied that he experienced a serious devaluation of his sense of leader identity. Joining a company is a key leadership passage, one potentially fraught with challenges, described by Dotlich, Noel and Walker as follows:48 “…this passage …. may appear to be relatively simple when you first embark on it. After all, you join a company because the company wants you. Your new organisation welcomes you with open arms. There is a sense of smooth sailing, but if you’re not prepared for the storms ahead, you will be sunk. It helps to remember that this passage is a transition, and as with all transitions, a gap appears between appearance and reality. Or to put it more bluntly, what you see is often not what you get”.

Some leaders in the study joined their companies during these periods of uncertainty, and for a few of these newcomers, their transitions fostered intense identity uncertainty.

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Kabelo explained that: “…as you come into an organisation like this … it’s not readily welcoming to outsiders… I felt a bit side-lined and lonely. Things were being said, that ended up coming through to me … some were fellow executives – and were not over complimentary. And at the same time I had to focus on the job ... you need time to really actually learn it … and there was no time… The expectations were high”.

Kabelo’s intense personal uncertainty as a newcomer was because he felt a lack of support from the team of managers reporting to him, and he also felt excluded by his colleagues in the executive team. What added further to his sense of isolation was his feeling of being overwhelmed by the personal learning curve he had to climb in his new position, while still needing to meet the expectations of critical others. The psychological weight of Kabelo’s challenges became very heavy to bear, resulting in him starting to doubt his decision to join the company: “You know, all those things, I mean they weigh so heavily on you that … sometimes you ask yourself, did you make the right decision to join?” Martin was another leader who also experienced exclusion by his executive team, resulting in him feeling disheartened and also questioning his decision to join the company. He was particularly frustrated because the CEO who had appointed him left shortly after he joined. This successor now expressed a different expectation of Martin’s position, leading Martin to perceive a devaluation of his role, which added to the feeling of uncertainty he felt as a leader. For these newcomers, their personal uncertainty was rooted in a lack of social identity with their executive teams, in that they did not have a sense of belonging to these groups.49 They also experienced a perception of depreciation of their leader and role identities, because of personal criticism by their colleagues which appeared to reduce their credibility in their peers’ eyes. It was clear to me that the identity uncertainty felt by some newcomers was even more intense than that experienced by those leaders facing transitions within their current companies.

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These findings on uncertainty triggered by transitions align with research on executive transitions in European companies.50 •

Many of the executives found their transitions to be an intense experience with a range of emotions, such as doubt, fear, frustration and anger.

•

It was also a lonely time for many of them in the early stages of their transition.

•

Many found that those above and below them had unrealistic or conflicting expectations about their role.

•

The challenges of transition appeared to be greater for those joining a new organisation than for those moving within the same organisation.

And now we turn to identity uncertainty about personal meaning. One of the leaders experienced this uncertainty about the meaning of business and his role within it. He had over the recent years become disillusioned with business and leadership, seeing these as being “dark and dirty”, making him believe that he was doing many things which were not adding value. This individual was clearly questioning and searching for meaning in his role – who did he want to be as a leader in the context of business? Several of the executive coaches interviewed also noticed this type of existential uncertainty in their clients. One coach had encountered a few examples of executive clients who, upon reaching a stage of career success, began experiencing uncertainty as to the significance or meaning of their careers. “So people [referring to clients] have reached a certain level of success in their career and … they’re starting to relook at … ‘Is this really the way I want to continue with my life?’ … to rather do work that is more significant as opposed to successful? So that’s created some uncertainty for them…”

This point makes me think of one leader in my study, who was one of the most positive throughout his period of organisational uncertainty.

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He was older and more experienced than most of the other leaders, and had worked through many periods of organisational change which had helped to develop his optimistic perspective and personal resilience. Yet he did experience personal uncertainty about his imminent retirement – what was he going to do and who would he become when he retired? Again, this impending transition to retirement triggered uncertainty related to the need for personal meaning in his life. Anticipatory uncertainty The leaders experienced another type of personal uncertainty, referred to as anticipatory uncertainty, which was also observed by the executive coaches interviewed as being prevalent in their clients. Anticipatory uncertainty was intensely felt in the present about some possible future event or situation that could be a potential threat, such as job loss or the appointment of a new CEO, and the impact thereof. Organisational change research has found that individuals do experience more intense emotions when anticipating events which could be potential threats.51 The leaders’ anticipatory uncertainty therefore manifested mostly as worry or apprehension, even fear, in terms of anticipating, “If that happens, what then?” Some executives in the study anticipated the possibility of job loss and the financial impact: In the case of Kate, a newcomer to the company, she expressed her uncertainty as follows: “It was the biggest shock… The worrying component … what would happen to me if this whole thing went problematic? … I mean it’s a fear. If you think that in two days, or two months, you might not have a salary, it’s a fear”.

Kate was clearly shocked when she heard that a plan, intended to resolve the current business uncertainty in the company she had just joined, did not in fact materialise. She expressed the fear she felt at the time, related to the possibility of losing her job and the impact thereof.

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For another example, let’s revisit the case of the acquisition of SAB Miller by AB InBev. In the months prior to concluding the deal in October 2016, AB InBev made two important announcements: (1) There would be no South Africans included in the merged entity’s top executive team, and (2) The merged company’s name would be AB InBev. Consequently, these events increased the anticipatory uncertainty within SABMiller, expressed in the Financial Mail as “apprehension is stalking the corridors of the SA beer icon”.52 An extract from this article describes the experienced uncertainty. A month ago Ricardo Tadeu, the tall Brazilian tasked with leading the 125-year-old SA Breweries after its takeover by AB InBev, stood up in the brewer’s Sandton office to address jittery employees. As usual, Tadeu was dressed casually in jeans (he almost never wears a tie). But the atmosphere was tense and the volley of questions he faced was predictable. “Most people wanted to know whether they’d be losing their jobs,” says one person who was there. “They all knew AB InBev’s reputation for cutting costs so they wanted to know whether they had a future”. The fear was understandable.

In my study, the anticipatory uncertainty of leaders in relation to the appointment of a new CEO was particularly intense. Both companies in the study had acting CEOs for an extended period of time. The leaders’ uncertainty in anticipating the appointment of a new CEO was of a high intensity, which was reflected in the superlatives they used to describe it: “it was a big uncertainty”, “the most uncertain thing”, and “my biggest worry”. They were extremely worried about the impact of the new CEO on themselves and/or the company. One leader emphasised that this type of uncertainty is common at executive levels, because new CEOs often prefer to appoint their own teams:

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“At an executive level it is different … a new CEO can walk in and say “I want to pick my own team” … you ask yourself: “Oh my word, am I going to be part of that?” ….it adds to uncertainty and it happens all the time. For me personally, it was a big uncertainty”.

Similarly, the executive coaches interviewed also stressed that executives were dealing with more structural changes and turnover at the executive level, leading to increased personal uncertainty. A Booz Allen Hamilton survey reported that CEO rates of turnover were still substantially higher than they were during the 1990s and that “the pressure on performance remains as great as ever”.53 The high turnover is generally attributed to the spotlight placed on CEO performance and accountability, as a precautionary measure after the well-publicised unethical conduct of other CEOs in the past. This pressure to perform by CEOs therefore spills over to other executives, resulting in higher turnover, transitions, career unpredictability and personal uncertainty.54

Related to the above pressures in more senior executive roles, some leaders in my study experienced uncertainty when approached to apply for promotions to this level. They questioned the personal impact it could have, for example, James explained that he had been reluctant to apply for a promotion because he had anticipated imminent changes to the Board with a commensurate increase in politics. He expressed it as “do I really need to be part of this?… There are all these changes that are going to be happening … and is this the right decision to move into this space?” Likewise, in the case of Tony, his uncertainty related to anticipating the effects of a potential promotion on his work-life balance. Even though promotions tend to be thought of as being positive, they can foster uncertainty in relation to the demands of a more senior position and the impact of such demands.

What challenges are experienced in the leader role during organisational uncertainty? In addition to dealing with their own personal uncertainty, organisational uncertainty provides a variety of challenges for leaders. I was therefore

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interested in understanding specifically what challenges leaders experienced in their roles – and how these added to their felt uncertainty. In my study, these key challenges were experienced complexity, managing other people’s uncertainty and navigating corporate politics. These same leadership challenges were also highlighted as important by the executive coaches I interviewed. Experienced complexity A critical issue was the degree of complexity they faced in having to deal with burgeoning changes and variables. They expressed a sense of being overwhelmed with a lack of control: •

“You need to be not only aware of all these things but … also aware of the impact they could have… So it’s a – it’s a minefield”.

•

“The combination of these elements … it just became a nightmare…”

The above metaphors used – ‘a minefield’ and ‘a nightmare’ – conveyed their experience of powerlessness. Of relevance, Beautement and Broenner distinguished between contextual and experienced complexity.55 Contextual complexity relates to the number of variables, and changes in these, in one’s context, meaning it is objective – it is the complexity “out there”. Experienced complexity, on the other hand, is that which is subjectively experienced by people, implying that it is a personal, internal state of mind – a thinking-feeling state. The implication is that with increasing contextual complexity in these turbulent times, there is likely to be a growth of inner uncertainty felt by leaders. Leadership paradoxes also emerged as part of the executives’ experienced complexity. These paradoxes, or conflicting tensions, are inherent in contexts where leaders have to contend with increasing complexity.56 A well-known leadership philosopher and prolific writer, Charles Handy, highlighted in his book, The Age of Paradox, the importance of acknowledging and working with paradoxes: “We need a new way of thinking about our problems and our futures. If

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the contradictions and surprises of paradox are going to be part of those futures, we should not be dismayed. The acceptance of paradox as a feature of life is the first step towards living with it and managing it”.57 In the current times of increasing complexity, one can expect that leaders will experience ever more challenging paradoxes as the norm. More recently, the notion of paradox has been described by Leslie, Li and Zhao as follows:58 “We are using paradox as a general term to describe the tensions individuals face due to the coexistence of conflicting demands. Under conditions of VUCA, tensions that are ongoing and seemingly overwhelming can be difficult to understand, much less easy to address. These tensions show up in all facets of organizational life including leadership (control vs. empowerment), teamwork (task vs. relationships), strategy (competition vs. collaboration), structure (centralise vs. decentralise), and in the individual him or herself (work vs. home)”.

As suggested above, what added to the leaders’ experienced complexity was their frustration in trying to balance contradictory tensions in their specific situations. One leader, Nomsa, stressed the difficulty of managing the current business operations, while at the same time trying to implement a new business strategy involving expansion into Africa: “We are trying to catch up with all of those things [referring to learning about doing business in Africa], and in parallel to running the current operations we need to build and grow in Africa”. Leaders increasingly face these types of competing requirements – they need to simultaneously execute today’s priorities and find ways to adapt to thrive in the future.59 The executive coaches interviewed also highlighted the paradoxical nature of leadership and the tensions that their clients need to deal with in their roles. Two examples of paradoxes were:

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•

“…another level of uncertainty comes with the challenge of having, as the executive, to run the business, whilst at the same time taking care and making sure that the shareholder interests are also met”.

•

“So there is uncertainty, how do I get the best out of my people – and still hold them accountable? …that does seem to be a battle sometimes”.

Managing other people’s uncertainty Organisational change requires leaders to balance business and human priorities when they themselves are feeling uncertain. This is no easy feat – and if not achieved, can generate fear and erode trust within their teams – at a time when employee engagement is crucial for success. It is not surprising that the leaders in my study experienced managing other people’s uncertainty as a key leadership challenge during periods of uncertainty. One leader clearly articulated this challenge as: “…managing the request for information and managing the request for clarity … and asking me to give people some idea of what was going on – in the face of my own uncertainty”. These leaders frequently found it difficult to offer people definitive answers in the face of a barrage of questions, particularly when feeling so unsure themselves. •

“The company was … unsettled and it was somewhat difficult to answer the people’s questions … there were many questions”.

•

“It puts you as a leader … in a difficult situation because people will ask you questions you don’t always have the answers for”.

Most of the leaders did not want to foster uncertainty in others, knowing that people tend to observe their leaders’ emotional state to gauge what is going on.

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Chapter 1: Leaders’ experienced uncertainty

•

“The worst thing is – you’re showing this concerned expression in your face, the stress … and people, they’ll read very quickly into that…”

•

“The difficult part was you get questions … and you can’t share your own uncertainties, because you realise how detrimental that could be”.

The difficulty of managing other people’s uncertainty therefore weighed heavily on the leaders’ own misgivings about their leadership approach while they were wrestling with organisational issues and changes. Many leaders do believe they need to set aside their own apprehension or anxiety and communicate calmly and optimistically to others.60 Some even argue for leaders to maintain a facade of composure, as captured in the following extract from a Forbes article by Llopis:61 “Leaders set the tone for the organization they serve.  A positive attitude can neutralize chaos and allow a leader to course correct through any negativity.  Employees feed off the attitude of these leaders during times of uncertainty.    Keep a positive mental attitude and never stop moving forward.  Stay focused on building positive momentum for the betterment of the healthier whole… When leaders project confidence, they instil it in others.  During uncertain times, leaders must remain fearless and project a cool persona that communicates composure to those they lead”.

It is accepted that people do tend to look to their leaders for direction to reduce their own uneasiness – and that people certainly do observe and evaluate their leaders’ emotional reactions during organisational uncertainty.62 Yet there is a growing view that leaders need to be more authentic and show their vulnerability. Consider the case of Kim Getty, president of Deutsch LA, who responded to this question, “What was your biggest leadership lesson learned in the past year?” in Fortune magazine.63

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Living and Leading Through Uncertainty

“The last year has been one of intense learning and reflection. In January, I was promoted from COO to president of Deutsch LA in the midst of several other staffing changes amongst our executive team. The process is teaching me a lot about myself, and how to lead a team through a time of transition. Perhaps the most valuable insight I have gained through this experience is the importance of vulnerability. “There is a tendency for leaders, especially during times of change and upheaval, to want to be the defining picture of success and stability and appear as a flawless role model for their teams. We often receive this counsel. An advisor recently told me, “You need to have a golden glow of success around you”. But by doing this, leaders are robbing themselves (and their teams) of the opportunity for real connection. Think about the people you’re closest to, with whom you’ve had a chance to really connect and bond. Those individuals aren’t the closed-off perfectionists in your life. Rather, it’s the people who let their guards down around you, show you their flaws and let you get to know who they really are to whom you feel the highest sense of allegiance”.

This presents a key paradox for many leaders during organisational uncertainty – that is, how do they achieve a balance between maintaining composure and showing their vulnerability to establish and maintain real connection with their teams? Navigating corporate politics The subject of corporate politics is riddled with emotions and strong views. Many individuals have a distinct distaste for politics, while others are casualties of not understanding politics. And then there are those ‘politicians’ who are adept at politics in a negative sense, playing the game to advance themselves. Whatever one’s perspective, the fact is that corporate politics is a reality. Most leaders in my study found the navigation of corporate politics with key stakeholders to be a serious challenge. What stood out was their frustration – and the experience of conflict and tension associated with steering through the corporate political landscape – as captured below:

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Chapter 1: Leaders’ experienced uncertainty

•

“And you can fall out of favour so easily. So these are the pressures… It’s hugely frustrating”.

•

“Every time we talk about reallocating EXCO responsibilities, it breaks out into a big political uproar”.

•

“There’s a big war in boardrooms…”

These leaders therefore expressed a great deal of discomfort with the political situations they encountered, highlighting the negative effect that politics can have on trust among colleagues. The executive coaches also referred to “power plays” and “power issues” due to competitiveness between their clients and their clients’ colleagues, which similarly fostered mistrust and doubt. Specific reference was also made to the adverse impact of party politics within the public sector, in government departments and state-owned enterprises, where certain individuals are favoured for appointments to further the ruling party’s interests. While some of the leaders stated that they did not want to play politics, others acknowledged that political skill was difficult for them: •

“He [referring to a senior executive that he reported to] believed that I am connected politically with someone. So he didn’t trust me at all… I am not good at politics, I wouldn’t know how to play that game…”

•

“They [referring to her colleagues] won’t confront you … about anything. They would, for instance, want to undermine you through your subordinates … you know, that kind of thing… It’s politics. I don’t play politics. It’s a weakness of mine…”

The difficulty of finding their way through some unpleasant political scenarios, coupled with an aversion to politics, further exacerbated the leaders’ uncertainty in dealing with the organisational changes. Other research also confirms that ‘politics’ is perceived negatively by many leaders.64 In my own coaching practice, the subject of politics often emerges – with much frustration and distaste. One of my coaching clients comes to mind, who acknowledged that the level of

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Living and Leading Through Uncertainty

politics had increased in her context because she had been promoted to an executive level, and because there was an organisational restructuring initiative in progress at the time. She emphasised how she “hated politics”, and therefore wanted to explore how she might better navigate the political issues she was facing.

The inter-relationship between personal uncertainty and leadership challenges A key finding from the study was that the simultaneous presence of, and inter-relationship between, leaders’ personal uncertainty and their leadership challenges added significantly to the degree of overall uncertainty they experienced. Felt uncertainty Personal uncertainty • Identity uncertainty • Anticipatory uncertainty

+

Challenges in role of leader • Experienced complexity • Managing people’s uncertainty • Corporate politics

Figure 4: Inter-relationship between personal uncertainty and leadership challenges

An example of the above inter-relationship was that in many instances the personal uncertainty they felt adversely affected their belief in their identity as effective leaders, and hence their ability to deal with the leadership challenges they experienced. On the other hand, their perception of the degree of complexity they faced negatively impacted their personal sense of confidence and/or control, which increased and damaged their sense of leader identity. One executive coach clearly referred to this inter-relationship when talking about one of his clients, which he expressed as:

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Chapter 1: Leaders’ experienced uncertainty

“So living up to his commitments to the Board and team in spite of budget constraints and staff turnover, but feeling stressed and a sense of helplessness in terms of achieving this… He lost his internal compass … almost lost that sense of identity”.

This coach spoke about his client’s distress and lack of agency in being unable to meet his commitments, given the many challenges and constraints he was facing. This coach also perceived that his client’s sense of identity had diminished due to the burdensome levels of complexity in his context.

Key insights Leaders’ lived experience of uncertainty is one of flux, shifting between peaks and troughs of more and less intensity. The peaks are triggered by organisational change and transitions, and are exacerbated by any delays experienced in individuals’ contexts. Transitions are key triggers for leaders’ felt uncertainty, particularly for newcomers to organisations. Their uncertainty is an emotional state, reflected in a range of feelings from self-doubt, discomfort, apprehension, fear, frustration and feeling overwhelmed, to even feeling energised and more determined to succeed in some instances. Leaders’ experience two types of personal uncertainty: •

Identity uncertainty is rooted in questions about ‘Who am I?’ and ‘Who I am becoming?’ in a personal context of change and/or transition, resulting in self-doubt, perceptions of being in limbo or powerless, of frustration and/or a sense of exclusion. Identity uncertainty may also incorporate an existential dimension when uncertainty is related to a search for personal meaning. Thus identity uncertainty creates a devalued sense of personal, role and/or leader identity, accompanied by a decreased sense of confidence or control. Some newcomers may experience more intense identity uncertainty, because this can be exacerbated by a perception of not belonging. 29

Living and Leading Through Uncertainty

•

Anticipatory uncertainty is intensely experienced as worry or apprehension in the present about a possible future threat, and manifests in ‘If that happens, what will the impact be?’ Since this threat may or may not materialise, the element of unpredictability therefore adds to the strength of the feelings.

Three key challenges are faced in the leadership role during organisational uncertainty, adding to leaders’ felt uncertainty: •

Dealing with experienced complexity – which is evidenced when leaders feel overwhelmed and out of control when having to deal with an increased number of changes and variables in their contexts, including the frustration felt in managing paradoxes.

•

Managing other people’s uncertainty – which relates to the challenge of managing their people’s need for clarity in the face of their own experienced uncertainty, knowing that people observe their leader’s emotional state to gauge what is going on.

•

Navigating corporate politics – which engages feelings of discomfort and frustration (due to the adverse effect of politics on trust among colleagues), their own aversion to politics, and their own perceived lack of political skill.

Leaders’ experienced uncertainty is therefore a complex and dynamic emotional state, with several interrelated and overlapping types of uncertainty being felt in their organisational contexts. The overall result seems to be that felt uncertainty comes down to issues of identity (a sense of devalued identity) and a related decrease in confidence and/or sense of control. Having more insight into the vulnerable side of leaders’ experience of uncertainty, together with an understanding of what the leaders’ learned and how they developed through their experience, informs the notion of a capability of uncertainty, which is focused on in the next chapter. An appreciation of what such a capability is, and what it comprises, is crucial for informing leadership development interventions, including leadership or executive coaching.

30

Chapter Two

The notion of a capability for uncertainty in leaders

“But keep in mind: As the complexities of the business world continue to evolve, we can expect that the capabilities leaders need to drive success will continue to evolve as well”.65

What is a capability for uncertainty? Understanding what a capability for uncertainty means for leaders goes to the heart of this book. So what exactly is a ‘capability’? While capability is generally viewed as an individual’s innate potential in the future66, with cognitive complexity being stressed as a key indicator of such potential67, the meaning of individual capability used in this book is different. While many organisations focus on competencies (referring to the skills, knowledge and attitudes required for performing effectively in specific roles), this concept of competencies is more static and onedimensional. Importantly, we need to focus on what leaders need to be effective when they find themselves in a changing, dynamic and more complex context, so typical in these times of VUCA. My notion of capability addresses this. It is informed by an education and training perspective that emerged in the United Kingdom during the mid-1980s as a response to the increasing degree of change and uncertainty in the world and the workplace. Capable people, from this perspective, are viewed as those who know how to learn in a self-directed way, have a high degree of self-efficacy, work well with others, and can apply competencies in unfamiliar situations .68 Capability is therefore an “holistic attribute” or “all-round capacity” that enables people to deal with the changing and uncertain environment in which they live or work.69

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Living and Leading Through Uncertainty

When considering their role during organisational change, the leader personally experiences uncertainty – and leads others through uncertainty in their organisational context. These aspects therefore need to be captured in how leaders’ capability for uncertainty is defined. Leaders’ capability for uncertainty is the ability to engage with uncertainty in their organisational context and leading others, while simultaneously managing their own experienced uncertainty.

How is capability developed? Capability depends on having the confidence to both apply and further develop one’s competencies in changing, uncertain and complex situations. It therefore makes sense that adaptability and learning are essential to individual capability, which has been established by some research to date.70 Consequently, developing individual capability requires different learning experiences, with an emphasis on learning through and from experience.71 Capability thus seems to develop through the interaction of individuals with their context – and is more about ‘becoming’ through experience over time.72 One concept, adaptive capacity, seems to be aligned with the notion of a capability for uncertainty and how it develops through different experiences over time. Adaptive capacity, coined by Bennis and Thomas, was found in their research to be most critical for effective leaders.73

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Chapter 2: The notion of a capability for uncertainty in leaders

Adaptive capacity is “an ability to transcend adversity, with all its attendant stresses, and to emerge stronger than before”. It comprises two key qualities: •

The ability to grasp context implies being able to read and interpret the context or situation.

•

Hardiness encapsulates the resilience, perseverance and optimism to persist and emerge stronger from adversity.

Adaptive capacity develops through being able to learn and grow from ‘crucibles of experience’, which are unplanned, transformative experiences whereby individuals gain “a new or altered sense of identity”.74 Because crucibles are ‘unplanned’ experiences, my view is that uncertainty would be a major element of these. While these crucibles tend to range from organisational crises to episodes of self-doubt, even the experience of prejudice, they may also be positive, yet challenging, experiences.

In support of the ‘crucibles of experience’ above, there is strong agreement in the leadership development field that experience is a major source of leader development.75 The intent of my research was to understand specifically what components potentially encompass an holistic capability for uncertainty, through exploring what was developed and learned through leaders’ experience of living with and leading through episodes of uncertainty. The question leaders were asked was: ‘When you reflect back on the experience of uncertainty that you have been through … what did you learn and how did you develop from your experience – both personally and as a leader?’

What capability for uncertainty do leaders develop through lived uncertainty? The overarching finding was that all the leaders in my study developed their capability for uncertainty, to a greater or lesser extent, which

33

Living and Leading Through Uncertainty

in turn would help them with future experiences of uncertainty – both at a personal level and in their leadership roles. A capability for uncertainty seems to develop through attitudes adopted and actions taken when living through and working amidst uncertainty. This enhanced capability for uncertainty then informs a leader’s approach to the next experience of uncertainty, as illustrated in Figure 5 below. To accelerate their development, it is important for leaders to

Ca

pa

bi

lit

yf

or un ce

rta

in ty

intentionally focus on developing their capability for uncertainty.

Uncertainty

Uncertainty

Figure 5: Developing capability for uncertainty through experience over time

One leader, Thabo, clearly articulated the above principle in speaking about his personal growth through riding a tide of uncertainty, and how this would equip him in the future. “So in this period – you can actually tabulate that I did this, I did that, so it actually grows your portfolio… Your ability to have ridden the tide of uncertainty promotes you to the next challenge. So, I would say … it was actually a growth period”.

My study revealed the ways in which leaders learned from their experience of uncertainty and how they developed their capability for uncertainty, as captured in Figure 6.

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Chapter 2: The notion of a capability for uncertainty in leaders

1. Development of mental frames Self-view: • Positive identity • Resilience and optimism Worldview: • Acceptance of uncertainty View of others:

2. Effective sense-making

• Factors promoting effective sense-making: time, calm and reflection • Conversations for sense-making and/or support

3. Leadership during uncertainty

• Leadership through engaging others • Focus and adaptability • Communication principles • Political skill

Figure 6: Capability for uncertainty developed through leaders’ experience of uncertainty

The development of their mental frames Mental frames are the beliefs, values, thinking patterns and perspectives that leaders have about themselves (their self-view) and others, how they relate to and interact with other people (their view of others), and about the workings of the world and/or life (their worldview). All the leaders in my study experienced aspects of personal growth through their lived experience of uncertainty, resulting in the development or updating of their mental frames, which were indicative of an increased capability for uncertainty. •

Their view of themselves developed through becoming more positive about who they were as leaders and through becoming more resilient and optimistic. Their worldview developed through learning to accept and make peace with uncertainty in their contexts.

•

Their view of others developed through making sense with others of their uncertain situations and adopting leadership approaches

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Living and Leading Through Uncertainty

in engaging relevant people and stakeholders (as depicted by the dashed arrows in Figure 6 above). Effective sense-making The leaders in my study spoke about learning from what had either hindered or enabled them to make sense out of what was going on during episodes of uncertainty, including their own experience of that uncertainty. This learning translated into an appreciation of crucial factors for effective sense-making. •

They realised the need for allowing more time to make sense of what was going on, rather than making quick decisions or rushing into action.

•

They acknowledged the necessity for calm when making sense of and reflecting on their experienced uncertainty.

•

They appreciated the importance and value of having conversations with relevant people to garner different perspectives and also to have conversations with trusted individuals for emotional support.

Adoption of relevant leadership practices during uncertainty All the leaders had views on which leadership practices or approaches were of value to them when leading during the period of uncertainty in their organisations. The key findings were: •

The importance of engaging others and the need for focus (purpose, priorities and plans), coupled with adaptability.

•

The acknowledgement of the importance of adhering to certain principles in how they communicated with people during uncertainty, for example, being honest and realistically optimistic to engender hope, but not creating an impression of certainty when not in a position to do so.

•

The emphasis on the value of developing and using political skill positively.

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Chapter 2: The notion of a capability for uncertainty in leaders

The components of a capability for uncertainty Building on the above findings relating to the leaders’ lived experience of uncertainty, I also asked executive coaches to give their view on indicators of a capability for uncertainty in executive leaders. What the coaches perceived as key indicators were an openness to different perspectives, a sense of positive identity, an acceptance of uncertainty, and a learning orientation. My integrative analysis of: (1) key components of leaders’ capability for uncertainty identified in the literature; (2) the components developed through the leaders’ lived experience of uncertainty; and (3) the indicators of a capability for uncertainty as viewed by the executive coaches, resulted in identifying the following crucial components of leaders’ capability for uncertainty.

Relevant leadership practices during organisational uncertainty Effective Sense-making Acceptance of Uncertainty

Positive Leader Identity Learning Agility

Figure 7: Crucial components of leaders’ capability for uncertainty

The above components are crucial mind-sets and competencies which combine into an holistic, multi-faceted capability for uncertainty. As illustrated, these components are inter-linked and do not develop in a sequential order. All of them are crucial, and may be developed simultaneously when living and leading through an episode of

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Living and Leading Through Uncertainty

organisational uncertainty. Acceptance of uncertainty and learning agility are at the core, because these underpin the effectiveness of sense-making and development of a positive leader identity, which in turn facilitate the adoption of relevant leadership practices. Each of these components is described briefly in the table below. Table 1: Crucial components of a holistic capability for uncertainty

Crucial component

Description of component

An acceptance of uncertainty

•

A mind-set or orientation that accepts uncertainty, based on an appreciation of the pervasiveness and flux of uncertainty in life.

Learning agility

•

The willingness and ability to learn from the experience of uncertainty, and to apply this learning to future experiences. Making time for and conducting in-depth reflection, which then challenges one’s own existing assumptions and thinking patterns.

•

Effective sense-making

•

Generating plausible interpretations of one’s experienced uncertainty and context, which then drives one to act.

A sense of positive leader identity

•

Self-development of the leader role associated with favourable outcomes such as increased self-confidence and leader reputation.

Relevant leadership practices during organisational uncertainty

•

Dealing with experienced complexity through leadership which engages others, and having focus (coupled with adaptability). Leading people during organisational uncertainty through change leadership and credible communication. Influencing key stakeholders through political savvy.

•

•

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Chapter 2: The notion of a capability for uncertainty in leaders

Chapter summary •

A capability for uncertainty refers to leaders’ ability to engage with uncertainty in their organisational context and to lead others, while simultaneously managing their own experience of uncertainty.

•

Leaders’ capability for uncertainty is developed through the lived experience of uncertainty. This aligns with the consensus that leadership development mostly occurs through experience76; therefore it can be intentionally enhanced.

•

A holistic capability for uncertainty comprises five crucial components: (1) an acceptance of uncertainty; (2) learning agility; (3) effective sense-making; (4) a sense of positive leader identity; and (5) adopting relevant leadership practices during organisational uncertainty.

•

Importantly, leaders need to focus intentionally on these different components to accelerate the development of their capability for uncertainty. In the next section of this book, guidelines are given to leaders for developing each of the five components of a capability for uncertainty.

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Living and Leading Through Uncertainty

Self-reflection exercise for leaders Looking at what constitutes a holistic capability for uncertainty: •

An acceptance of uncertainty.

•

Learning agility.

•

Effective sense-making.

•

A sense of positive leader identity.

•

Adopting relevant leadership practices during organisational uncertainty.

Which of the components of a capability for uncertainty are your relative strengths, and which do you need to develop more intentionally? It might be helpful to read through the descriptions of each component in Table 1 in this chapter. Based on your reflections, you can select the relevant chapters in the next part of this book which suggest guidelines for developing each component.

40

PART B HOW LEADERS CAN DEVELOP THEIR CAPABILITY FOR UNCERTAINTY

Part B incorporates five chapters, with each one addressing a key component of a capability of uncertainty, as follows: •

Chapter Three: An acceptance of uncertainty

•

Chapter Four: Learning agility

•

Chapter Five: Effective sense-making

•

Chapter Six: A sense of positive leader identity

•

Chapter Seven: Relevant leadership practices during organisational uncertainty

In each chapter, a brief overview of every component is given to contextualise the meaning of the key concepts and the processes related to them. This is followed by guidelines directed at leaders who wish to develop that component, so that over time they can accelerate the development of their overall capability for uncertainty through intention and experience. Relevant findings from my study and real case scenarios are also included in these chapters. There is no particular sequence in developing these components, as they combine and overlap. I chose to start with an acceptance of uncertainty, followed by learning agility, because these are key mind-sets which inform the effectiveness of sense-making and creating a positive leader identity, which in turn enable the adoption of relevant leadership practices during organisational uncertainty.

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Living and Leading Through Uncertainty

If you are a leader wanting to accelerate the development of your own capability for uncertainty, you need to deliberately focus on your self-development as suggested in these guidelines, particularly when going through experiences of change and uncertainty in your organisation. These guidelines are not recipes, but rather ideas to try out and experiment with. Several sets of self-reflection questions are included to prompt you to consider changes or actions in your context of uncertainty. If you have an opportunity to work with an executive or leadership coach while living and leading through an episode of change or a personal transition, I suggest that you also include some components of a capability for uncertainty in the outcomes you would like to achieve from the coaching process. When focusing on enhancing your own capability for uncertainty, also reflect on how you can foster the development of this capability in your individual team members and within the team, as a community, when working together.

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Chapter 3: An acceptance of uncertainty

Chapter Three

An acceptance of uncertainty

“Uncertainty is an uncomfortable position, but certainty is an absurd one”.77

Overview An acceptance of uncertainty is a mind-set or orientation that accepts uncertainty, based on an appreciation of the pervasiveness and flux of uncertainty in life.

An announcement is made in your company about a change, which triggers feelings of uncertainty within you. Your appraisal of this uncertainty is influenced by your own orientation towards uncertainty78, that is, your intolerance or acceptance of uncertainty.79 Individuals who are intolerant of uncertainty tend to adopt more rigid black-or-white thinking, often ignoring the grey areas that occur in reality, and they move quickly to make decisions or take action rather than maintaining an openness or curiosity to exploring, which is more typical of those who are accepting of uncertainty.80 Our orientation to uncertainty is viewed by many as being a fixed personality trait that does not change, yet research has indicated that our orientation towards being more accepting of uncertainty can be developed through experience and over time.81 How individuals respond to uncertainty We need to remember that as individuals we vary in the way we respond to uncertainty. While many of us may be uncomfortable with uncertainty in a particular situation, some individuals will instead accept and even embrace it. Generally we are motivated to want to reduce threat (or avoid pain) and optimise reward (to increase pleasure or gain a new opportunity).82 The need for certainty is

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Living and Leading Through Uncertainty

a common personal need.83 Given this, it is not surprising that the experience of uncertainty will activate our brain’s alarm system of perceived threat or reward, as illustrated below.

Motivation triggered

Appraisal of source of uncertainty

Emotional response

Threat

Negative emotion

Motivated to avoid or reduce the uncertainty

Positive emotion

Motivated to engage with the uncertainty

OR Reward

Figure 8: The appraisal of uncertainty and emotional responses

What happens is that we appraise and re-appraise uncertain situations in our environment, which leads to different emotional responses. These can shift over time. For example, you may initially perceive uncertainty as a threat, creating feelings of discomfort, so that you want to reduce or eliminate that uncertainty. Then, as time passes and events unfold, you begin to shift to a place where the feelings are more comfortable and you recognise that uncertainty is simply part of life. This is exactly what happened for the leaders in my study. They realised that the uncertainty could not be wished away, it could not be controlled, and it could not be eliminated in the contexts in which they found themselves. In doing so, these leaders shifted their mind-set towards acceptance of the inevitable presence and flux of uncertainty in work and life. Tracy Wolstencroft, CEO of global executive-search firm Heidrick & Struggles, describes the implications of the changing world for the art of leadership:84

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Chapter 3: An acceptance of uncertainty

“Someone said, I can’t remember who, that comfort and change never coexist peacefully. So I think as you go out 10 or 15 years, and as we get into this environment where it’s not just a VUCA world but a VUCAsquared or a VUCA-cubed world, you almost have to get comfortable being uncomfortable. You have to recognize that an uncomfortable state is OK because it typically means that you’re growing, you’re learning…”

Acceptance of uncertainty is therefore a ‘threshold mind-set’ enabling you to cope and even engage with the challenges it brings, and indeed, to perceive and focus on opportunities which may be harnessed or exploited.85 Consider the case of Brian, one of the more experienced leaders in my study: “I think what prepares me for this kind of thing is I’ve been in transition over many years going back … and you actually learn how to operate … even in a period when there was a hiatus (referring to a prolonged period of uncertainty in his company)… “So my view is – there are always opportunities in uncertainty. My approach is to be part of the change”.

The dynamic nature of managing uncertainty With uncertainty being a dynamic phenomenon you will probably use a variety of management approaches over time and as events unfold. •

When you perceive a threat with uncomfortable feelings of uncertainty (fear or self-doubt), you may decide to withdraw or you may adopt approaches to reduce the discomfort, for example, making a quick decision or rushing into action to find a solution.

•

However, if you cannot control or reduce it, your focus will tend to shift towards being able to live through the uncertainty; to cope and persevere.

•

Or, you may take a more positive view and find or renew personal goals or meaning in your circumstances.

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Living and Leading Through Uncertainty

Having a mind-set of acceptance of uncertainty as being pervasive in work and life, and, importantly, as having the potential to stimulate your personal growth, will enhance your ability to engage with and benefit from uncertainty.

How to foster an orientation towards acceptance of uncertainty Some guidelines and ideas are shared here to help you to accept uncertainty in your work context and life. Normalise the flux of uncertainty A useful exercise is to reflect on your life and your career; to identify those times you experienced change or transition. •

Thinking back, what uncertainty did you feel at the onset of those changes or transitions?

•

Consider if, and how, your experienced uncertainty changed over time for each of these. With hindsight, observe how you developed through these times of change or transition or different chapters of your life. Think about and acknowledge the ways in which you grew personally and in your career.

•

Now step back in your mind – what do you realise about uncertainty and your experience of it?

The purpose of this exercise is to help you to personally recognise the inevitable flux of uncertainty in work and life, which in turn creates discomfort for you. You realise the intensity will strengthen at times, and then recede at times. The more you acknowledge this pattern, the more you can accept this ebb and flow as part of the natural rhythm of life – and that you are indeed able to process it, move through it and even grow from it. Appreciating that you have grown through uncertainty in the past can help you to view it in the future as an opportunity for personal development.

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Chapter 3: An acceptance of uncertainty

Challenge and reframe your need for certainty We often hear the maxim that ‘the only thing certain in life is uncertainty’, yet how many of us really appreciate what this means in reality? Many of us crave certainty. We want to know what is happening and what is going to happen, because we do not enjoy feeling uncomfortable or doubting ourselves. So we end up chasing certainty, even though it is generally a futile exercise. You need to remember that certain worrying, which is a form of planning and problem-solving, is constructive. Also, some self-doubt is essential because it energises you and motivates you to focus and stretch yourself in new or different ways; to move out of your comfort zone. The importance of having healthy levels of doubt was emphasised recently in The CEO Report, resulting from a research study involving more than 150 CEOs around the globe, which explored how they developed the competence to lead in a changing world. Key findings on CEOs’ doubt are highlighted in extracts from The CEO Report:86 “Doubts are to CEOs what nerves are to elite athletes: a source of focus and insight when harnessed constructively, a threat to peak performance when not. This was the spirit in which many of the CEOs approached the issue. Reimagining doubt in this way allows leaders to sharpen their ripple intelligence, enhance their ability to make decisions, and mitigate business and decision making risks in times of complexity and uncertainty. Clearly, doubt is a capability to be cultivated rather than a weakness to be cured. “Comfort, however, is not just about knowing, but also about feeling. Asked how they feel before making high-stakes decisions under uncertainty, CEOs responded with the full palette of emotions, from “anxiety” to “excitement”. CEOs naturally articulated the “knowing” aspect of doubt, while the “feeling” piece often lingered subconsciously. However, acknowledging doubt as both a feeling and an information issue helps distinguish constructive doubt from disruptive second-guessing. It is in this sense that moderate anxiety can be leveraged as “a heightened sense of adrenaline,” as another CEO put it, like an athlete’s pre-game nerves. Beyond that, however, it is likely to be disruptive”.

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Living and Leading Through Uncertainty

Acknowledging uncertainty or doubt, and even cultivating it resourcefully, is therefore important for you as a leader. However, if .

uncertainty fosters excessive worry or unproductive second-guessing for you, you may conclude that you have a strong need for certainty. Perhaps you are being too perfectionistic? Perhaps you are seeking more than enough information to plan or make decisions? Perhaps you need to always feel in control? This type of thinking will most likely be disruptive to yourself and others around you. If this is the case for you, then you might find it useful to reflect on the following questions to challenge your beliefs – and to reframe them to serve you more effectively: What are you gaining from believing you need certainty or to be in control? •

What does it give you? What purpose does it serve? How has your need for certainty or control served you and significant others around you in your work context?

What is this belief costing you? •

What are the consequences of your belief – to you and others that you interact with? What could you lose if you continue to hold on to this belief?

What could you gain if you let go of believing you need certainty or control? •

What is it you do not have to do as long as you have this belief? What personal opportunity do you avoid by holding on to this belief?

Given the constant change and uncertainty we face in all spheres of life, how plausible or accurate is your belief that you require certainty or control? Now, are you ready to let go of this belief, to move it into your archive of old beliefs? If so, then what realistic, empowering belief could you replace it with?

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Chapter 3: An acceptance of uncertainty

•

How could you reframe your belief that you require certainty or control in a way that it would serve you better today and into your future – and be more empowering to yourself and those you interact with? (For example: “I realise that uncertainty is not ideal, but it is a reality of life and the business world and I need to learn to accept it and live with it”. This type of reframed belief is more realistic and acknowledges that you are entering into a process of changing your mind-set and response to uncertainty.)

The above exercise is a good start, however it will take time to make this change stick. You need to consciously set your intention to change and work at this over time, while being gentle with yourself when you catch yourself slipping. Here are some ideas to assist you in achieving sustainable change: •

Remember that some worrying or doubt can be about problemsolving and is constructive, but when you are worrying excessively to assuage your need for certainty, then consciously choose your reframed belief – that is, to accept uncertainty and allow yourself to let go of your worrying.

•

Then, since worry is a projection into the future, actively change gears in your mind to shift your attention to the present (for example, an activity that you are doing). If the worrying resurfaces, just observe this (non-judgementally), let it go again, and come back to the present once more. You will need to practise this over a period of time to make a sustainable change. To help you, consider adopting mindfulness practices, briefly discussed next.

Practise mindfulness – being in the present What exactly is mindfulness? One of the most often cited definitions is that of Jon Kabat-Zinn, a medical professor and practising Buddhist: “Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgementally”.87 This definition emphasises being in the present and not focusing on the

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future – on what is or is not going to happen next. The purpose of mindfulness is to observe yourself and your thoughts and feelings in the present, without any judgement – just to notice with curiosity what thoughts and feelings come and go. Doing this helps you to realise your thoughts are merely thoughts. You can then build the ability to distance yourself from certain thoughts – to let them go – and focus on choosing new thoughts and behaviours. This may assist you to prevent excessive worrying and open you up to accepting uncertainty. The benefits of mindfulness have been researched, highlighting positive results such as decreased stress, improved focus, increased clarity in thinking and improved emotional regulation. Several companies have implemented mindfulness training for their leaders and employees (for example Google, Goldman Sachs, Intel and General Mills), and have experienced positive results of doing so.88 Consider Arianna Huffington’s views on mindfulness (the co-founder and past chair, president and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post): Huffington has been vocal about the virtues of her personal mindfulness practice. In her book, Thrive, she gives suggestions for thriving in times of increasing pressure and stress, with a strong emphasis on mindfulness: “Every element of well-being is enhanced by the practice of meditation… Through mindfulness, I found a practice that helped bring me fully present and in the moment, even in the most hectic of circumstances”.89  Of note, what motivated Huffington to pursue mindfulness practice and other changes to her lifestyle was reaching a point of exhaustion, when she found herself collapsing and literally falling onto the floor, injuring herself.

To initiate mindfulness, commit to a daily meditative practice, starting with a simple exercise for about two minutes, gradually increasing this over time to at least ten minutes.90 The ideal is to reach twenty minutes. One of the exercises recommended is to focus on your breathing – not consciously breathing in and out deeply, but simply observing your normal breathing. Notice when you breathe in how the breath enters your nostrils and fills your lungs, and then observe

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how it leaves when you breathe out. When other thoughts enter your mind, just notice them and then re-focus on your breathing. To evolve your mindfulness practice, there are many self-help books available. There also different apps on the internet with practices, one of them being Headspace (www.headspace.com), which offers a free trial. Also explore websites offering longer-term mindfulness training programmes in your vicinity to help you to inculcate mindfulness practices into your daily life. Be grounded in your personal values and purpose Consciously become aware of or re-visit your personal values and personal purpose. These can be your moral compass when experiencing uncertainty, because your values “transcend situations” and can be used as your personal criteria to make choices and decisions.91 Your moral compass, as well as the associated sense of being grounded, has the potential to assist you to accept uncertainty, because you know you have these as internal resources to guide you. In my study, what challenged the leadership in one company were their frustrations with the Board, the different stakeholders and the protracted process of resolution of the financial debt situation, which was severely compromising the company. A few leaders who had more experience and were more senior in the executive committee showed courageous leadership in expressing their views and representing the company’s interests to the Board. One leader spoke about how he continually asked himself what he should be doing in his position as a senior leader. He emphasised how important it was to him to be able to adopt a leadership approach during the uncertainty that aligned with his values.

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“I tried to be courageous, tried to do the right thing … and always really very clearly stated management’s position and – and my position in terms of representing management. What I don’t support is not being true to my set of values ... if something is not right … I’m not going to pretend … for the sake of my career. “And that is how I make the really tough decisions. It makes the tough decisions easier for me because I always fall back on my core values if I have to make a tough decision. I think that has been reinforced through this period of change, that when you’re really, really confronted with a difficult choice, I think you’ve got to ask yourself on what basis – and test the choice you’re making against your core values”.

Let us return to Arianna Huffington for another example illustrating the use of one’s moral compass when experiencing uncertainty. She became so passionate about the principles she set out in Thrive that she took a decision to commence a new business, Thrive Global, to focus on this. At the time she chose to remain in her role at the Huffington Post and to start this business up in parallel. As this new business took shape and grew, just consider her personal uncertainty in terms of what she should now do given her past experience of overdoing it. Her personal principles and purpose guided her choice, culminating in her resignation from the Huffington Post in 2016. This is what Arianna Huffington had to say at the time:92 “When I decided to create Thrive Global, I thought it would be possible to build a start-up and continue as editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post. Today, it’s clear that was an illusion. “As Thrive Global moved from an idea to a reality, with investors, staff, and offices, it became clear to me that I simply couldn’t do justice to both companies... Running both companies would have involved working around the clock, which would be a betrayal of the very principles of Thrive I’ve been writing and speaking about”. In a memo to staff, she explained her choice in saying that she had “become more and more passionate – okay, obsessed – with burnout and stress and how we can reduce their impact on our lives”.

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Reflect on these questions: •

What is really important to you? What values do you choose to live by – personally and as a leader? (Sometimes what helps to clarify your values is thinking about what you do not respect in others, as what is important for you will be the opposite.)

•

What is your sense of purpose that gives you meaning – personally and as a leader?

Having a sense of your values and purpose will help you feel grounded and enable you to be more accepting of uncertainty; knowing that you can use these as your moral compass to assist you in making crucial decisions or choices. One executive coach summed this up in talking about a metaphor he uses when working with his clients: “If one can coach people to understand that ‘I’m at the helm of my life, I’ve got the compass here that guides me, then I can set the sails, I can change the rudder – even if the winds blow me in uncertain directions’”. I want to conclude this chapter with the story of Frank Magwegwe, who went from being homeless to a CEO for Momentum’s middle-market segment. Homelessness is a global phenomenon, yet how many of us really appreciate the experience of homelessness – the felt uncertainty and groundlessness? Homelessness is truly living with uncertainty, and Magwegwe reveals how he lived and learned through his own experience.93 94 After matriculating, Magwegwe had a strong desire to study further but the reality of his financial situation put paid to his dreams. After trying orange-picking for a while, he managed to get a job as a bartender at Kirkwood Hotel’s blacks-only bar, but was fired a few months later because of drinking on the job. He admits this quite openly and takes responsibility for his mistake. It was at this point that Magwegwe knew he was going to have to move to Johannesburg. All he had at the time was the address of a family member who lived in the city. He’d never been there, but was willing to take the plunge. The only problem, once again, was that he didn’t have money to get there; he had enough to take the train as far as Bloemfontein only.

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It was in Bloemfontein that he first experienced life as a homeless man. “From the beginning of October 1992 to the end of November, the Bloemfontein main train station was my home,” he says. “The base was where I slept and the public bathroom was where I’d freshen up every day before looking for work”. He eventually found work and was able to raise enough money to move to Johannesburg. He made it to his relative’s place, but was told he could stay for only six weeks because she was struggling financially. After the six weeks, he had no choice but to live on the streets again – but this time, for seven months. “The biggest challenge with being homeless isn’t the homelessness itself, but rather the daily struggle between hope and despair”.  Magwegwe explains: “If you fall into despair, you can’t escape homelessness because you accept that as your lot in life. I had to constantly remind myself that I got myself into this situation and I must get myself out of it”. One day, a woman who often saw Magwegwe in the street stopped him to find out more about him. He broke down. Since he’d been living on the streets, nobody had ever cared enough to ask him his story. The woman had a vegetable stand and told him he could help her with carrying vegetables to and from her home, in exchange for vegetables and some money, at times. After some time, he had an epiphany – realising that all the woman did was sell vegetables, yet she had a place to stay, food to eat and she could give him money too. He decided, with just R50 in his pocket, that he was also going to sell fruit and vegetables. And because all the other vendors sold packs containing the same vegetable, he decided the packs he’d sell would have a variety of produce. “My business did so well, so quickly,” he says. “Within a month, I was off the streets and had employed one person. Fast-forward another six weeks or so, and I’d employed another person. I also had another stand that I was selling from – simply from selling mixed veggies and mixed fruit”. While life was a bit more bearable, Magwegwe knew this wasn’t his purpose and that he’d come to Jo’burg for something much bigger. He decided to stop selling fruit and vegetables, leaving his employees to continue the business so he’d have time to go to the Johannesburg City Library every day and just read. After two weeks of doing that, Frank Magwegwe met what he calls his “second good Samaritan”. A woman asked him about his story, which he then related to her, also mentioning his dream to study further. She advised him on where to apply to study and where to go to apply for a bursary. “I did exactly that and I was accepted to study actuarial sciences at Wits with a scholarship,” he says. This was the turning point in his life and career.

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Looking back, Magwegwe says: “I beat the odds and escaped homelessness. I use the term ‘beat the odds’ because there are many out there who will not beat the odds of being homeless. Some of the people who were living in Park Station when I was there are still there today”.

Frank Magwegwe’s story demonstrates that he developed his capability for uncertainty through his experiences of homelessness – periods of intense uncertainty. He did this by being able to persevere through times of hopelessness and despair because his purpose was to ‘beat the odds’, and to ultimately achieve a better life and career path for himself. His sense of purpose helped him to engage with uncertainty, and find pragmatic opportunities for surviving and finding a way of living off the streets. A golden thread running through his story is his self-directed learning – his willingness and ability to experiment and learn. This amounts to him having learning agility, a crucial component of a capability for uncertainty, which we will focus on in the next chapter.

A final reflection: How can you help to foster an acceptance of uncertainty within your team members and when working together as a team?

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Chapter Four

Learning agility

“Learning agility is a key to unlocking our adaptation proficiency.”95

Overview Learning agility is: •

the willingness and ability to learn from the experience of uncertainty, and to apply this learning to future experiences; and

•

making time for and conducting in-depth reflection, which then challenges one’s own existing assumptions and thinking patterns.

Learning agility is essential for adaptation, which goes to the heart of leaders’ capability for uncertainty. Research by the Centre for Creative Leadership (CCL) found that leaders who do not let go of entrenched thinking patterns or behaviour in changing situations tend to derail.96 These leaders are not open to learning new ways of thinking and doing. Successful leaders, on the other hand, continue to learn and develop on the job; they are able to give up skills and perspectives that are no longer relevant and learn new ones that are, which is the essence of learning agility. Marshall Goldsmith, author of various leadership books, is well known for advising executives that “What got you here won’t get you there”.97 In my study, one leader described his learning orientation: “I mean there are many sources of learning in leadership. And, I constantly learn. I’m constantly asking myself questions. That’s the thing about me, I learn all the time – and I watch people”. His description depicts a mind-set of learning agility. He has a self-directed learning approach; a deliberate intention to learn through experience and from many sources, fostered by an attitude of curiosity.

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Learning from experience Leaders who adopt this self-directed approach to their learning and development will benefit from a variety of experiences that expand their understanding and abilities. As a leader, consider the following questions: If you have been through a recent experience of uncertainty – due to organisational changes, or a personal transition into a different role or a new company – what did you learn from this experience? How did you, or will you, apply your learning to future experiences of uncertainty, both personally and as a leader? The above questions take me back to the leaders in my study – to their discoveries. Overall, they each gained wisdom and new proficiencies from their experiences of uncertainty, to a greater or lesser extent. For example, one leader emphasised how the growth from her experience actually prepared her for the next challenge or episode of uncertainty. Most leaders spoke about the value of the research interview with me as an opportunity for them to reflect on the totality of their experience, to distil their learning and to re-focus on their personal and leadership intentions going forward. It was interesting that most had not really consciously reflected until then on their whole experience, mainly due to the perception of a lack of time in their pressurised roles. They also raised the difficulty of independent in-depth reflection, expressed by one leader as: “It’s not that easy to ask yourself questions and have a conversation with yourself”. So how exactly do we learn from experience? Three factors are important:98 •

The first is how we approach and frame the experience we are in, or are entering into. Importantly, we need to consciously elevate this experience to a learning opportunity.

•

The second factor requires us to deliberately experiment and seek feedback on our progress.

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•

The third factor is to purposefully reflect on our experience to extract and apply our learning going forward.

Developing your learning agility An area of self-development often focused on by leaders in my coaching practice has been, “How do I get more ideas and strategies from my team on the table?” This requirement is most relevant during times of organisational change or for fostering the growth of a business in turbulent times. In some instances, when probing deeper during coaching conversations and combined with feedback from team members, a pattern emerges. This pattern reveals the leader as control-oriented, too focused on the details, and unable to listen to others’ ideas with an open mind. So, while wanting the team to generate ideas and experiment with new strategies, the leader’s behaviour is actively discouraging these very initiatives. This example illustrates the knock-on effect of those leaders who fall short in terms of learning agility, and who do not set the tone for enabling it to flourish in others. As a leader, learning agility is crucial – not only for yourself, but also to encourage in your own team. Given the pressures you will experience, do not assume that you will automatically develop your learning agility simply through experience. Remember, having experiences does not guarantee you learning from them. Learning agility is a conscious process. It is definitely a key determinant of your future success, and it is a critical component of both developing your own capability for uncertainty, as well as stimulating the same within your team. Here are some ideas and guidelines to get you focused on enhancing your learning agility. Framing uncertainty as a learning opportunity In the previous chapter, I argued that the acceptance of uncertainty is a threshold mind-set for developing leaders’ capability for uncertainty. Having an acceptance of uncertainty in work and life will help you to frame change and the associated uncertainty as presenting a

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possibility for additional learning. You can also view the episode of uncertainty you are in or will be entering into as having the potential to augment your own capability for uncertainty. By doing this, you will set your intention to learn your way through and from the experience. To help you, consider creating a specific learning goal or two that will shape your focus during the episode of uncertainty. Here is an example. One of my clients, who is British and works for a Swiss multi-national company, had been based in South Africa for just over a year. He shared with me that, while he had undertaken several assignments across different countries, his key concern is getting to grips with the culture of the country, the company and the employees. He therefore flags this as a priority learning goal for himself. Aligned with this, I found research that emphasises crosscultural learning for global executives:99 Organisations increasingly use cross-cultural assignments as leadership development experiences to prepare leaders for the challenges and opportunities associated with global work, yet many leaders are not successful in the global arena. This research therefore explored factors leading to the derailment of global executives working in foreign cultures. Many of the executives failed for seemingly different reasons, for example, some executives were too detail-oriented and tactical, while others were too visionary and strategic. Some failed because they were too brash, while others failed because they were too unassuming. Yet, a key finding was that perceived strengths in one culture could become flaws or barriers in another (for example, a high level of self-confidence was perceived as arrogance, decisiveness was perceived as not listening to others for their input). The findings therefore indicated that effective global leadership transitions require leaders to learn and adapt to the local customs and cultures. Overall, the authors concluded that these transitions require learning agility, requiring the letting go of certain approaches or views, and the adoption of others.

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Be curious and learn from others In research on how CEOs develop their competence to lead in a changing world, the CEOs emphasised the need for continuous learning in their roles.100 The need for curiosity was also stressed, together with the ability to learn from others. Several spoke about how lonely it was in their roles and their need to reach out and learn from executives in other businesses. The CEOs intentionally fuelled their curiosity and openness by reading widely, talking to a broad range of interest groups, and exploring areas that they were not usually interested in. The CEO of Airbnb, Brian Chesky, uses a strategy of ‘going to the source’ as a way of ensuring he learns what he needs to. His approach is explained as follows:101 Ask Chesky what he didn’t know about management in the early days, and he barely knows where to start. “It’s kind of like, what did I know?” he says. But he had no choice but to plunge in; the company couldn’t wait for him. Chesky says he learned in two ways: first by trial and error (“it’s the old adage about jumping off a cliff and assembling the airplane on the way down”), and second by teaching himself how to go deep on subjects fast — specifically, by using a process he calls “going to the source”. Rather than trying to learn every single aspect of a particular topic, Chesky found that it was more efficient to spend his time researching and identifying the single best source in that area, then going straight to that person. “If you pick the right source, you can fast-forward”, he says. It’s an approach that has served him again and again. Chesky and his co-founders’ first “sources” were their earliest advisers – tech entrepreneur Michael Seibel and Y Combinator’s Graham. Reading was also an early part of the regimen. For Chesky, a source may have come in the form of a biography of a business hero such as Steve Jobs or Walt Disney. His primary book source on management technique is Andy Grove’s High Output Management. To learn the ins and outs of hospitality he went to the Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, a scholarly journal published by the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration. As the company became more prominent, so did Chesky’s sources. Soon came meetings with Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, and eBay CEO

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John Donahoe. He went to Bob Iger and Marc Benioff to ask how they push their executive teams to do more. From Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg he picked up tips about efficiency in scaling internationally. A key aspect of Chesky’s sourcing theory is what he calls “synthesizing divergent ideas” — basically, going to unexpected sources for insight. To learn how to become an elite recruiter, for example, Chesky might skip talking to an HR exec and instead seek out a sports agent, whose business lives and dies by attracting talent. Similarly, Chesky reached out to Tenet not for tips on global security, but for corporate culture: How do you create an open and transparent atmosphere when you’re in the business of secrets? From their conversation, he took away the importance of “walking the park” — Walt Disney’s theory of being a visible manager. Tenet told Chesky he would eat lunch in the cafeteria every day and sit at a different seat. Chesky says Tenet also taught him the importance of sending handwritten notes to employees.

As a leader, be careful of settling into a comfort zone, possibly thinking you know it all. I have had several clients who have had to learn this lesson. For example, one successful leader would jump to conclusions and not let others finish what they were saying because she felt she knew what was going to be said. She realised that her attitude and behaviour actually cost her in opportunities by silencing potential ideas from her team. She learned a valuable lesson – to remain open to learning from others by listening more and asking clarifying questions to truly understand and capture their ideas. Some self-reflection questions to consider: •

As a leader, how comfortable have you become with your current level of knowledge, expertise and skills? If you have become overly comfortable, you will need to become more curious; to challenge yourself to learn continuously.

•

What can you do to become more inquisitive about a broader range of interests?

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•

What strategies can you adopt to learn from others, which will assist your learning in your context of change? That is, which sources do you need to go to?

•

We live in times of information overload and easy to use technology for accessing information on just about any subject you want to. How can you tap into this resource more effectively to increase your learning?

Experiment with new ideas and approaches Airbnb has been a major disruptor to the hotel and hospitality industry worldwide. It was a business that grew up with great uncertainty, and much of how the business would work and grow had to be figured out along the way. Chesky explained that he had to learn by trial and error. This is what experimenting is about – learning from trial and error without becoming too concerned about failing (within reason), as this will provide even more learning. Some questions to ponder: •

As a leader, in your situation of change, uncertainty or transition, what specific problems or challenges do you face? What alternatives can you adopt? Which of these can you experiment with, or pilot, without destabilising your current operation?

•

How can you broaden your role to encourage you to engage with and learn new skills or approaches? Could you set up a specific project that would serve the business, or could you put your hand up for an assignment or be a member of a project team being established in the organisation? What about considering an assignment in another country?

•

What mechanisms or processes can you use to review the progress of your experiments, pilots or projects? When will you do this and who will you involve? Reviews are crucial so you can course-correct or terminate your experiment, should this be required.

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Experimenting requires the taking of calculated risks, as the experiment may of course not be successful. If risk-averse thinking stops you from exploring possibilities, then you need to remind yourself that most successful executives have also experienced failure. What is most critical is that you become wiser as a result of failures or mistakes. Learn from failure and mistakes Success and failure go hand-in-hand; they are two sides of the same coin. We do not necessarily always believe or remember this, however, particularly when we come to grief in some way. Yet it is true, byand-large. Ask most successful leaders or professionals whether they have made some big mistakes or failed in certain instances in their careers, and you will most likely hear that they did. They will go on to tell you, if you ask them, what they learned as a result and how this has contributed to their success. Jeff Stibel highlighted this in a series of articles he wrote profiling the failures of successful CEOs, such as Howard Schultz of Starbucks and Jeff Bezos of Amazon. Stibel explained his rationale for these articles:102 “Failure should not be overlooked in anyone, especially not those we admire. It is through failure that these individuals were able to learn, grow and ultimately succeed. We know this about ourselves but even as we learn to accept our own failures, sometimes we don’t recognize that the most successful people in the world have had an abundance of failure. “Our heroes need to be held to the same standard as the ancient Greek gods: awesome but not infallible. Failure is a humbling exercise, both for the observer and the observed. But learning is a humbling process. Once we realize that our heroes are just like us, we can examine how failure drives success. So I’ve started collecting stories about the failures of successful people, as a reminder that if you’re making mistakes and learning from them, you’re actually on the path to success”.

In the case of CEOs Schultz and Bezos, both have had some spectacular failures. Schultz learned that too much success and the rapid growth of Starbucks led them to gloss over important details in

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the business, which cost them dearly. In the 1990s, he helped launch a carbonated coffee drink called Mazagran, which was an outright disaster.103 For this reason, he keeps a bottle of it on his desk as a reminder to “celebrate, learn from, and do not hide from mistakes”. Bezos, meanwhile, had some well-publicised failures in investments and business acquisitions.104 He learned from these, realising that he had strayed too far in making choices that were not aligned with the core business and philosophy of Amazon. He then focused on realigning Amazon in the 21st century, leading to renewed business growth. Learning from failure, however, not only refers to large businesses, but is the very fabric of successful entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs truly need to lean into uncertainty because they actively pursue their business ideas and take risks to realise them, in the face of many uncertainties, often falling short along the way. True entrepreneurs, who have persisted and become successful, have had to acknowledge and learn from their omissions. Majozi Bros Construction is an example:105 Simphiwe Majozi and Sihle Ndlela have a defining purpose – to become a leading property group in Africa. They’re deadly serious about this goal, but are willing to work at it slowly and sustainably. “We understand the importance of the right foundations”, they say. “We have eight failed businesses between us, so we’ve learnt a lot of lessons, particularly around the dangers of trying to grow too quickly”. They are certainly putting these lessons to good use while building Majozi Bros, as their patience is already paying off. Of note, one of their key lessons is to never stop learning.

Learning from failure also refers to acquiring wisdom from the errors you make in your leadership role, as this will help you to further develop yourself. Consider the case of Tony, in my study, who shared how he learned from a misjudgement he made in being too direct and confrontational when expressing his criticism of a proposed action by the Board. In observing someone else make a response to

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the proposal at the same Board meeting, he said he “got a lesson in diplomacy”. Tony could see how this other person conveyed his disagreement more objectively and how he made his case in terms of the organisation’s interests. Tony chuckled with me, saying that next time he would definitely be more diplomatic, but still remain congruent with his values. As a leader, a certain amount of failure and a healthy dose of mistakes can contribute to developing your depth. For example, failures and errors can humble you, making you realise you are not infallible – and they can nudge you out of your comfort zone to stretch and grow. You therefore need to value the extent to which your failings can further your growth. Some questions to reflect on: •

Think about something you have failed at in your career to date, possibly in the role of a leader – and in your personal life.

•

How did you feel about the failure when it occurred? And how did you respond at the time?

•

Now, looking back to that incident and the period following it up to now, what positive outcomes have you realised? How have you developed and grown?

In times of uncertainty, inherent in experimentation with new approaches, ideas and actions will be some degree of fallout and even outright blunders. What is critical is to remember to ensure you learn from these by doing an after-action review, involving relevant stakeholders. These questions could be used as a simple framework:

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•

What went well? What will you continue to do?

•

What did not go well? What do you need to stop doing or change?

•

What will you do differently going forward?

Chapter 4: Learning agility

In addition to the above questions, also do some self-reflection in terms of what you need to develop in your portfolio of knowledge, skills and attitudes to move forward. Seek and be receptive to feedback Research on behaviours and attitudes that derail leaders in their careers has revealed that a key issue is being defensive or resistant to feedback.106 These leaders had allowed their willingness to ask for and respond to feedback to decline over time. The best leaders continued to look for feedback and to find ways to improve, which are crucial aspects of learning agility. When developing yourself, during an episode of organisational change or a transition you are making, it is extremely useful to get feedback from others. We all have blind spots and certainly do not always see ourselves as others view and experience us. As a leader, the more you become comfortable with seeking and receiving feedback, the less sensitive you will become to criticism. Developing a tougher skin is essential if you are a CEO or an aspiring CEO, because this role is so highly visible and scrutinised within and outside the organisation. CEOs literally operate in fish bowls these days – with social media ready to report on everything they do and say. Firstly, you need to view receiving feedback differently. How can you frame feedback in a positive and constructive way so as to want to seek it from others? In my coaching practice I am constantly surprised at working with leaders, often those who are more experienced and older, who share with me that it is the first time they have received certain feedback from their manager or from their peers on areas they need to develop. Several of them have said to me “if only I received this feedback earlier in my career, I could have acted on it years ago”. One useful way of framing feedback would be to view it as a gift – a gift that you can learn from, that will increase your self-awareness, and that will guide you in how to develop yourself to be even more effective in your current role, or future roles.

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You may think that the formal 360 degree feedback you receive in your organisation is sufficient to learn from. That is your choice. I would argue that 360 degree feedback, while certainly beneficial and of value, is generally anonymous and not always specific enough to guide you in terms of your self-development actions. What about identifying key stakeholders and specifically asking them for feedback from time to time? Don’t select only those you have a good working relationship with; also choose stakeholders with whom you have challenges. Be open about your purpose and agenda when you set up these feedback conversations. You need to give them time to prepare so that the feedback will be constructive. Even better, send them a few questions to reflect on as part of their preparation. You might ask them the following broad questions to get balanced feedback on your strengths and your development areas: •

What do you perceive as my key strengths in my role, specifically gauged in your interactions with me and on deliverables from me?

•

What do you perceive as key areas I need to develop to enhance my effectiveness in my role?

•

Any suggestions on what I could do differently in future – and how?

In your feedback conversation, do show your appreciation for the effort made by the person giving you the feedback, even if it isn’t exactly what you hoped you would hear. Ask for specific examples of the strengths and the development areas offered to clarify your understanding. Be sure to fully understand your perceived strengths so you can enhance your use of them. When receiving feedback on your development areas, it is critical that you do not respond in a defensive manner or try to explain your actions. If you do, this will most likely be the last time this person will give you feedback. Stick to asking clarification questions, for example, “Please help me to understand what you mean when you said…. Could you give me a specific example?”

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In addition to asking for feedback you will also receive unsolicited feedback at times, often from significant stakeholders in your work context. In these situations, you need to be able to process it and respond to it effectively. Similarly, the feedback may make you feel threatened, evoking a defensive reaction from you, which is not going to serve you. In addition, as above, do not make excuses for your actions. You may need to tell yourself to “pause” your response and even take some time out before you do respond. The most important thing you can do once again is to listen to the feedback and to ask clarifying questions. Develop your reflective ability Experimenting, learning from mistakes and failures, and seeking feedback from others, are all approaches recommended for you to develop your learning agility. However, to harness the wisdom from these, you need to be able to determine what value you have gained, which requires reflective ability on your part. Reflection is thinking about and digesting what happened in order to extract any lessons learned and the implications thereof. Several reflective questions were included in the above sections to assist you to do this. Reflection is not a straightforward cognitive activity; it is a complex process and can require you to delve into your mind at different levels of depth. For instance, some of your learnings may be relatively “top of mind” when you sit quietly and think about what transpired, while others may need much more time and effort to tease out and fully understand. To improve your reflective ability beyond the questions posed above, you need to strive for more in-depth, critical reflection. What does this mean? Critical reflection refers to thinking judgmentally about the unquestioned assumptions, beliefs or perspectives you have that sustain your behavioural patterns for meaningful insight to occur.107 Many of our behaviours are driven by mental frames that are largely unconscious. It takes critical reflection to tease these frames of mind out into conscious awareness, so we can make choices about

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whether to continue using them or whether a change in thinking or perspective would serve us better, particularly in terms of becoming more effective. There is agreement that leaders generally need to develop their reflective ability, yet most do not have time, or do not make time, for reflection. Their work is pressurised, fragmented and involves multiple activities.108 In times of uncertainty or adversity, leaders may instead end up ruminating on negative aspects of a situation, which is a form of maladaptive reflection.109 Undertaking critical reflection on your own behaviours and mental frames requires emotional regulation and the ability to ask yourself some difficult and challenging questions. This is why dialogue with another person is usually essential. Reflection is the cornerstone of executive or leadership coaching. Coaches facilitate conversations which encourage their clients (leaders or executives) to think deeply about their challenges in order to promote a shift in these same clients’ self-awareness, leading to a change in their perspectives. If you are entering into a coaching partnership with a professional coach, take note of the kind of questions your coach asks you, especially those that challenge you to reflect deeper, so you can continue to ask these questions of yourself after the coaching ends. You could also agree with your coach that you want to develop your reflective ability as an outcome of the coaching, so that it is specifically focused on. Nonetheless, you can get started on developing your reflective ability: •

To do this, you need to make time for reflection. Can you commit to making it at least a weekly practice, and perhaps you can stretch it to two or even three times a week? What time will lend itself better for your reflection exercise to become a routine practice – first thing in the morning before you go to work, or last thing in your office before you go home, or some other time? Schedule these times in your electronic calendar or diary.

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•

Reflections tend to be more in-depth if you write them down, referred to as journaling, as opposed to just reflecting in your head. You may prefer to have a separate, dedicated journal to write your reflections in, or if you prefer electronic options there are several apps available, for example Penzu, Diaro and Journey. You will need to research these apps and select one that suits your needs.

•

Now you need to create a template of key questions to reflect on. Possible questions include: −

What went really well (e.g. last week)? What made it go well? What was your contribution to this? Which of your perspectives (mental frames) and approaches specifically contributed to the outcome?

−

What did not go that well? What led to this? What was your contribution to this outcome? Which of your perspectives and approaches specifically contributed to what happened? What perspective (mental frame) might be limiting you in any way? (For example, a need to be in control could have contributed to speedy decision-making, and therefore not involving key people or thinking through certain factors more carefully.)

−

Reading through these reflections, what have you learned about yourself – the viewpoints and techniques you apply to certain challenges in your work context? What do you need to focus on going forward? Which of your perspectives (mental frames) do you need to shift to be more effective as a leader? How will you do this intentionally? In what specific ways will you be different as a result of this shift?

The above template is a starting point for you to jot your key reflections down. You will notice that the questions encourage you to delve more deeply into your unique thoughts and motivations. With time and experience, you will organically evolve a reflection template to suit yourself and your needs. You will also find it useful to go back and read your reflections over a period of time – and then to reflect

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on what you learned from doing this. Sometimes this can help you to see patterns and connect the dots about yourself and your leadership approach. Critical reflection will also help you during episodes of uncertainty to make more effective sense of your experience and what is really going on in the context in which you find yourself. The next chapter explores effective sense-making, a key component of your capability for uncertainty.

A final reflection: How can you encourage the development of learning agility within your team members – and when working together as a team?

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Chapter Five

Effective sense-making

“Sense-making is ‘making something sensible’”.110

Overview Effective sense-making is generating plausible interpretations of one’s experienced uncertainty and context, which then drives one to act.

When a change is announced in your company, what is your response? For most of us, our thoughts turn to: “What is happening? What is going on? Why is this happening? What does this mean for me? What does this mean for my team? What does this mean for the company?” What we are doing is trying to make sense of what is occurring, referred to as sense-making. Karl Weick, an organisational psychologist, is well known for putting the spotlight on sense-making in organisations, its significance and how it occurs. Sense-making is an ongoing process for us, mostly at a subconscious level. Yet in times of organisational change, disruption and uncertainty, our sense-making becomes more explicit and effortful. Why? Because we lack clarity as to how to engage with the changing circumstances we are dealing with, making sense of what is actually happening then takes priority over other issues. With many unknowns to grapple with, it can tax our brains. In an environment of constant flux, this more effortful sense-making process may become continuous, due to the frequent episodes of uncertainty being experienced.111 The foundation of our sense-making is interpreting the cues we notice in our changing context.112 When we interpret, we are actually making connections between what we observe (the cues “out there”) and our mental frames (the individual internal perspectives and assumptions 73

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we hold inside our minds). We thereby attempt to find a plausible account (a revelation, a narrative or a picture) as to what is going on, which then energises us to act. It is not about being accurate. Rather, it is about continually redrafting an emerging account or story, which motivates and enables us to move forward within the context of uncertainty.

Engaging in effective sense-making during uncertainty The leaders in my study acknowledged the importance and value of making sense of what was going on in order to better understand the context they were operating in and the uncertainty they were experiencing: •

“…and the way that I’ve done it personally is – try to understand the uncertainty to the best of your ability… As soon as you understand the uncertainty, you become more certain in your response and your approach towards it”.

•

“You need to distil out of that uncertainty – what it is – that is so uncertain that is impacting on your company, and on you, as an individual. By doing so, you’ll be in a position to respond…”

Sense-making has been identified as a crucial leadership capability by the MIT School of Management, where they have included a module on sense-making in their MBA programme. It is clear that the ability to make sense of challenges and changes being faced, and how best to respond, is crucial for leaders, even more so as a component of their capability for uncertainty. Sense-making by leaders applies to: •

making sense of the emerging trends in the external environment of a business and changes in the industry, essential for you in developing innovative business strategies (possibly through scenario planning); and

•

making sense, at a personal level, of your own experience of uncertainty in relation to turbulence in your organisational context, transitions you are tackling, or are about to tackle, as well as leading others through these circumstances.

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In this book, because the focus is principally around the experienced uncertainty of leaders, within a context of organisational change and transitions, this section focuses on guidelines for this second type of sense-making. Seeking understanding When there is change or uncertainty in your context, your initial sense-making will tend to be centred on seeking to understand and to rationalise what is actually going on, perhaps beyond the obvious. One leader in my study captured the essence of this: “The uncertainty, it’s so subjective, it’s so personal … it focuses you, certainly, because you start observing more closely, why is it like this, is this meant to be?” We search for understanding by “reading” the situation we find ourselves in, which means picking up cues by observing and noticing what is being done and listening to what is being said, or not being said. These cues may be plainly apparent, such as overt discussions around policy changes, or more subtle; a raised eyebrow, a transient frown. However, we also need to be aware of what cues we tend to search for, particularly when we are feeling uncertain. Adrian Gore, Founder and Group Chief Executive of Discovery, addressed a leadership summit and a summary article of his speech was published in the Business Day.113 The key thrust of his message was to urge leaders to consciously search for and focus on the positives in South Africa, for example, on the progress that has been made in certain respects. He is concerned that leaders frame South Africa negatively and tend to seek negative signals or cues. As a leader, in an uncertain context, it is therefore crucial to challenge yourself on what cues you tend to focus on. To what extent are you searching for negative signals? How might you focus more consciously on seeking the positive cues? Turning to my study, those leaders who were in their respective companies at the onset of the upheaval and organisational uncertainty,

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their sense-making was concentrated on acquainting themselves with what was unfolding in the shifting context: •

“…you can read signs. You know what people are saying and … there’s a lot of rumours”.

•

“We could see all the signs ... we started hearing that … there might be those Board members that will stay, some they’ll go”.

On the other hand, if you are a newcomer to a company, in making this transition into a novel position, your initial sense-making would typically be more focused on understanding the culture and dynamics of the organisation and getting to know the team you will be part of, in order to facilitate your integration into your new situation. In my study, two newcomers who joined their companies during the uncertain period and where change was inherent, experienced intense personal uncertainty. They described their acute sensitivity to the dynamics in their contexts – both feeling and sensing tensions in themselves and others. •

“So the culture was such that people are very much to themselves and … everybody was guarded … one could feel the underlying tension”.

•

“I can sense the atmosphere, I can sense the tension … and that helps me to be prepared – and I think it’s instinctive.”

In the case of the above two newcomers, they also felt excluded by their executive teams. When I asked them to reflect on what they had learned from their experience, both said they had assumed that their colleagues would be more helpful and would reach out to them, but this had not happened and it added to their isolation. They had also made some early mistakes, in terms of misreading elements of the culture. In addition, they had approached their new roles based on assumptions from their past experience, and this had proved detrimental. Their lessons illustrate how easily presumptions can interfere with making sense of a new and changing context.

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Leadership transitions are never easy, even more so when joining a new company at the executive levels. McKinsey’s former managing director, Ian Davis, wrote an article titled “Letter to a newly appointed CEO”, offering new CEOs advice based on his experience of supporting executives during their transitions. The first point refers to the importance of understanding the context:114 “Context is critical. As an outside appointment, you must quickly learn about the history, Board structure, governance, and national heritage of the company, not to mention its financial performance, morale, and capabilities. Then you must look at this context through the eyes of other constituencies and stakeholders. An early sense of how they might see things is valuable in its own right; it also can help provide a reality check on any assumptions or prejudices, as well as insights, that you may have built up during your interview and recruitment process. Too many CEO transitions get off to a poor start as new leaders learn that what worked in one context doesn’t necessarily transfer well to another. Experience is valuable, but it also creates bias”.

Importantly, we need to gain perspective as events present themselves in a changing context. Most critical of all is that we challenge ourselves to gain new and different perspectives and relinquish what is not relevant. As Davis advises new CEOs in his letter, we also need to be careful of our assumptions and biases when making sense of what is going on. This is because we perceive situations and events, and interpret what other people say and do, according to our own existing mental frames (our beliefs, past experiences, culture and values). Our perceptions are therefore coloured by our mental frames. It is as though we make sense of the world through tinted or even distorted lenses – and these lenses act as effective filters of what we see, hear and perceive. This is a reason to develop your reflective ability so that you become more aware of your mental frames, particularly those that are limiting the effectiveness of your sense-making (as discussed in Chapter 4, where we focused on learning agility). During change and transitions it is important for you as a leader to purposefully explore, integrate and assimilate new and different

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perspectives by having conversations with others. These may be individuals within your current context, or you may seek outside opinions. This is a key lesson that the leaders in my study shared with me: •

“I’m now talking of people reporting to me … use them to get different perspectives… So I say, “Look, this is what I’m thinking, what do you think?”

•

“We [her team] had a lot of discussions, you know. “That’s wrong, that’s what we need to do” … that helped…”

•

“So the rest of the management team…, if they come in here we are actually able to debate what’s going on”.

The leaders acknowledged how conversations with other individuals and with their teams helped them to make sense of business problems, challenges, and their own uncertainty. They emphasised the importance of having an open mind, of asking questions and of listening to others’ ideas and views. When you need to understand what is going on in an uncertain context, try the following: •

Cultivate curiosity, openness and an enquiring mind during your interactions and collaborations with others. Be aware of any biases or assumptions from your past experiences and deliberately set these aside. If you notice that you are searching for negative signals or cues, then challenge yourself to seek out positive information.

•

Really listen actively to others’ viewpoints, even more so when they contrast with yours. Suspend your own agenda and become interested in understanding where others are coming from.

•

Ask more questions, principally open ones (Who? What? Where? When? How?) to encourage others to share their perspectives. This will also facilitate your listening and sense-making.

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Seek out and spend time with a range of different and diverse

•

people relevant to your context to broaden your perspective. Regulating your emotions Sense-making, however, may not be effective when we are in an intense emotional state.115 Instead, intense emotions induced by fear or perceived threat, when we most need to carry out effective sensemaking, often lead to counter-productive behaviour, because our cognitive or thinking processes are adversely affected. Essentially we fail to think clearly or objectively. For example, some individuals may over-react, trying to find quick solutions to control the situation, while others may withdraw and, ostrich-like, try to keep their head in the sand to avoid having to face the reality. The leaders in my study recognised, and therefore stressed, the importance of remaining calm and avoiding becoming overly emotional as being crucial to think things through, and make better sense of them: •

“Being calm helped me … in that when you’re calm you take one step back and think things through … rather than just jumping in”.

•

“Don’t deal with it emotionally, you get nowhere. I just sit down and think about it”.

Many of the leaders, particularly when the uncertainty in their situations was prolonged, used a form of self-regulation when feeling frustrated, stressed or demotivated, to shift into a more calm and positive state. This involved a form of self-talk to help them to focus on the positive or on what they needed to do. One leader expressed this as: “You know, I think it is really about just giving yourself a pep talk to put it in perspective, to reframe your current situation …” Another leader used a specific technique she had learned about, which was: “…to be able to step out of the movie that you’re in and look at the movie playing. And then, without being emotionally attached, say ‘okay, if you now look at this movie playing, what do you

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need to do?’” Interestingly, this technique of stepping out of the movie and watching the movie to gain emotional distance and perspective resembles the advice given by Heifetz, Grashow and Linsky to leaders in turbulent situations:116 “To diagnose a system or yourself while in the midst of action requires the ability to achieve some distance from those on-the-ground events. We use the metaphor of ‘getting on the balcony’ above the ‘dance floor’ to depict what it means to gain the distanced perspective you need to see what is really happening. If you stay moving on the dance floor, all you will see will be the people dancing with you and around you … but when you get on the balcony, you may see a very different picture”.

The leaders in my study also tapped into their networks for support. They highlighted the value of being able to talk about their feelings or concerns with a trusted other. One leader described the benefit derived: “It is those networks that give you a kind of support. One needs that, otherwise I probably would have fallen down completely … they are a lifeline”. Trust was a key factor in whom leaders shared with, with one leader explaining that: “…if you know you can trust someone then you can share things without being threatened … this helped a lot”. When you experience intense emotions during uncertainty, reflect on these questions: •

What can you do to shift your emotional state to become more calm and positive?

•

What can you say to yourself to help you to shift your emotional state? How can you quieten or silence your negative inner voice?

•

How can you stop your ruminating and cycle of negative thoughts? Perhaps writing these down will be helpful so you can look at them with more emotional distance. Remember, acknowledging your thoughts as just thoughts and not as facts may help you escape the cycle of negative thinking and move toward a more positive outlook.

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•

What positive factors can you focus on to help you reframe your perspective? Inevitably there will always be something positive in any situation, even if it is simply an opportunity for learning.

•

In your mind, consciously step onto the balcony and look down at the dance floor (your situation) to gain emotional distance. Or step out of the movie. What do you notice now? How are things different? What that does that mean for you?

•

Who can you chat to about your feelings and concerns, someone that you really trust?

In addition to the above, it is important to look after yourself. When you are working long hours and are digitally connected 24/7, this can lead to becoming overtired. Weariness predisposes you to emotionality, including irritation or negativity, which is not at all conducive to effective sense-making. Building more exercise into your schedule is incredibly constructive, not only for burning off excess adrenalin but also for offering you an opportunity to think in a neutral space (which several leaders in my study found of value). Quality sleep is essential for clarity of perception. Allowing yourself to disconnect digitally for a few hours a day and over weekends will also be beneficial. You might consider working on developing your mindfulness to be more focused on being in the present moment, rather than becoming enmeshed in the past or perpetually propelling yourself into an unknown future (see Chapter 3), and practicing your reflective ability (refer to Chapter 4 for some guidelines). These techniques will help you regulate your emotions so you can make sense of changes and uncertainty more objectively and constructively. Allow time for making sense of unfolding events The discomfort of uncertainty often evokes a reactive threat response. As a result, we may be motivated to attempt to reduce the uneasiness by making a rapid resolution. This is particularly the case when the uncertainty is intensely felt117, or when leaders feel the pressure to make quick decisions. A lesson learned by the leaders in my study,

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from their unique experiences of living through uncertainty, was the need to delay their responses or decision-making in contexts of uncertainty, in order to allow more time for observing, assessing and reflecting as events unfolded. For some leaders who acknowledged that they had a natural inclination to take quick decisions, they realised they had often responded too speedily: •

“I like to make quick decisions and then move on... I’ve learned to have more of a tolerance for uncertainty. So if things are uncertain, sometimes it’s necessary to postpone it … or just stand back a bit, assess what’s happening … because there might be new information coming along”.

•

“I also would say – don’t rush to make decisions during change because change can overtake your choices… I think when everything’s in such a state of flux it’s actually good just to sit tight and observe for a while… Look you must make decisions and when it’s right to make a decision, but there are times when you must say, “Do I really have to make a decision now?” In terms of various assessments that I’ve had myself, I know that I am too quick to make decisions. I like to make decisions. So especially in times of change, you know, you’re making decisions based on what you see today – but it all changes tomorrow… I have realised this”.

Warren Bennis, a renowned thought leader on the subject of leadership, has argued that decisiveness is overrated in a world of constant change. Due to a personal experience of saying “I don’t know” in response to a provocative question, and the result it had on him, Bennis found himself reflecting on the unexpected power of the phrase, “I don’t know”. This is what he had to say:118

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“The conventional wisdom is that leaders must be certain at all costs; better to be wrong than perceived as weak or wishy-washy. But if you accept the premise that the world has changed in fundamental ways, then it follows that leaders must change as well. And crucial to that change is the willingness to embrace uncertainty … I am not advocating the kind of uncertainty that induces paralysis. There are times when leaders must act and they must be willing to accept responsibility for their actions, whatever doubts they harboured before making a choice”. Bennis proposed an uncertainty principle for leaders: “This principle recognizes that today, even the wisest leader can’t know everything and, as a corollary, that most executive decisions should be regarded as subject to thoughtful revision, not written in stone. The leader who embraces this principle, and dares to doubt, has an entire panoply of strengths that the traditional, reflexively adamant leader lacks, strengths that have never been more important than they are today”. “In this new world, the leader is neither all-knowing nor all-powerful but needs all the help he or she can get — and asks for it. Rank is of little or no relevance in navigating this new reality. Instead, the leader relies on experts, from inside, from outside, wherever they are… Such leaders abandon the pretence of certainty and admit: I don’t know what to do, but let’s find out together”.

Some reflective questions: •

What is your approach to decision-making in general? What are your preferences? Do you like to make decisions, to be decisive? If you do, what has the impact of some of your quick decisions been on you, on others and on your work context?

•

During times of uncertainty, what is your approach? To what extent do you tend to rush to decisions and action so that you feel more in control?

•

How can you slow yourself down in uncertain times to allow for more effective sense-making as essential input to making decisions?

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•

Have you given yourself permission to say “I don’t know” at times? How did this feel for you? What was the impact on you and others in your work context?

•

If not, what stops you from being able to admit you do not know in certain situations? What do you think will happen, or what do you think others will perceive about you if you do this?

•

What would be the value of admitting you do not know at times – for you and others? Might it be useful to consciously try to admit you do not know going forward, and inviting others to get involved in finding out together?

Remember that leaders who are comfortable with uncertainty and able to say “I don’t know” open the door for others to contribute to the sense-making process. Generating plausible accounts of what is going on In seeking understanding of your changing context through reading the situation and conversing with others, while allowing time for events to unfold, you will reach a point where you feel you have interpreted what is happening. This will be your account of the situation. It needs to be plausible for you to serve as a springboard for you to act and move forward. You will then take initiatives and experiment, while continuing to make sense of how these measures play out in your situation. Depending on the outcomes of your activities, and with the unfolding of events in your context (requiring ever more sense-making), you will adapt your story as required and adjust your actions and behaviours accordingly. In other words, your sense-making is an iterative process, dynamic and continuous. For example, consider the case of Nick in my study, whose “acting” role was extended way beyond the initial agreement from a few months to an entire year.

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“Now you’re also not authentic … that’s where the frustration was … as I was dying to move into that direction [adopting his own leadership approach]. When [the Chairperson] told me they need more time [to extend the acting role for a longer period] … I then accepted, but I decided, ‘You know what, I can’t continue like this’ and … there’s certain things that I would like to change…”

Nick reached a point where he created a plausible narrative for the uncertainty weighing him down, which propelled him to take action and so moved him forward. He realised he felt in limbo and was therefore not being authentic in his “acting” role, and that this feeling of constraint was adversely affecting both his identity as a leader and his confidence. Thus, when asked after six months to act for a longer period, he changed his approach to be more congruent with his preferred leadership identity and he informed the acting CEO (he reported to) of the decision he had made. In the case of Kate, she was initially shocked at hearing that the plan intended to resolve the current business uncertainty in the company was not going to materialise. In fact, the Board would be going back to the drawing board to re-evaluate other alternatives. Since she had recently joined the organisation she anticipated a possible job loss (that is, she experienced anticipatory uncertainty). Kate’s sensemaking resulted in her facing up to this worst-case scenario, which became a springboard for certain actions, describing this as follows: “And it’s then that I started to realise that I need to make the decision that I’m going to sit it out or leave ... what I then did is I checked my options on the outside…”. Kate’s interpretation of events spurred her to action. On hearing, through her contacts, that there would indeed be employment possibilities should the worst happen, she chose to remain and wait the situation out. She also said that she was then able to “park” her concerns about the future and be more present in her role.

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The above examples demonstrate how interpreting our reality in a plausible way helps us to act. Arriving at a point where your narrative is as complete as it can be, given the circumstances, requires you to gain appropriate new perspectives to allow time for sense-making to percolate, while you regulate your emotions to ensure you have as calm a disposition as possible. Collectively, these steps will facilitate you in generating a plausible account of what is actually happening. Finding personal meaning Research has established that meaning-making also helps us to build both acceptance and the resilience to persevere during episodes of organisational uncertainty.119 Many of the leaders in my study found personal meaning through creating a sense of purpose, or through establishing a personal goal. One of the leaders mentioned above, Kabelo, who joined the company at a time of extreme uncertainty and who felt excluded by his colleagues, started doubting the wisdom of accepting the position. He began considering resignation, however it was his sense of purpose or personal mission that influenced his decision to stay and see things through. “I made this decision to stay … because I felt if I were to retreat, I was going to be letting my family down… And I asked myself … do I want to be part of the growth story of this company? And the answer was yes. Those are the things that carried me forward… It became a mission”.

For some leaders, a sense of alignment between their personal values and those of the company fuelled their resolve to continue, in spite of the uncertainty. One newcomer described this: “By that time I figured out the type of culture, the type of people, the values of the company, that it’s a place where you like to be… I realised there was something for me that the uncertainty was worth going through…”

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When experiencing personal uncertainty within your organisational context, you need to reflect on: •

What contribution or value-add can you make in your role that will be meaningful for you?

•

What possibilities are there for learning and for personal growth if you persevere?

•

What personal goal/s can you create and work towards achieving through this experience?

•

What important values do you hold that can guide you in making choices and behavioural changes, as well as taking decisions in your context of uncertainty?

•

How aligned are your values with your company’s values? If you have a strong alignment and this is important to you, can this be a reason to persevere?

Now step back and ponder your answers to the above questions. •

What insights have you gained? What personal meaning have you recognised that will enable you to persevere and make progress in spite of the uncertain situation?

•

What next step can you take to move forward with resolve?

Effective sense-making is essential for approaching uncertainty in changing organisational contexts and leadership transitions. One’s identity is a key aspect of sense-making, as “individuals make sense of whatever happens to them by asking what implications these events have for who I will be?”.120 This means that sense-making is often filtered through issues of identity. Developing a sense of positive identity, a component of a capability for uncertainty, is therefore addressed in the next chapter.

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A final reflection: As a leader, how can you foster the development of effective sense-making approaches within your team members and when working together as a team?

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Chapter Six

A sense of positive leader identity

“We also contend that leaders act and leadership is therefore action. Such action is made possible by the way leaders construct their identities as leaders”.121

Overview A sense of positive leader identity is: •

self-development of the leader role associated with favourable outcomes such as increased self-confidence, credibility and leader reputation.

When there are changes in your organisational context or you are entering a transition (moving into a new position, joining a new company or reporting to a new boss), you will tend to experience identity uncertainty, as was shared by the leaders I interviewed. You will feel some doubt about who you are, who you are becoming in this new or changing context, who you need to be, and also who you want to be. You will therefore experience, to a greater or lesser degree, a sense of being in limbo – of “being betwixt and between” your current and your emerging identity.122 The meaning of identity and identity construction Identity is deeply concerned with “the question of who I am and who I am striving to become?”.123 Identity integrates how we perceive ourselves and how others perceive us. The notion of identity is not a simple concept. This is because our identities are fluid and fragmented and our persona actually comprises multiple identities or sub-identities.124 You only have to think about the different roles

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you have in the workplace affecting your personal identity (related to your unique beliefs, values and traits, as well as your upbringing and experiences). This impacts your social identity (associated with your membership of various groups or teams) and your identity as a leader (which combines aspects of your personal and social identity as you define yourself in your leadership role).125 And, on the personal front, of course, we also have multiple identities, based on the many parts we play in life – as parent, spouse, partner, sibling, friend and so forth. On top of this, identity is rendered even more complex, since it seldom remains static and you are almost always in the process of “becoming”. This is referred to as identity construction, which involves you taking on and/or modifying some aspect of your identity.126 While your personal agency – through your competence, actions and choices – is a key part of refining or developing your identity, the social forces and dynamics in your context are also influential in shaping your identity.127 In addition, your projections into the future of who you wish to be are important in motivating you to achieve a possible, preferred identity.128 The focus of this chapter is on leader identity. Leader identity development (or construction) is not a one-time achievement; rather it is a complex, dynamic and iterative process whereby leaders constantly craft and refine their identities over their career trajectory.129 Positive and healthy leader identity construction needs to be balanced, that is, trying to stay true to your unique purpose and values and not selling your soul to the organisation you work for. At the same time you do still, as a leader, require a sense of personal alignment with the organisation. So, in reality, constructing your leader identity will involve you in personal struggles; conforming to and/ or resisting “societal and organisational scripts” of who you should be.130 An example would be navigating the challenges of the subtle, yet powerful, biases arising from cultural and gender assumptions, which can erect barriers to the identity development of leaders from minority groups, including women.131

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What a delight to see the following headline: “An Iron Lady who works for purpose and enjoyment”, which conveys the positive identity of Funeka Montjane, CEO of Personal and Business Banking at Standard Bank. Montjane received the Businesswoman of the Year Award, South Africa’s premier award for women achievers in business, given by the Businesswomen’s Association of South Africa (BWASA). In this article, Montjane explains her leadership approach and gives some guidance to women about developing their leader identity:132 Montjane believes it is better to strive towards making a difference, rather than achievement. “When you start off in your career, you want to achieve. But there is a point at which it gives you diminishing returns. The most important thing is to work for purpose”. Doing what you enjoy, and that which makes a difference in others’ lives, fuels you through hard times, she explained. About her leadership style, Montjane said she strives for excellence. “I like excellence and I think that excellence cannot be bullied. It gets nurtured and cultivated,” she said. “But I am tough. My colleagues call me Thatcher,” she added. There’s a tightrope of “likeability” women must walk. If they are too nice, they are not taken seriously, but if they are assertive then they are not liked, explained Montjane. “We must stop wanting to be liked. We are living in a different world where we can (create) own our space,” she said.

The value of a positive leader identity The construction of a positive leader identity fosters a form of individual ‘strengthening’, which increases your capacity to endure stress and hardship – and your capacity to take on new demands and challenges.133 When you develop this positive sense of ‘being a leader’, reflected in confidence, credibility and reputation, it will clearly enhance your leadership effectiveness,134 particularly where you are operating in uncertain contexts. Why should this be the case? Because your credibility and reputation give you access to relationships, which leads to other resources such as trust and information. Take the case of Kevin Hedderwick, recently retired CEO of Famous Brands:135

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17 years ago Hedderwick entered the world of Steers Holdings at a time when there were jitters in the market with McDonalds entering its space, but it made no significant difference. He thrust the business forward into what can be described as a fairy tale story that involved the acquisition of household brands like Wimpy, Debonairs Pizza, FishAways, Mugg & Bean, Tashas, House of Coffees, Milky Lane, and many more. Today the business is called Famous Brands – and has a substantial market capitalisation. Hedderwick had earned himself much credibility and built his reputation, thus developing a positive leader identity. How did this help him to grow the business in increasingly volatile times? One example is that of Natasha Sideris, founder of Tashas restaurants.136 She had no intention of ever franchising her business. In truth, franchising never even seemed like a possibility. An upmarket lunchtime café had little in common with the restaurants and fast-food operations that were typically franchised. But fate intervened in the form of Hedderwick, CEO of Famous Brands, who acquired a major shareholding in her business. “It all came down to my belief in Kevin. He had a vision, and I knew that I could trust him. I knew he would allow me to retain the kind of control I was looking for,” Sideris says. She also mentioned, “If we’re going to take this business to the next level, we need to partner with someone who’s going to bring the back end that’s needed to make this business successful – be able to collect the royalties, produce a proper income statement, a proper set of results, and give it the gravitas that it needed”.137

Hedderwick’s positive leader identity – his credibility and reputation in the industry – clearly assisted him in terms of his growth agenda for Famous Brands in making deals or acquisitions. Sideris, who was initially opposed to franchising, trusted Hedderwick to help take her business to the next level. A sense of positive identity, by virtue of increased confidence and credibility, prepares leaders for future business challenges and for dealing with experiences of complexity and uncertainty.138 All of the leaders in my study, barring two, certainly developed their

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identity through their individual experiences of living and leading through uncertainty. The leaders spoke about how they evolved and strengthened their competence and confidence through dealing with a variety of issues and challenges during their episodes of uncertainty. They asserted that this personal growth would also prepare them for future episodes. What stood out for me was that, for the most experienced, their identities as leaders were largely re-affirmed and subtly refined. For those with less experience, there was a pronounced shift towards achieving a greater sense of positive leader identity. Leader identity construction and the navigation of challenging developmental experiences occur as a mutually-reinforcing spiral.139 As you increase your competence and confidence as a leader by working through difficult situations, you gain credibility in your leadership persona and build for yourself a perception of your own efficacy. A positive spiral ensues, as this enhanced sense of identity then encourages you to be ever more open to further developmental opportunities and even to actively seek them out.140 However, negative spirals can also sometimes manifest. Because leader identity construction depends on reciprocity and recognition from key stakeholders in one’s context, a positive identity may not always be achieved141, fostering self-doubt rather than self-confidence. There were two leaders in my study who failed to enhance their leadership identity through their experiences. They were both new to their companies, grappling with personal uncertainty associated with their recent transitions. Coupled with entering organisations enmeshed in uncertainty, they both felt excluded by their peers. The cumulative uncertainty for these individuals was intense, exacerbated by having limited reciprocity and recognition from either their peers or the executives they reported to, which ultimately eroded their sense of leader identity. During their interviews with me, both acknowledged that they had made and learned from their mistakes; they were seriously considering resignation at that point.

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Developing a sense of positive leader identity As you might imagine, developing your leader identity is a convoluted and complex process. So, how might you consciously and systematically set about it? Consider the transitions you are inevitably facing in your role, with ever increasing organisational changes (restructuring, disruptive innovation, mergers & acquisitions). Transitions are a key source of experienced uncertainty, as was the case for the leaders in my study, and may include additional responsibilities or competencies, changes in reporting structures, participation in or leading project teams, and adapting to shifts in culture. Transitions are pivotal points in initiating new or revised identity development – the degree of which is influenced by the nature of and extent of the changes required. However, it must be noted that transitions can be fraught with difficulty for leaders due to the number of challenges and constraints they encounter, some more covert than others, and success is not always an outcome. There is a high rate of failure associated with leadership transitions due to their inherent challenges. This section will focus primarily on some guidelines for positive identity development through transitions. The final part of this section highlights how developing a virtuous persona enables positive leader identity construction. Understanding the nature of transitions There are several models which describe the personal, psychological phases an individual goes through when undergoing a leadership transition. These models generally comprise three phases:142

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Table 2: The three phases of personal transition

Phase 1 Letting go

Phase 2 In transit

Phase 3 New identity

Focus of the

You are

You are in transit

You internalise

transition phase

transitioning away from your previous position and/or previous company.

– no longer in the previous position, but not yet integrated into the new position.

a new or revised identity associated with the new position.

Feelings associated with the phase

You have feelings of loss or a sense of disconnect, related to letting go and separation from what was familiar.

You are in limbo, feeling betwixt and between your previous and emerging role and identity – “who am I becoming?”

Feeling competent and confident – you have a sense of agency to be and act in the new role.

Identity development evolves as you separate from a previous identity, enter the middle ground between your old and emerging identities, and finally establish your new or revised identity. This is not a linear process – the phases overlap; you will find yourself taking some steps forward and some backwards. So, for example, while you are in Phase 1, you need to also look ahead and prepare for your transition into your new role. Leadership transitions into new positions and/or new organisations tend to be aligned with the leadership pipeline concept143, which identifies leadership roles at different levels of the organisation that require increasing breadth and depth of complexity as one advances into more senior positions. One could, however, have a lateral transition into a position at a similar level, which also requires developing different knowledge and skills and a new or revised identity (for example, a production manager moves into a project management role). Different challenges and dynamics will certainly

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be experienced depending on whether the transition is internal (such as a promotion or a lateral move) or external (joining a new company). The phases in the above table can help you to understand the dynamics of your personal transition towards internalising your new or revised leader identity. Meet Nivashni, a coaching client, and read the story of her promotion that illustrates the realities and dynamics of a transition: Prior to commencing our coaching partnership, Nivashni had been working as an internal business strategy consultant for a business unit in a financial services company. There had been a recent re-structuring in the company, resulting in the centralisation of shared services and centres of excellence that would align and service the three business units. As a result, Nivashni was promoted to head up the Business Strategy Centre of Excellence, which would facilitate the strategic alignment of the three business units in the company. The major loss Nivashni experienced was not working for her previous manager, whom she had learned much from and with whom she had a positive working relationship. Her own direct team would continue to report to her in the new function. While she realised that this promotion was an opportunity for personal growth, she also experienced doubts. For example, how would she get on with her new manager (Hazel) and what would she expect of her in the new role? What exactly would her role be – and how was she going to approach it in reality? The business strategy consultants in the other two business units (Paul and Thandi), who were previously her peers, now reported into her, so she wondered how they were going to respond to her in this new role. Nivashni identified a few priorities to focus on in the first month of her transition, a critical one being holding meetings with her key stakeholders (her new manager, the business unit strategy consultants who now reported to her, and the members of the executive teams of the three business units – her key internal customers). She carefully planned agendas for these meetings to establish the foundation for a working relationship, to clarify her role and mandate, and to understand their expectations of her. Her previous role was vacant, so another key priority was to appoint a suitable individual into this position, and she was hoping

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to give someone from within the company this opportunity. Nivashni’s intention, as soon as she had her team in place, was to have a workshop with the team to give them feedback and to identify the key challenges, objectives and initiatives to focus on. Following on from this, she would then meet with each team member individually to agree their specific priorities and objectives. In these first few months, Nivashni found that she was becoming too involved and busy in the details, and she got caught up in her previous role, which was still vacant. She experienced being in mid-air between her previous role and her new role, making her feel frustrated and overwhelmed at times, even doubting herself and her progress. She acknowledged that she would need to consciously ‘stop’ doing some of the work she was comfortable doing so that she could step up to doing work at a more strategic level in her new role – which was spanning the breadth of the company, rather than a single business unit. She identified specific shifts she would make to enable this – and then pinpointed actions and behavioural changes to adopt and experiment with. She encountered difficulties with one of her direct reports (Paul, who had previously been a peer) as he had hoped to get Nivashni’s position. She therefore had a crucial conversation with him to get things out into the open and resolve a way of working together. Nivashni also made some mistakes, one of which was offending a business executive by excluding him from her stakeholder meetings. She apologised to him and set up a meeting to get the relationship back on track. Another mistake was in relation to the new candidate for her previous position. She had offered the position to an internal candidate in one of the business units, however this person’s manager wanted a three-month notice period, which Nivashni agreed to – and which was costing her. She realised that she should have checked this with HR first, as the company policy stipulated two months’ notice as a maximum, unless otherwise agreed with the manager of the transferring employee. She decided to meet with the manager concerned and negotiate the notice down to two months. It was a tough conversation, but fortunately he relented. He also agreed that the employee concerned could attend meetings with Nivashni and the Business Strategy team members to start preparing for her transition. Nivashni felt positive about the outcomes and how she dealt with this.

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Adding to these challenges, Nivashni found Hazel‘s leadership style to be hands-off and not very supportive; it was not easy to approach her. She received some tough feedback from Hazel regarding her first monthly report – it was not pitched at the right level for the company executive team. Nivashni decided to meet with her to clarify the feedback. She was careful to indicate to Hazel that she appreciated the feedback, and used this opportunity to request a monthly meeting with Hazel to ensure alignment between the two of them. She felt this meeting had put their working relationship onto a better footing. After eight months of learning by trial and error, Nivashni’s team had pulled together to deliver the first overall business strategy for the company, which would influence and align the strategic direction of the three business units. After her presentation, she received positive feedback from some of the business unit executives and from Hazel. It was at this stage that Nivashni acknowledged she was feeling more competent and confident within her role. She acknowledged that she had been up a steep learning curve, dealt with a range of challenges – some well, some not so well – had doubted herself, yet had made significant progress while still having a way to go.

Nivashni’s story depicts how delivering results and becoming competent in your new role can build your credibility, which in turn develops your leader identity. Her story also confirms how the construction of a positive identity depends on reciprocity, negotiation and mutual influence between you and your key stakeholders, as well as managing your own feelings of vulnerability and self-doubt when in transition. A key part of developing identity is through interactions with others, of affording recognition and being recognised144, and through claiming leadership as well as being granted leadership.145 This process occurs through experimentation, trial and error, observing the outcomes of actions and listening to feedback received – and then adapting accordingly. Preparing for a leadership transition Firstly, acknowledge your loss due to separating from your previous position and/or company. Loss may comprise no longer being as involved as previously, including losing certain working relationships. 98

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It may mean leaving a particular type of work, or a geographical location you enjoyed. Shifting your intention and attention to your new situation also means identifying what you are gaining from this move, which will help motivate you during the challenges you will face. Here are some questions to assist you with letting go: •

What are you losing in making your move or transition?

•

What relationships are ending or changing?

•

What will you gain from the new position (and/or move into a new company)? What specific advantages do you anticipate from your move?

•

What will you continue to do in your new role?

•

What values, beliefs and purpose will you be true to in your new role that are important to you in your leadership approach and identity going forward? Think about leaders you have worked with – positive role models – whose values and style resonated with you. Contrast these with negative role models you have experienced. Having a sense of your values will help give you boundaries, thereby assisting you not to over-identify with your new role. Research on high-potential talent revealed that burnout occurred for high-achieving individuals who worked excessive hours, largely driven by the need to prove themselves. They over-identified with their roles and their organisations and did not have boundaries, for example regarding work-life balance.146

To help you prepare for your transition into a new position, think about the following: What can you do to learn more about the position you are going into and the context you will be operating in (whether it is a different function, different business unit, or a different company)? If you are joining a new company in a different country how can you learn about the culture of that country? What reading

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can you do? What specific information do you need and how can you get access to this? What do you think you must let go of from your previous role – and what do you need to step up to in your new role? Think about past feedback you have received from your previous manager and relevant others in your context, including any 360 feedback. Have you completed any assessments recently, possibly on a leader development programme, which may be beneficial to review? You could think about the specific shifts you must make in moving from your previous role to the new one, for example you might need to shift from being too operational to becoming more strategic with a big picture view. Reading through relevant sections of the book entitled The Leadership Pipeline by Charan, Drotter and Noel147 may help you to articulate some of the shifts to focus on. What initial goals and actions do you want to take when you start in your new position and/or the new company? What will be your priorities? What will be your leadership approach in the beginning and how will this evolve? If joining a new company, how will you learn to understand the culture? Some authors advocate having a 90 or 100 day transition plan for your first three months in the new position. Do a search on the internet for tips and guidelines for developing such a plan, as much is available. However, do remember that it is a plan, which may need to be adapted when you make sense of the realities as they unfold. In addition, while you may achieve much, do not expect that you will have successfully completed your transition into your role after three months because it generally takes longer than this. Consider the transition of Herman Mashaba into the role of Mayor for the city of Johannesburg, which is typical of many leadership transitions:

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Mashaba is a successful entrepreneur and businessman, who made himself available as  City of  Johannesburg Mayoral Candidate  on behalf of the Democratic Alliance (DA) party at the time of the 2016 municipal elections. His key reasons for making himself available as their Mayoral Candidate was to facilitate taking the city and saving it from mismanagement and ruin. He also stated that: “The people of Johannesburg and of South Africa deserve a better managed city to propel economic recovery of the country”.148 When asked what qualities make for a good mayor, he said: “A good mayor is someone who takes the office to serve society, not someone who is self-serving”. Clearly, Mashaba made this move to serve and make a difference. In doing so, he chose a path of uncertainty. During the build up to the elections he had his fair share of challenges and criticism. As reported, Mashaba had “a crash course in politics and policy, but more than once the businessman couldn’t keep pace”.149 It then transpired that Mashaba was appointed as Mayor after the elections to lead a coalition council comprising different parties, which would mean increased complexity and challenges, while simultaneously learning to be a Mayor and building his credibility. For a moment, just imagine some of the personal uncertainty Herman Mashaba most likely experienced embarking on his chapter as Mayor. New into the role, Mashaba had some challenges to navigate early in his transition. For example, he was criticised as being politically naïve in planning to break up and privatise the city’s refuse collection agency. What followed was condemnation from key stakeholders such as the unions. Mashaba then backed down from his plan. This was part of his learning curve as the Mayor. Going forward, he realised he would need to tread carefully with his coalition council and other key stakeholders. After 100 days in his role, Mashaba held a press conference to present the progress made to date. This perception of Mashaba was reported in The Daily Maverick:150 “On Thursday in Fordsburg, Mashaba greeted journalists with his usual enthusiasm. But when he took the stage, it was clear Herman had become Mayor Mashaba. He read his over 7,500-word speech from a Teleprompter and both his personal vision and the DA’s policies, neither of which many people believed would have a chance to be implemented, became reality.

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His MMCs and staff sat in the audience; security stood side of stage; City of Jo’burg banners adorned the venue. He was ... mayoral”. Being perceived by others as ‘mayoral’ truly shows that Mashaba had made great strides in his role, and this reflected in his increased sense of positive identity. Did this mean he had completed his transition successfully? No, definitely not. It was still a tenuous period for him, which would most likely continue for some time. In his 100 day press conference, he spoke about cleaning up the inner city and getting rid of illegal immigrants, as they were perceived as contributing to the criminal activities occurring. This statement led to reactions and protest action by the African Diaspora Forum. No doubt, while Mashaba had made tangible progress, he still faced a need for more learning in dealing with the complexities of a city like Johannesburg.

The above example highlights the importance of stakeholders. In preparing for your transition, who are the key internal and external stakeholders in your context with whom you need to develop effective relationships? This is a critical factor because your credibility and reputation will be shaped by these relationships. You will most likely prioritise meeting those stakeholders who have a direct bearing on your role, such as your manager or the executive you report to, your own team members and your peers (who may be part of the management or executive team you belong to). If you are a new CEO, the Board will be a key stakeholder. Prepare some questions for your meetings with your key stakeholders, with an emphasis on understanding their perceptions of the key business drivers and challenges, and exploring their expectations of your role. However, you must not allow too much time to pass before meeting with your other stakeholders. The ‘Letter to a newly-appointed CEO’, by Ian Davis, emphasises several points pertaining to stakeholders, of relevance to most leadership transitions:151

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Building relationships with key people will be a fundamental, perhaps the most important, early task. In your case, coming in as an external appointment, you will need to get to know the current executive team and to understand their motivations, capabilities, attitude to risk, and ways of operating. Be open minded and take time to reassess initial impressions or previous experiences. (This would be all the more true had you been an internal CEO appointment.) As you establish your priorities you will need to understand the expectations of the different constituents – for example, your chairman, the Board, key investors and analysts, regulators, unions, as well as the people in your organisation. You will receive a lot of advice to set bold expectations, but during the transition period it is more important to understand expectations. This understanding will help you stress test your emerging priorities and your degrees of freedom. It will also help you establish your communications approach. There will be many other relationships that could merit your time during the transition period when you are establishing yourself as CEO — for example, with customers, investors, external advisers, media, and suppliers. You will not be able to do them all justice initially, so it’s useful to draw up a map of whom you will (and won’t) contact and when, based on your judgement of priorities. It may be advisable to share this map with your top team and seek their input.

After meeting with the individual team members who report to you, it will be important for you to meet with them as a team, taking cognisance of your initial agenda. What will you share with them about yourself, your new role and broad purpose? What will you share with them about your focus and leadership approach during your transition phase into your role – and how you will involve them in moving forward? Ultimately, it would be ideal to achieve team alignment on a vision and strategic direction within a few months. What support resources can you tap into during your transition? Who could you approach inside the company or outside to mentor you? If you are a new CEO, consider CEOs in other sectors who you could network with. Many companies are now offering on-boarding or

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transition coaching to newly-appointed executives and senior leaders, which may be available to you. Be aware of the most common traps during transitions The most typical snares to entangle leaders in the 90 to 100 days of a transition are outlined below, informed by research conducted by Michael Watkins.152 Be aware of these – both in your preparation and in planning for your transition. Also, when in the midst of your transition, you may find yourself experiencing some of these traps. Deciding what timely corrective action you can take will be important to avoid leaving things to fester until it becomes too late. Failing to adapt to the new culture Learning about culture is one of the more difficult aspects of a transition, and introduces potential pitfalls. If you move between companies (or even business units within the same company), you may, wittingly or unwittingly, be acting in ways that are incongruent with the existing culture. This could create negative perceptions, leading to you becoming increasingly isolated and disconnected from key information about what is going on. Lack of information will increase the odds of you making incorrect judgements or decisions, with possible severe repercussions. It is crucial to understand the culture by engaging with people who can share stories about the company and its history with you, by observing cultural norms, and by inquiring about culture where you are uncertain. Then you need to adapt your behaviour accordingly. Cultural congruence is essential as a leader. Should you experience difficulties or sense a mismatch with your personal values, then you will need to re-assess your way forward – can you realistically make changes to the culture itself? Can you live with it as it is, or should you leave? One exception would be if you are a new CEO who is required to change the culture as part of your mandate, which would require different strategies.

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Failing to engage with and learn from stakeholders If you spend too much time alone, trying to get to grips with your new role and priorities – perhaps reading everything you can get your hands on and doing much thinking – you might become isolated. Such isolation can constrain you from developing relationships with key stakeholders and inhibit your understanding of expectations, key challenges and what is really going on. As a leader, you need to prioritise connecting with others and being visible in the organisation. Remember, you are being watched and your actions will create those vital first impressions in the eyes of others. You may also start to recognise that some individuals are vying for your attention. Some may genuinely want to be of assistance to you, while others may have a political agenda. You need to exercise care in deciding who you listen to and to what degree, understanding that this will also be noticed by others. Coming in with the solution Avoid arriving with preconceived ideas and believing you hold the key to resolving whatever requires attention, or coming up with solutions or strategies too quickly when new in your position. You should also not be overly decisive. Particularly if you are a newcomer to the company, take care not to continually refer to your previous situation or successes, as this can get others’ backs up and suggests that you intend doing the same again. Preferably spend more time understanding the present scenario by engaging with stakeholders about what is currently going well and what is not, in order, especially, to identify strengths as well as those challenges that need to be addressed as a priority. A participative approach will demonstrate your respect for others’ opinions and will gain buy-in to those strategies which are relevant to enhance the business in its context.

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Driving too many initiatives As a new leader you will almost certainly be trying to do many things at once, attempting to prove yourself and achieve results quickly. However, take care not to overwhelm people instead of motivating them to action. While experimentation by new leaders is certainly important, try to identify just a few key initiatives rather than adopting too many. This will assist in providing the necessary focus and will be more likely to achieve success. Failing to get feedback Your leader identity is shaped strongly by your relationships with, and perceptions of, the key stakeholders in your context. Their views of your competence will greatly influence your credibility and reputation. Without feedback you will be unaware of how you are being perceived. It is essential to seek feedback from a range of individuals, so that you can implement appropriate corrective and self-development actions. Receiving negative or critical feedback can be tough to deal with as this can definitely feel threatening, both to you personally and to your identity. It is important to take note of what is said, without comment, and to recognise that while ultimately you are the judge of what to take on board, feedback is an opportunity to learn and develop. By acting on the feedback received and making relevant, visible changes over time, this will help you to build credibility – thereby assisting you to develop your positive leader identity (that is, feeling more competent and confident). Getting feedback is not always easy however, especially if you are a new CEO appointed from the outside. Ian Davis gives some useful guidelines in his letter to a newly-appointed CEO:153

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A perennial challenge for all in positions of authority is how to get objective, balanced feedback and information. This can be all the more problematic in a CEO transition. As soon as an appointment is announced, relationships shift in both context and tone. What you hear directly will now usually be filtered in some way. People may be more prone than usual to tell you what they think you want to hear. Conversely, others may overemphasize their criticisms and worries in their desire to make an impression or simply to reflect their own temperaments and frustrations. Successful CEOs use a range of techniques to get around the problem, but all involve some form of triangulation and diversity of perspective. The chairman and Board have a role to play, as do investors, customers, and suppliers — it’s always advisable to keep an external orientation to check that the messages from the market are aligned with the messages from within your organisation. Some CEOs use external advisors to help gain perspective; others use more formal techniques such as surveys and systematic feedback mechanisms. Find some room and time for the mavericks inside and outside your organisation. Find some room and time to talk to frontline staff. Most Boards review the CEO’s performance annually. In your first year, you may well find it helpful to have a six-month review as well. This may sound like unwanted extra pressure, but in reality it will provide additional objective feedback.

Failing to let go – being too operational One of the easiest traps to fall into is continuing to do some of the work you used to do in your previous role (especially if you have been promoted internally) – either because you particularly enjoy those tasks, or because you have a need to be close to the action and are detail orientated. Being too operational will compromise the time you can spend on more important strategic issues and will encourage you to operate at a lower level than you should be. You then run the risk of not making the transition to the level of work required in your role. You need to consciously ensure that others take responsibility for this work, possibly your successor in your previous role, and that you intentionally choose to step up to the level of work now required.

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Unrealistic and/or unclear expectations As a new leader, it can be dangerous to assume that the mandate negotiated before you entered the organisation or the new position will remain unchanged. This trap was an issue for several leaders in my study. For example, one newcomer, on joining the company, discovered the CEO who hired him would in fact be leaving shortly. After meeting with this CEO’s successor, he realised the new CEO had very different expectations of his role. He therefore had to renegotiate what was needed from him, but found it difficult to pin this down and reach agreement as to his specific contribution. You need to devote time and effort during the transition for clarification. When there are misalignments around your role, you are treading on perilous ground. Do not procrastinate, even if this requires you to be assertive in asking for meetings to resolve differences. Also be sure to reach agreement around realistic results and timelines for achieving these. Then share your goals with your key stakeholders, and gain their perspectives in relation to these. Discontinuing your focus on stakeholders Even if you did well in connecting with your stakeholders when you moved into your new position, with the passing of time you may find yourself caught up in business imperatives and challenges. Neglecting key relationships may cost you dearly; consider taking stock of your stakeholder relationships at regular intervals. With clients who are intent on developing their confidence and competence as leaders, I suggest the following: List your stakeholders, grouping them into most important (A), important (B) and fairly important (C) – or in any other way that makes sense to you. Next, rate your working relationship with each stakeholder on a scale of 1 (poor) to 10 (excellent). You can be as creative as you like in how you depict this. The critical issue is identifying those relationships that need improvement (possibly those you have rated below 5), and specific strategies for achieving this. You can use this approach to

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track progress over time. I have noticed that when clients focus on improving stakeholder relationships and work with these individuals more effectively, including ensuring mutual delivery of results or value, they generally achieve a positive shift in their leader identity. Developing a virtuous leader identity When you develop an identity infused with virtuous qualities that distinguish you as a leader of good character154 it is clearly positive, as it builds trust and respect from others. In addition to developing a positive identity through experiencing transitions, you can also develop your identity by deliberately thinking about the kind of leader you aspire to be. What virtuous qualities would you like to exhibit, such as integrity or wisdom, or perhaps being more humble, ethical, compassionate or courageous? This approach to identity development often occurs for more experienced leaders who have reached senior positions and are questioning the purpose and meaning of their roles, as well as that of the business they are involved with. Moreover, with much criticism of CEOs and executives over the years, particularly in relation to unethical behaviour, organisational leaders are increasingly being challenged by civil society, political developments, and global issues (such as the impact of business on our environment) to inculcate more responsible, ethical and sustainable leadership. A few leaders in my study, those who were more experienced and in more senior roles, showed courageous leadership in representing their company’s interests to their Boards. What challenged these leaders was their frustration with their Boards’ decision-making and concomitant questionable ethics, which were clearly not always in the best interests of the companies themselves or their employees. These leaders had the courage to voice their differing views, in spite of the risks. Two of these leaders were threatened with possible dismissal. One shared his experience:“ …at a stage, my boss was told he must fire me because I was overly critical”. Another, who was searching for more meaning in his leadership role, viewed the organisational

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change and uncertainty he was dealing with as a ‘test’ of being able to lead in a way that was congruent with his values. His key learning was that he could indeed be true to his values, and importantly, to his sense of courage, thereby strengthening his sense of leader identity. Turning to the political landscape in South Africa, 2016 proved a most tumultuous and interesting year, triggered by ‘Nenegate’ and subsequent changes made to the position of Finance Minister in late 2015. This was followed by an investigation into state capture by the Public Protector. All the while, the economy was at increasing risk of being downgraded by ratings agencies. Sipho Pityana, the Chairman of Anglo-Gold Ashanti, showed virtuous leadership in challenging business and civil society to take a stand against what was happening (in the form of the Save SA initiative), that is, against state capture by the President and a large faction of his cronies in government. Here are a few extracts from Pityana’s keynote speech at the Mining Indaba in 2016:155 “There are very few among us who would dispute that South Africa is in crisis. It’s a crisis spanning the economy, society, and the political sphere. It’s a crisis fuelled by patronage, corruption, mismanagement, unchecked power and widespread apathy. It is a crisis that compels me to persist with my call urging every proud citizen to join the movement to save South Africa. “When those in our governing alliance – those in the know – are in an unambiguous and increasingly animated discussion about a “captured state”, we should ask how society, and business for that matter, should respond. For me, the answer is increasingly clear. When leadership fails as spectacularly as ours has done, it is ultimately ordinary citizens who must find the courage to speak out in defence of the Constitution, and the sovereignty that it guarantees. “So, why is now the time to stand up and be counted? The answer is that we can no longer afford to wait. We all know that corruption is spreading like an ugly oil slick across our society…”

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Self-reflection questions to consider: •

Which virtuous qualities would give more meaning to you as a leader?

•

To further develop your leader identity, what virtuous qualities do you specifically want to include and live by as a leader?

•

Which two to three are most important to you? For each of these virtuous qualities, what behaviours and actions would indicate that you are living them? You might also consider the challenges you could face in exhibiting these qualities and how you could overcome these.

Finally, turning to the virtuous leadership of companies, one company that is used as a benchmark for sustainable leadership is Unilever, which developed the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan. The CEO of Unilever, Paul Polman, is committed to a new and different sustainable way of doing business, with this message to shareholders:156 “Unilever has been around for 100-plus years. We want to be around for several hundred more years. So if you buy into this long-term valuecreation model, which is equitable, which is shared, which is sustainable, then come and invest with us. If you don’t buy into this, I respect you as a human being but don’t put your money in our company”. His approach has seen him “risk the wrath of some shareholders, and impose tough targets and restrictions on the company’s operations as he attempts to balance long-term profitability with a mantra of increasing sustainability”.

The vision and business approach adopted by Polman is a long-term one. Time will tell how this plays out, particularly when he leaves Unilever and his successor is appointed. Nevertheless, his is an example of virtuous leadership, imbued with a strong dose of courage to be different in a business world driven by profits. •

If you are at the executive level in your company, how can you and your executive team develop a business purpose and values

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which are meaningful to broader society, which address the challenges facing our planet, and which will be inspiring to your employees? Many employees, particularly millennials, want to work for companies that are not only focused on making a profit. How could you develop strategies that will foster certain of these virtuous aspirations and qualities? Critically, how will you gain approval from your Board? Developing a positive leader identity will give you confidence to engage with future episodes of organisational change and in how you lead during uncertainty. The next chapter focuses on relevant leadership practices to be adopted during organisational uncertainty.

A final reflection: As a leader, how can you support the development of positive identities within your team members when individuals are going through transitions related to job moves or transitions related to organisational change initiatives?

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Relevant leadership practices during organisational uncertainty “Leadership is an improvisational and experimental art”.157

Overview Relevant leadership practices during organisational uncertainty are: •

dealing with experienced complexity through leadership which engages others and has focus (coupled with adaptability);

•

leading people during organisational uncertainty through change leadership and credible communication; and

•

influencing key stakeholders through political savvy.

Being a leader in these times of increasing turbulence is not for the faint-hearted. The challenges that you face today and will face in the future are daunting, yet they afford you untold and essential opportunities for personal growth. As a leader during constant organisational change, you live through uncertainty in your personal capacity and you need to effectively lead others through uncertain situations. Importantly, you need to adopt relevant leadership practices when you are taking the lead where others are concerned – as well as simultaneously deal with your own uncertainty. These leadership practices will incorporate all of the other components of a capability for uncertainty and build on these, as illustrated below. Your acceptance of uncertainty and your learning agility underpin your ability to engage in effective sense-making and the development of a positive leader identity, which will in turn facilitate your adoption of relevant leadership practices for leading others.

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Relevant Leadership Practices during organisational uncertainty Effective Sense-making Acceptance of Uncertainty

Positive Leader Identity Learning Agility

Figure 9: Leaders’ capability for uncertainty

Gone are the days when leadership focused primarily on control, efficiency and fostering predictability. The complex realities of what leaders must deal with now on a daily basis challenge the traditional views of leadership, and have begun to stimulate perspectives of alternative leadership approaches. Adaptive leadership158 is one such alternative, which involves applying differing leadership approaches for addressing adaptive challenges. The authors emphasised the difference between the requirements for solving technical problems versus adaptive challenges. Technical problems, while they may be complex and critical, have known solutions which can be implemented by current expertise or processes. For adaptive challenges there are no known solutions. Adaptive leaders engage employees and other stakeholders to explore and discover new ideas and possibilities through learning and experimentation. In reality, many presenting issues will be a combination of a technical problem and an adaptive challenge. These would benefit from an adaptive leadership approach.

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Organisations as complex adaptive systems For companies to survive and thrive, a key purpose of their leadership is to develop adaptive capacity within in order to address adaptive challenges. To achieve this as a leader, it would be important for you to view organisations as complex adaptive systems. Organisations are clearly social systems. The perspective of an organisation as a complex adaptive system (CAS) means it is complex because of the networks and interactions of different teams and diverse individuals (agents) within it. It is adaptive due to the emergence159 of ideas, patterns and processes from the interaction of its multiple, diverse and changing agents in response to the challenges they are presented with.160 Viewing your company through the lens of a complex adaptive system will help you to adopt an adaptive leadership approach, which is vital for you to contribute to the development of adaptive capacity – critical for innovation, remodelling, and generating new possibilities.161 What exactly does this mean for you? Essentially, you will need to enable the emergence of conversation and seek a diversity of perspectives, collaboration and self-organising potential within your unit and your department, as well as across the organisation, in relation to challenges for which there are no immediate solutions. These conversations, which will facilitate the sharing of viewpoints on the issues and ideas for approaching them, will generate adaptive capacity in the form of learning, experimentation and new initiatives.162 Adaptive leadership moves away from the notion of the traditional ‘heroic leader’ at the top, with initiatives being driven exclusively by the most senior managers. Instead, it effectively harnesses leadership at all levels by encouraging individuals to become informal leaders within their teams, if they have the insight and expertise to develop possible solutions. However, in reality, in your formal leadership role you will still need to continue to “execute in order to meet today’s challenges – and must adapt what and how things get done in order to thrive in tomorrow’s world”.163 Therefore, leading change initiatives

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must co-exist with fostering stability in your organisation, or at least parts of it. These imperatives serve to illustrate the paradoxical nature of leadership, requiring you to do both, not simply one or the other.

Adopting relevant leadership practices When leaders in my study reflected on their learning with regard to their leadership approach, thanks to their experience during organisational uncertainty, they had a variety of views as to which leadership practices were most valuable to them. Guidelines for selecting relevant leadership practices, which include the learnings from these leaders, are shared in this section. They are set out in relation to each key leadership challenge, namely; dealing with experienced complexity, managing others’ uncertainty, and influencing stakeholders through political savvy. Of course, with leadership being such a dynamic process, these leadership practices tend to overlap in reality, rather than being compartmentalised. Dealing with experienced complexity The leaders in my study felt overwhelmed in relation to the degree of complexity they were presented with, the number of changes, and the degree of uncertainty in their specific contexts. This resulted in them feeling ‘out of control’, which decreased their confidence and their agency as leaders. What they learned about dealing with experienced complexity was to embrace a leadership approach which engaged others. They also recognised the importance of having a keen focus, coupled with the ability to be continuously adaptable. Leadership through engaging others The leaders engaged with a wide variety of others as they worked through a host of challenges in their individual contexts in order to gain diverse perspectives on the issues confronting them. This allowed them to explore alternative ideas for the way forward. Some leaders explained their approach:

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•

“You know … I found involving people … also asking people – what can we do regarding this? – was critical”.

•

“With everything going on and so many issues to resolve, I found engaging others on these, including my team, helped me a great deal. My team was brilliant – some of them took ideas and actions and ran with them”.

Leaders from one company in my study experienced high levels of frustration and uncertainty with the hiatus in leadership and decisionmaking, due to a series of acting CEOs on a rotational basis for three months at a time. This arrangement was initiated by the Board. One leader perceived it as “there was no true leadership”. When the fourth acting CEO commenced his appointment, things came to a head. This acting CEO, with the executive committee and the next level of management, agreed to start a participative leadership forum to identify the pressing challenges and issues in the company at the time, and to thereby agree priorities and actions to advance. A recommendation that emerged was for the current acting CEO to remain in the position until a new CEO was appointed, rather than having acting CEOs on a rotational basis. The recommendation was accepted by the Board. Their ‘self-organised’ collective leadership approach certainly generated adaptive capacity, as observed by one leader: “There’s certain things that might not have happened if the uncertainty didn’t exist. So things have changed, things actually started evolving, people started thinking differently, …and that now defines … good leadership. And I think … that’s a good thing because… We’ve actually done quite a bit”.

The leadership approaches adopted by these leaders align with those required for developing adaptive capacity. An adaptive leadership approach requires you to acknowledge that complexity is not going to be controllable or knowable.164 This takes me back to a key theme of this book – that leaders need to legitimise doubt and feel comfortable with admitting “I don’t know” at times.165 By achieving this, your

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approach will open the door to engaging others, because you will be able to say to your team and other stakeholders, “I don’t know, but let’s you and I find out together”.166 Reflect on these questions about your leadership approach: •

Again (because this question was asked in Chapter 5 on sensemaking), to what extent have you been able to say “I don’t know” at times to your team and others? If you have, how did this feel for you? What was the impact on your leadership approach and others in your work context? If not, what constrains you? Might you believe a leader needs to be all-knowing and that admitting you don’t know reveals weakness?

•

When you appreciate how admitting to not knowing could open the door to invite others in and allow you to collaborate, might you be able to do this more easily going forward?

•

To what extent are you a catalyst in generating adaptive capacity in your business unit, department and/or across the organisation, by encouraging others to have meaningful conversations which foster different ideas, experimentation and learning?

•

What strengths do you have in enabling effective conversations with and among different people in relation to adaptive challenges, that is, conversations which lead to the emergence of ideas and experimentation? If you feel you lack certain strengths in this area, how might you go about developing them?

An inherent part of complexity and adaptive challenges in organisations are leadership paradoxes. The leaders in my study experienced frustration in having to deal with the tension of different paradoxes in their contexts. Through their experiences they learned the value of engaging others with different perspectives to their own, helping them find a way of balancing the tensions of a paradox. As a leader it will not serve you if you get stuck ruminating about your frustration with a paradox; you should rather engage with the tensions inherent

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in the paradox. The key to living with and managing a paradox involves developing a mind-set beyond either/or logic between the two conflicting or competing tensions (either A or B), and finding a way of balancing or integrating both A and B. If you lean towards A, challenge yourself to understand more about B by engaging with others who are proponents of B, to understand its benefits and opportunities. Then try to capture your paradox (possibly by writing this down) in a statement of intent that integrates both meaningfully. The importance of focus, coupled with adaptability As above, leaders in my study explained that having an appropriate focus was essential for dealing with their experienced complexity. They realised that they could not influence or control all the variables in their context, and therefore concentrated their efforts on priorities and plans to achieve business results. Yet they emphasised the importance of balancing their foci with flexibility and adaptability, being open to modifying their plans or approaches, or switching priorities, when new information emerged or as events unfolded. •

“I think you’ve got to decide what you can influence … to be able to clearly identify priorities. What are those things that I want to make sure that we focus on … irrespective of uncertainties?”

•

“Keep focussed … because uncertainty can move you off track… Have a plan, execute it… Look, you have to adapt along the way, make no mistake”.

•

“You make a conscious decision … this I can do something about… Let’s develop a plan ... how to take this forward – and then you make peace with that… If there is new information, or new scenarios … let’s adapt the plan. Then you adapt”.

Most of the executive coaches I interviewed acknowledged that several of their clients tended to focus on the feeling of being out of control, therefore what they could not control, which exacerbated their lack of agency. These coaches helped their clients to focus on what in fact lay within their spheres of influence in their particular contexts.

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An exercise for developing focus on what you can influence: Stephen Covey, in his best seller The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, recommended using the concept of a ‘Circle of Concern’ versus a ‘Circle of Influence’ to assist individuals with developing a proactive focus.167 On a blank page, write down, in point form, issues you are feeling overwhelmed about in your role as leader. What is on your mind and weighing you down, or making you feel a lack of agency to act? This constitutes your Circle of Concern. If you continue to focus on these concerns, they will certainly deplete your energy. Now ask yourself what you actually have influence over in your role and context? Write these down. Really mull over where you have points of leverage, no matter how small. This is your Circle of Influence. Although there may be fewer items in it, you may also be surprised at the extent of your impact. These are the areas you need to prioritise and focus on: •

What two to three priorities will you focus on immediately?

•

What will be your next steps for each of these priority issues?

•

How will you use this to focus and align your team in moving forward? How will you engage and enable your team in relation to these priorities?

•

How will you maintain the momentum – for yourself, as well as for your team, especially when the going gets tough?

•

How will you and your team keep track of progress so that you are able to adapt and course-correct along the way?

By providing leadership focus you will also be giving your people more sense of direction, clarifying priorities and boundaries. This is important for containing levels of anxiety among your team members and other employees during organisational change.168 This approach does still need to be balanced with an engaging leadership approach – having conversations with others, asking for their input, and listening to their perspectives and ideas. 120

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Leading people during organisational uncertainty Change leadership and credible communication are both essential for leading others during change initiatives. Although communication is a key component of change leadership, I focus on it separately because it is so critical for leading people through uncertainty. Change Leadership The subject of change leadership has been part of the business world for some time, but is more often referred to as change management. Change management is about clarifying the purpose of a change initiative; how it will impact different parts of the organisation, its people and key stakeholders (for example, customers), and then overseeing the transition from the current to the desired state with minimal disruption to the business. If a new business enterprise IT system is the change initiative, for example, requiring alterations to structures, processes and roles (including skills and behaviours), facilitating the people issues will be the key priority in terms of the ‘soft’ or human side of the change. The IT specialists and project management teams, together with business people, will focus on planning and executing the ‘hard’ side of the system implementation. Many organisations have a change management infrastructure and capability in place, or it is set up for specific change initiatives, to focus on the people dynamics, with the purpose of supporting and enabling leaders to lead their people through change requirements in their business units. If you are a leader, this is not going to be sufficient for truly effective transformation. You need to step up to being a change leader, to accept and own this as being a vital part of your leadership role today and in the future. I prefer the term ‘change leadership’ because you cannot ‘manage’ the change of people in either a precise or linear way. Organisational change processes are complex, dynamic and often quite messy. While the intention may be positive, it is extremely difficult to orchestrate 121

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large-scale change and to have it unfold smoothly. Remember, the organisation is a complex adaptive system, with different parts or sub-systems mutating and adapting in relation to each other. Adding to this, individuals do not all change at the same pace or in the same way. Nor do they always cooperate with changes, and some may even become resistant. It is no wonder that there is still an overall low rate of success in terms of organisational changes, yet the pace of change is increasing. Recent research illustrates some findings pertaining to organisational change and change leadership: •

“When it comes to organizational change, failure continues to be more common than success. In a survey of nearly 3,000 executives about the success of their enterprise transformation efforts, McKinsey discovered the failure rate to be higher than 60%, while Harvard Business Review conducted a study that suggested more than 70% of transformation efforts fail”.169

•

“Change programs fail to achieve their goals, largely due to employee resistance and lack of management support. We also know that when people are truly invested in change it is 30 percent more likely to stick”.170

•

Competence in change leadership, that is, “managing and introducing change, was found to be the strongest predictor of a leader’s confidence in the face of VUCA”.171

Executive and senior leaders certainly play a significant role in setting the tone and example for organisational transformation initiatives; however it is important that leaders at every level become more adept at change leadership. Should you perceive the value in learning more about change leadership, consider the possibility of taking up the challenge of a meaningful position within a change infrastructure, which many organisations have today. In fact, some organisations are transferring both operational and business leaders into change leader posts for a period of time as a development intervention. The benefit of moving operational managers into change leader roles was highlighted in a research study by Lourens:172 122

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The study was conducted in a global financial services organisation in South Africa. This organisation had embarked on a transformation journey involving several organisation-wide changes. For one of the major change projects, a decision was made to create an interim change structure to give more effective support to the leaders in different geographical regions tasked with driving and executing the change strategies. Operational managers at a middle management level were nominated by the regional executive to be change leaders for a period of 18 months. The voluntary secondment into the change leader roles was full-time, and once the secondment was over, it was intended that the change leaders would return to their operational management roles. The majority of the seconded staff had very limited experience in change management. While the key emphasis of this research was on exploring how a coaching programme assisted the operational managers in making their role transitions to those of change leaders, it also focused on ascertaining the value that the managers derived from their experiences as change leaders. The managers had to deal with certain challenges in making the transition to the new roles, including: (1) uncertainty of expectations in the new change leader roles; (2) a role-related shift in power from the previous operational management roles; (3) a new work environment with different ways of working; and (4) the need to develop new competencies. They also experienced personal challenges as part of their transition, in the form of: (1) dealing with their personal uncertainties; and (2) changes in their identities. The managers identified with their previous roles on a personal, social and professional level, and needed to construct new identities in terms of who they were becoming in the new role of change leader. All the managers gained significant benefits from their experiences as change leaders. They developed their change leader competence and enhanced their leadership and people skills in having to work with and influence different stakeholders. They became confident in their roles and felt a sense of positive identity in being change leaders. In fact, they identified to such an extent with their new roles, finding them especially meaningful, that they actually wanted to continue this type of work and were exploring career possibilities in this regard. Furthermore, one of the change project’s sponsors described the growth of the change leaders as follows: “…as individuals, they’ve shown enormous growth … and even if you had to put them back in to line now they will most probably make some of your best, best line people…”.

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As a leader, it is important for you to appreciate that each person in your unit (including yourself), will be negotiating their personal journey of transition during organisational change initiatives. They will be dealing with personal uncertainties, dealing with perceived threats to their identities (their sense of who they are and who they are becoming), and facilitating their own identity construction to new or revised identities (as discussed in Chapter 6). At the heart of organisational change are multiple individual journeys of identity change – people all building their competence and confidence over time, through experience and trial and error, towards a sense of positive identity in a new or changed role. This perspective will give you empathy and patience for leading others through the challenges they face. No matter the approach you opt for in implementing organisational change, the key to success is involving people (all the different stakeholders) and working on establishing their commitment – particularly those who will be most affected by the change. By really engaging people and giving them a meaningful part in shaping their own future states, as well as their roles within them, and establishing their learning processes for getting there, you will be setting everyone up for success. Questions to reflect on as a change leader: •

How much experience have you had in leading change? If you need to gain more experience in this, what options do you have for developing your change leadership competence in your organisation? (There are many books and resources on the internet on change leadership which can also assist you to get up to speed, but this does not beat experience. John Kotter, who wrote the well-known book Leading Change, has reviewed and updated his guidelines for change leadership in a book entitled Accelerate: Building Strategic Agility for a Faster-Moving World173, which gives a good foundation. A website where you can access free practical articles, guidelines and tools for change leadership is: changeleadersnetwork.com.)

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•

Reflect on the few past or current change initiatives in your organisation. How successful were these? What worked well and what did not work well from a change leadership perspective (that is, facilitating the people side of the changes)?

•

What was your own approach to change leadership regarding these change initiatives (whether this was at the company level, business unit level or department level)? Looking back, what could you have done differently? What will you intentionally take up in your change leadership approach going forward?

•

To what extent have you internalised being a change leader as part of your leadership role? If not to a great extent yet, how can you incorporate this more fully into your leader identity for the future? What will you do differently as a result, considering the perspective of the people affected?

Credible communication What leaders in my study found particularly challenging was communicating clarity to others in the face of their own uncertainty. This was exacerbated by their awareness of the tendency of people to observe the emotional state of their leaders to gauge what is going on. Especially where they wanted, or were asked, to offer a positive message but did not feel very positive themselves, they worried about their staff picking up on their facial expressions or body posture, and so coming across as not being honest. There were also issues, mostly those which were as yet unresolved, which needed to be kept under wraps and they were not at liberty to divulge, in spite of a multitude of requests for clarity. It was particularly frustrating for those leaders who would rather have been open and told the situation as it really was. These leaders acknowledged that what helped them manage their own uncertainty was making sense for themselves of what was happening in their personal context, coupled with tapping into their support networks and managing their own emotions. It is clear then, that you need to regulate your own emotional state in order to contain your people’s anxiety, thereby facilitating them to engage

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constructively with the change and uncertainty in their work context. It’s not about trying to eliminate anxiety or simply offering reassurance; rather it’s about listening to others empathetically, affording them the space to get concerns out into the open and helping them to move forward with a realistic perspective. You can assist by guiding people towards identifying where they can make a contribution and fostering a sense of hope about being able to influence the change process, by becoming actively involved as events unfold. It is also important to create a sense of community within the team by encouraging them to support each other. While some authors argue for leaders to be authentic and vulnerable, I believe it needs to be done appropriately when leading others through uncertainty. If leaders reveal and share their feelings of uncertainty indiscriminately, it will not help to contain the anxiety of others.174 In fact, research has established that leaders’ emotions do affect followers’ emotions.175 What you need to do is to find the balance between being empathetic, being genuine (that is, sharing appropriate emotion or vulnerability) and being able to engage your people in terms of their experience of the uncertainty – while simultaneously leading the change positively.176 What helped the leaders in my study to communicate with more conviction was when they themselves had made sense of what was going on, in that they now had a plausible narrative in their minds which they could then genuinely communicate to others. Questions to reflect on: •

When leading change initiatives in the past or currently, think about how you have communicated to your team and other stakeholders. What was your emotional state most of the time? How did your state change over time? And for what reasons?

•

How did you regulate your emotional state when communicating to others, particularly if you were feeling uncertain, vulnerable, or your own morale was a bit low about the impact of the changes in your organisation (either on yourself or on others)?

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To what extent were you able to engage with others’ experienced

•

uncertainty or anxiety, either as a team or with individual team members? How effective were your conversations with them about this, and were you able to contain their anxiety, as explained above? To what extent have you shared your emotions or vulnerability

•

appropriately with team members? How did this help to engage them and build trust? Sharing your vulnerability is courageous – although it does not mean “letting it all hang out”. Appropriate sharing can enhance trust and give others permission to be more open as to what they are experiencing. Going forward, what will you do differently?

•

Clearly, credible and effective communication was perceived by the leaders in my study as being extremely important for managing the uncertainty of their team members and other key stakeholders, such as their clients. Reflecting on what they learned from their experiences, they emphasised the need to be honest while being realistically optimistic, and to engender hope while not creating an impression of certainty when they are not in a position to do so. They also emphasised the need to communicate regularly, even when there has been no progress. Once a commitment has been made to regular communication briefings, it is important to uphold this. •

“Look, I think communication is vitally important … you have to talk about it [the changes] honestly … to acknowledge it, and you have to try to put it in context. …communicating honestly and truthfully, and being true to my values – while at the same time trying to put as positive a spin on the way things were going as possible”.

•

“Telling people if it’s not going well … but this is what we are trying to do”.

However, several leaders in the company which had pervasive uncertainty for over five years felt there was scope to have been more transparent in their communication, stressing that they would aspire to this in future, particularly to maintain trust.

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“Communication could’ve at some stages, in my opinion, been more transparent because we were concerned that we would upset people... Even if it is bad news, just share it… The problem is these things tend to come out – and then trust becomes an issue. I’ve really seen that people are more tolerant than what you think”.

Maren Kate Donovan, CEO of Zirtual, strongly advises that leaders not try to protect their employees, but to rather be upfront during organisational change, which echoes a key learning point of the leaders in my study:177 “My team is without a doubt my biggest asset, which is something I never take for granted. So it’s vital to keep them in the loop during periods of change and consistently show support. Because what my employees don’t know could ultimately hurt the entire business. The sooner your team knows about upcoming shifts in the company, the better”. “Additionally, give your employees ample time to adjust, as change in a company can often lead to people feeling unstable in their positions. And be transparent. Employees who can trust in the company and its management are much more likely to stay committed to the mission. It’s easy to want to play the ‘mama bear’ role in protecting your team during a transition, but they will respect you more if they are fully aware of the struggles that lay ahead”.

During 2016, LinkedIn was acquired by Microsoft. Different views and sentiments about this business venture were expressed in the media. What struck me was the communication approach taken by the CEO of LinkedIn, Jeff Weiner. He decided to post his full communication brief, sent to his employees, onto LinkedIn so everyone could see his perspective and rationale for taking the business in this direction. Below are a few key extracts from Weiner’s communication brief to all employees:178

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“Today’s announcement, that LinkedIn will be combining forces with Microsoft, marks the next step in our journey together, the next stepping stone toward realizing our mission and vision, and in remaining CEO of the company, the next chapter in the greatest professional experience of my life”. “No matter what you’re feeling now, give yourself some time to process the news. You might feel a sense of excitement, fear, sadness, or some combination of all of those emotions. Every member of the exec team has experienced the same, but we’ve had months to process. Regardless of the ups and downs, we’ve come out the other side knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt, this is the best thing for our company”. “Let me explain why”.

Yet surprisingly, while so many leaders, consultants and authors argue for transparency during organisational change, for varying reasons there are still many leaders who think it might be better not to be 100% frank and forthright, a perspective I have encountered in my coaching practice. My approach has always been to challenge clients on their views, asking them to step into the shoes of different stakeholders and to then hear the message of the intended communication from these different perspectives – and the implications thereof. In some instances they adjust their communication approach, but in other instances not, mainly due to having to be confidential for business reasons. This is understandable when business negotiations are occurring, but needs to be balanced with transparency and the reality of today’s business world. In these times of social media, leaders need to anticipate that communication will get out into their business sector. How then do you plan and execute your communication, maintaining trust and credibility in the eyes of key stakeholders? While facilitating effective conversations is fundamental to leadership, it becomes even more critical when leading others through organisational uncertainty. One of the most popular articles in the Harvard Business Review, entitled ‘Leadership is a conversation’, makes the point below:179

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“The command-and-control approach to management has in recent years become less and less viable. Globalization, new technologies, and changes in how companies create value and interact with customers have sharply reduced the efficacy of a purely directive, top-down model of leadership. What will take the place of that model?” “Part of the answer lies in how leaders manage communication within their organizations — that is, how they handle the flow of information to, from, and among their employees. Traditional corporate communication must give way to a process that is more dynamic and more sophisticated. Most important, that process must be conversational”.

The authors identify four elements that enable effective value-adding conversations: intimacy, interactivity, inclusion, and intentionality. •

Intimacy requires leaders to get close to their people by minimising the distances – institutional, attitudinal, and sometimes spatial – that typically separate them from their employees. As a leader, speaking directly with your people will build trust. By being more informal and really setting aside your own agenda to listen to them, you will indicate your genuine interest in them as individuals, including what they think and feel, and your respect for their insights and opinions.

•

Interactivity is about promoting an exchange of questions, comments

and

views

between

people.

When

having

conversations, consciously talk with your team members and/or other employees, and not just to them or at them. •

Inclusion highlights the role that employees play in that process. As a leader, how could you encourage your team members and/ or other employees to feel like they are indeed valuable thinking partners? How could you more effectively invite them into the process to offer their input and ideas? Promoting dialogue and harnessing others’ insights and suggestions is essential during organisational change. Adopting this type of leadership style is often referred to as a ‘coaching style’.

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•

Intentionality means that participants in the conversation have some sense of what they hope to achieve; it’s not aimless. This means that, as a leader, your conversations need to have a shared agenda that is aligned with the company’s objectives.

In reading the above you may well be thinking that this makes sense but is not practical to apply when you have geographical distances between you and various business units or teams. The way forward is to harness technology to facilitate communication and effective conversations. There are many options available; even if the communication is a video brief that goes to employees, this can be made interactive by asking them to text messages and questions. Pulse surveys (for example, Q6 or Officevibe) can be designed for immediate feedback or input from employees on a few key questions (the fewer, the better), and may be used to gauge employee morale. McKinsey advocates that technology be utilised more within change leadership approaches:180 “In increasingly global organizations, communities involved in change efforts are often physically distant from one another. Providing an outlet for colleagues to share and see all the information related to a task, including progress updates and informal commentary, can create an important esprit de corps”. “Specific tools are necessary to achieve this level of connectivity and commitment. Those that we have seen work well include shared dashboards, visualizations of activity across the team, “gamification” to bolster competition, and online forums where people can easily speak to one another (for example, linking a Twitter-like feed to a work flow or creating forums tied to leaderboards so people can easily discuss how to move up in the rankings)”.

While there are advantages in using technology to facilitate more effective communication, it should never replace face-to-face communication. Time for walking about, conducting field trips or plant visits, and hosting town hall meetings should be prioritised by leaders.

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Questions to ponder about communication during organisational change: What communication principles do you aspire to be true to, as a

•

leader, when communicating to employees during organisational change? To what extent have you managed to achieve this in the past or currently? What principles need more attention? If “leadership is a conversation”, to what extent have you

•

embodied this in your approach, particularly during change? How might you improve your approach to communication

•

so that it includes the four crucial elements of conversation (intimacy, interactivity, inclusion, and intentionality)? How could you utilise technology to enable your communication processes (or channels) to foster these elements of conversation? Influencing key stakeholders through political savvy The leaders in my study who were in, or had acted in, a more senior executive role, acknowledged that they had developed their political savvy as they lived through their episodes of organisational uncertainty. Being in these more senior roles had necessitated more political navigation in terms of interfacing with key stakeholders. This political dimension is explained in these examples: •

“I mean I also had the odd bad clash with some of the shareholders… But I’ve come to learn that I can manage that better and I can say things better. It’s about choosing your battles. And to do it more calmly … and more diplomatically…”

•

“I have a better understanding of how to pull different people in at different times to have the desired outcome. And I think I’ve managed that quite well, and learnt quite a bit out of that. So getting the timing right, if I can call it that. And although I’m straight and frank, I think I learned to be very careful in how I take the matter forward. You know, politics has got an incorrect connotation. I think it’s more a case of – how do you bring the right people together at the right time?”

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The above extracts illustrate the value of political savvy in dealing with and influencing key stakeholders during organisational change, including the importance of picking one’s battles and of appropriate timing and diplomacy to culminate in desired outcomes. It has been suggested that senior executives and CEOs, who tend to be more isolated and do not have others to bat for them, particularly require political expertise to be maximally effective in their roles.181 While many leaders accept that politics is a reality of organisational life, there is still often a discomfort attached to the manoeuvring it requires – even encouraging some individuals to deny their competence – as though political proficiency is not something you should strive to include in your skill arsenal. In spite of such negativity, the reality is that political savvy (or political skill) is essential for leaders in organisations undergoing change.182 Nevertheless, political savvy is not explicitly focused on in leadership development programmes, possibly due to its stigma.183 A simple framework for explaining what political savvy is compared with negative politicking, or being politically naïve, is depicted below: Table 3: Different approaches to corporate politics

Being politically naïve You do not acknowledge the reality of politics in your context. As a result, you tread on others’ toes and make political blunders, which may cost you in terms of perceptions of others and adversely affect working relationships.

Applying political savvy You do accept the reality of politics in your organisation. You view political savvy as necessary for positively influencing stakeholders in your context. You therefore actively consider stakeholders’ views and their potential responses in how to navigate situations towards organisational purposes.

Being a politician – “politicking’ You manipulate people and situations for your own ends. You butter up senior people, cut corners and drop names to gain power. You also stab others in the back. This approach costs you when others cotton on to your games, thereby damaging your working relationships and results.

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I mentioned a coaching client earlier in this book who expressed her hatred of corporate politics. However, she came to realise that she needed to navigate the political landscape having been promoted into a more senior position in an organisational context of major restructuring. In our conversations we explored whether she actually had any examples of leaders who used political skill positively. After giving this some thought she found an example, describing this person’s approach and the beneficial outcomes she had observed. Her main aversion was in fact to the word ‘political’. When encouraged to create a term that would serve her better she chose “positively influencing”. Although going forward she kept this term in mind as she steered her way through a series of challenges with key stakeholders, she was, in fact, clearly applying political savvy in achieving positive results! Political savvy relates primarily to your ability to understand others, picking up social cues and putting yourself in others’ shoes. You can then use these insights to inform your approach to influencing stakeholders towards certain objectives. For example, should you plan to present a proposal to the executive committee for re-structuring a business unit (aligned with certain change initiatives in your company), you might then realise that your proposal has implications for another business unit. Political savvy would mean anticipating how the executive responsible for this unit might feel and respond when hearing your proposal for the first time in that forum. You would therefore decide to meet with him prior to the executive committee meeting to discuss your proposal and to hear and evaluate his views, concerns and suggestions. Based on his input, you might agree to make certain adjustments to your proposal before you present it to the executive committee. Now you have avoided a potential political blunder – and the costs associated with it. Reflections on how to develop your political savvy: •

Firstly, as a leader, consider what your perspective and approach to politics is in your organisation. Where do you locate yourself in Table 3 above most of the time?

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•

How might you need to reframe your approach to corporate politics to serve you better, so that you can be more effective in building trust and influencing stakeholders during organisational change?

•

What might you need to do to exercise political savvy more intentionally?

•

It may be useful to map your key stakeholders in your context and assess your current working relationships with each of them. To do this, list them and either assign ratings based on their level of importance to you (1 as not very important, 10 as critical) or prioritise them with the most important at the top, with importance reducing as you go down the list. Now rate them on a scale of 1 (poor) to 10 (excellent). Looking at your completed picture, where do you need to improve your working relationships? What steps can you take to understand key stakeholders better and to improve collaboration and trust, especially where relationships are perhaps strained, so you can navigate political waters more smoothly and avoid any political landmines you are likely to encounter.

A final reflection: As a leader, how can you foster the development of leaders who report to you towards adopting different and relevant leadership practices during organisational change and uncertainty? In this part of the book I have focused on how you, as a leader, can develop your capability for uncertainty, and have challenged you to also think about how you can enhance this capability in your team members and your team as a whole. In the next part of the book I shift gears to consider how organisations might approach the development of leaders’ capability for uncertainty.

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In the previous part of the book, the main focus was on how individual leaders can develop their capability for uncertainty, with prompts for setting the tone and thinking about how to foster this capability in their own teams. In Part C, the focus shifts to organisations. It incorporates this one chapter which considers the implications for leadership development in organisations towards enhancing leaders’ capability for uncertainty. In particular, the questions of where to target the development of leaders’ capability for uncertainty in organisations and how are considered. Ideas are offered and some seeds are planted. There is no silver bullet; each organisation is unique, with its own culture and its own existing leadership development purposes and strategies. These will influence if and how the ideas and suggestions made here might be implemented. Emphasis is also placed in this section on leadership coaching as one viable option for developing the capability for uncertainty in leaders.

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Chapter Eight

How organisations can develop leaders’ capability for uncertainty

Definition Leaders’ capability for uncertainty is the ability for engaging with uncertainty in their organisational context and leading others, while simultaneously managing their own experienced uncertainty.

Intention and purposes Meaningful leadership development is critical for organisations to survive and thrive in this VUCA world. The notion of a capability for uncertainty, and its components, has the potential to add value to the development of leaders and thereby to enhance their effectiveness in the turbulent reality in which they find themselves. For this to occur, it is important that organisations articulate a clear intention to develop leaders’ capability for uncertainty. Remember that such a capability is shaped by the definition above, which realistically includes the vulnerable side of leadership. Leaders are expected to step up to uncertainty in order to engage with it, as well as to act as a guide for others, no matter how they feel themselves during organisational change. They are required to live and lead through uncertainty. The five components of a holistic capability for uncertainty could be used towards informing key purposes of leadership development interventions, namely: (1) acceptance of uncertainty; (2) learning agility; (3) effective sense-making; (4) a sense of positive leader identity; and (5) relevant leadership practices during organisational uncertainty.

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Over and above enhancing leaders’ own capability for uncertainty, an additional goal of such leadership development interventions could be enabling leaders to apply their learning to the development of such capacity in their people, both as individuals and as a team.

The impact of organisational culture The impact of organisational culture cannot be ignored, as it can either support or inhibit the transfer and sustainability of learning. Where there is a definite intention to develop leaders’ capability for uncertainty, a culture that is aligned with the principles pertaining to such a capability are crucial. Key features of an enabling culture are: •

a learning-orientation that encourages experimentation, gaining understanding from trial and error, and a tolerance for mistakes that are made in the spirit of gaining wisdom;

•

the acknowledgement of the reality that uncertainty is experienced by everyone, including leaders at all levels, which manifests as vulnerability or doubt;

•

that leadership is not viewed as residing in one person (as the heroic leader) or in top management alone. Rather, leadership is valued as a catalyst and facilitator of conversations with people to encourage the emergence of ideas, experimentation and learning – and for gaining their commitment and involvement in change processes.

The essence of the above culture needs to be lived, not just espoused. This calls on executive and senior leaders to walk the talk and to appreciate the impact of being positive role models to others. Rapidly growing companies, by virtue of constant change and deliberate learning, will tend to have a culture which fosters and supports leadership agility – in other words, leaders with an enhanced capability for uncertainty. Findings from a recent global survey attest to the interrelationship between organisational culture and leadership agility:184

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“Fast-growth companies have 35 percent more agile leaders than their no/ slow-growth counterparts; however, in no/slow-growth companies, agile leaders are 32 percent less engaged compared to those in high-growth companies. They also are 47 percent more likely to be looking for another job. Simply put, agile leaders are likely to clash more often with — and to depart more quickly from — a company that is performing poorly or that has a highly conservative culture.“

Due to the significance of culture in augmenting the development of leaders’ capability for uncertainty, an initial priority may be to shift the organisational culture itself, through OD strategies, to be more supportive of agile leaders. Alternatively, the development of a more appropriate culture could be purposely integrated with developing leaders’ capability for uncertainty.

Where to target the development of leaders – and how There is a guiding formula that prevails within the leadership development community for determining the ratio of different types of learning interventions. This formula is: 70% on-the-job experience and assignments, 20% working with and learning from other people, and 10% formal programmes. However, this formula does not appear to be based on any empirical evidence.185 More recently, a global leadership development survey found that what leaders perceived to be the actual time spent on learning activities aligned with the ratio adopted by companies that provide the highest quality leader development. This ratio is as follows: 52-55% for on-the-job experience and assignments, 25-27% for learning from and with other people, and 20-21% for formal programmes. What is evident from these findings is that while on-the-job experience is still very significant, it needs to be integrated with a higher percentage of formal learning (relevant leadership programmes), supported by learning from and with others (that is, coaching, mentoring, action learning, and/or feedback from direct managers).

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This recent benchmark ratio could be used in companies to underpin and inform their overall development strategies for developing leaders’ capability for uncertainty in an integrated way. This would mean selecting and sequencing the different learning activities to supplement and build on each other. Some of the formal programmes, as well as learning from others, might need to occur in parallel, in real time, to support on-the-job development as it unfolds.186 I will highlight some suggestions next, which relate to the three different categories of learning activities. However, organisations would need to ensure integration across these, with relevant customisation to their unique context and their current talent and leadership development strategies. I also draw from the findings of the global leadership development survey mentioned above, conducted by Development Dimensions International (DDI) in partnership with The Conference Board.187 Formal programmes It makes sense to target the development of senior and middlemanagement levels, and of high potential individuals, as identified by each company’s talent management and succession systems. The five components of a holistic capability for uncertainty could be used as a basis for informing the key purposes and outcomes of a formal leadership programme, or for a specific module within a programme. These core components could assist with fleshing out the mind-sets and competencies to be focused on. Adaptation to align with the company’s existing leadership competency framework/s could be required. A few assessments, which are applicable to a capability for uncertainty, could be included in the programme to assist leaders with identifying self-development goals. I suggest that an assessment on learning agility would be meaningful, as it is a core mind-set and competence underpinning this capability. With effective conversations required for sense-making, identity construction and leading others during uncertainty, all core components of this capability, an assessment on conversational and interactive abilities could prove valuable.

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Most importantly, the programme would need to have learning exercises to explore leaders’ experienced uncertainty – and how it plays out for them in reality. Since this could make leaders feel vulnerable, especially among their peers, the design and facilitation of these exercises would need to be carefully thought through and constructed, so as to optimise learning. In my experience, these types of exercises, coupled with honest sharing, tend to normalise experienced uncertainty. Once individuals recognise that everyone responds to uncertainty in similar ways, and that anxiety, fear and diminished agency are not anything to be ashamed of, leaders find the capacity to be more accepting of uncertainty and more open about their reactions to it going forward. It would be valuable for modules to include relevant theoretical lenses and principles which underpin the components of a capability for uncertainty, for example, sense-making and positive identity construction. A key finding from my study was that the leaders involved developed a sense of positive leader identity through their crucible experiences of uncertainty. Their personal uncertainties triggered identity sense-making and identity construction within their changing contexts. Their more positive identities also equipped them for future episodes of uncertainty. Positive identity construction is therefore a critical factor in developing leaders’ capability for uncertainty. While it needs to be emphasised in the content, it is made real through individuals’ own stories, examples and case studies. Identity development is fundamental to the evolution of leaders188, and I believe it could certainly benefit from more attention within the field of leadership development. Central to the concept of learning agility, a core component of a capability for uncertainty, is the need for developing leaders’ critical reflective ability and their ability to learn from experience.189 The formal programme (or modules within it) should, in the early stages, expose delegates to reflection exercises which deliberately develop their reflective capacity, ensuring this technique is woven throughout the programme. It then needs to be intentionally applied to learning from experience on the job. Learning how to reflect is challenging for many 142

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leaders. It would be useful to provide guidelines and a template of questions for structuring delegates’ reflections. Perhaps technology could be harnessed to assist with this, as there are journaling apps available on the internet, which might encourage delegates to journal using their preferred medium and therefore to do so more regularly. A focus on developing change leadership competence is vital; it is a crucial element of a capability for uncertainty, required for leading others. In support of this, the global leadership survey found change leadership to be “the strongest predictor of a leader’s confidence in the face of VUCA”.190 An example of a well-integrated intervention focused on developing change leadership is outlined later in this chapter.191 Many leaders perceive politics negatively, creating an aversion to developing their political savvy, even though this is essential for effectively influencing key stakeholders during organisational change. The subject of political savvy also does not seem to be given explicit attention in formal programmes, yet we know corporate politics is a reality; it has the potential to create distrust and personal uncertainty, particularly at senior levels. Companies would be wise to find ways to talk about politics more openly and honestly, and to position political savvy as a desirable attribute for leaders, that is, to positively influence stakeholders towards relevant business decisions and outcomes. I therefore suggest that political savvy should be afforded a constructive and transparent place in the formal content of leadership programmes, rather than turning a blind eye to the negative forms of political behaviour that otherwise breed covertly. Developmental experiences Facing up to challenging development experiences on the job make them “a potentially powerful learning experience”192, including novel and unexpected circumstances, or situations involving increased complexity and pressure. For meaningful learning to occur, however, it is important that these job-related development opportunities are coupled with support and feedback.

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Since the capability for uncertainty is facilitated through experience, companies could usefully target leader development interventions at identified ‘crucibles of experienced uncertainty’. These crucibles may involve transitions into new roles or new careers, on-boarding newcomers to the organisation and into their roles, assignments in other geographical regions or countries, change-related projects, or specific organisational changes. This approach to leadership development would require a proactive approach to identifying these crucibles of experience and possible on-the-job assignments. Any of these changes, whether organisational initiatives or individual transitions, should raise a flag as potential development opportunities. According to the global survey on leadership development, effective facilitation of transitions from one level of leadership to the next occurred in 37% of the 2,031 organisations that participated.193 Given this finding, the evidence definitely suggests companies could potentially be leveraging more learning from leadership transitions. Many leaders derail when transitioning because transitions trigger personal uncertainty, they are complex to navigate, and they require identity development or revision. If leaders could be supported to intentionally learn more during and after a transition, this would certainly enhance their capability for uncertainty, which they could then apply to successfully negotiating their next transition. Furthermore, they could utilise their learning to facilitate transitions involving those who report to them. Learning from and with others Supplementary and supportive learning activities to foster leaders’ learning from and with others need to be integrated with both formal learning programmes and on-the-job developmental experiences. The selection of these learning activities to facilitate the transfer and sustainability of the leader’s learning will depend on the range of options a company has available to them. Does the company have a formal mentoring system in place so leaders could be mentored on certain aspects? Does the company have action learning built into its culture and existing development programmes, which a leader could utilise? 144

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One possibility would be having each leader work with a coach inbetween the modules of a programme to facilitate transfer of learning to the leader’s work context. Coaching in this sense would be merging learning from the formal programme with each leader’s onthe-job experiences. Additional supportive learning approaches need to be integrated alongside or in parallel to the identified crucibles of uncertainty mentioned above (that is, developmental experiences such as leadership transitions) to harness real-time experiential learning. Leadership coaching with either an external or internal coach may be one option. Action learning is another valuable supplementary intervention and may be used in different ways; however the use of action learning requires a facilitator with the relevant expertise to guide the group process. Action learning might be used as a vehicle to facilitate on-thejob learning assignments or projects given to, or chosen by, teams, specifically arising from a formal leadership programme. It could also be used in groups to work through issues or challenges individuals are dealing with in their work context of uncertainty, or transitions, as was done in the example below (referred to as coaching circles).

Formal

Modules on Change leadership

Support Transition Coaching & Coaching Circles

Experience Line Managers move into a Change Leader role for 18 months

Figure 10: Example of a well-integrated intervention:194

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The intervention depicted above is explained below. This intervention, in a global financial services company in South Africa, focused on developing the change leadership competence of operational managers (which was also referred to in Chapter 8 under Change Leadership). It involved moving 16 operational managers into change leader roles for a period of 18 months, on a voluntary basis, although they were nominated by senior management. These change leader positions were created within a change infrastructure (part of OD) set-up to provide change leadership support to business regions in relation to a major organisational change initiative. This strategy demonstrated proactive development of change leadership competence, a crucial element of a capability for uncertainty, required for leading others. The intervention incorporated a combination of: (1) formal team learning modules; (2) individual coaching (using external coaches); and (3) coaching circles (similar to action learning groups), comprising the ‘new’ change leaders within the different business regions and facilitated by the coaches. The team learning modules focused on different competencies essential for the change leaders in their new roles. The purpose of the individual coaching was to assist each manager with their transition into their new roles. The coaching circles concentrated on real challenges being experienced by the change leaders in supporting the organisational change initiative. The overall integrated intervention was perceived to be extremely effective by the key stakeholders.

The global survey on leadership development also offered some pertinent findings on supplementary activities for learning from and with others, which companies might usefully factor into their interventions:195 •

Firstly, the aspect which most hindered leaders’ learning from on-the-job experience was poor feedback from their immediate manager after the experience. The implication for companies is to find ways to make managers more accountable for their role in supporting on-the-job learning from their direct reports’ developmental experiences.

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•

Secondly, coaching was perceived to be an effective learning intervention at all levels of leadership, although with different emphases. While internal coaching was applied at lower to midlevel leadership levels, external coaching was utilised at more senior levels. The reason given was that leaders at more senior levels are in roles with increased complexity, requiring more sensitivity and neutrality from an independent, external coach. Other research has also indicated that executives are favourably disposed to external coaching.196

If a company’s intention is to develop their senior leaders’ capability for uncertainty, then utilising external coaching would be of value, to be discussed next.

Utilising leadership coaching Leadership coaching (or executive coaching), while considered a development intervention, is distinct from other planned growth interventions. It is unique in that it is a one-to-one confidential relationship between an executive or leader and a qualified coach (typically external to the organisation), comprising a series of purposeful conversations over a specified period of time, designed to accelerate the acquisition of self-awareness, as well as possibly knowledge, skill and maturity.197 Reasons for utilising leadership coaching to further leaders’ capability for uncertainty are considered below: •

To begin with, leadership coaching has the benefit of providing a safe, confidential learning space for executives and senior leaders, who often find it difficult to share their vulnerability in relation to their experiences of uncertainty.198

•

The development of leaders’ capability for uncertainty occurs primarily through crucible experiences of uncertainty, for example leadership transitions. Leadership coaching is an experiential, real-time learning process. It helps individuals to extract learning from situations they have lived through and

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to apply that learning forward into the work setting through experimentation and reflection.199 •

Leaders also require enhanced personal awareness in their roles when they are dealing with the uncharted seas of organisational ambiguity.200 Due to the reflection which is stimulated in coaching, increased insight has been established as a key outcome of executive coaching.201 In addition, coaching can facilitate leaders in developing their reflective ability, another aspect of a capability for uncertainty.

•

Coaching can indeed be viewed as a sense-making process, in that it assists leaders to make personal sense of their experience of uncertainty. Furthermore, coaching can enhance a leader’s sense-making, enabling the development of more effective sense-making – yet another component of a capability for uncertainty.202

•

Time constraints are a key barrier to the development of executives and senior leaders. Based on my own experience as a coach, coaching sessions can be flexibly accommodated into even busy schedules, and in a real-time manner related to that leader’s specific development needs as they are unfolding in the work context.

Companies need to brief external coaches on the purposes of the coaching when it is being used for developing leaders’ capability for uncertainty, and whether and how the coaching is being integrated with other learning activities. It is important that coaches also be informed about the company’s context of change and uncertainty. ________________ In conclusion, organisations are increasingly being challenged to develop leaders who have the capability for engaging with and being effective in a VUCA world. The notion of a ‘capability for uncertainty’, and devising strategies for developing such a capability in leaders, is one approach for doing so.

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Appendix 1: Overview of research study My study203 used an in-depth qualitative research approach to explore the perspectives of three samples as follows: 1.

The lived experience of uncertainty by leaders in Company ABC, which had being going through prolonged organisational uncertainty for five years.

2.

The lived experience of uncertainty by leaders in Company XYZ, which had been going through 18 months of uncertainty.

3.

The experience of executive coaches in working with leaders’ uncertainty in their own coaching practice.

In Phase 1 of the study, I interviewed the first two samples of leaders who were all members of the executive committees in their companies. My questions explored these leaders’ retrospective views of their lived experience of uncertainty during their period of organisational uncertainty up to the time of the interviews, and what capability for uncertainty they had developed through their experiences. I was concerned about the ability of the leaders in Company ABC to recall their lived experience of uncertainty over a five-year period, so chose a second company (Company XYZ) with a shorter period of organisational uncertainty. These different time periods taken together yielded a more in-depth understanding of the dynamics of the leaders’ experienced uncertainty over time. I thus integrated my findings from the leaders of the two companies.

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Profile of Leaders in both companies (Phase1) Company ABC

Age

Gender

Race

Executive Experience (years)

1

49

Male

White

9.5

2

47

Male

Black

10

3

47

Female

White

7

4

50

Female

Black

11

5

53

Male

White

2.5

6

53

Male

White

9

Company XYZ

Age

Gender

Race

Executive Experience (years)

1

57

Male

White

12

2

36

Male

Black

5

3

59

Male

White

7

4

36

Male

White

3

5

38

Female

Black

1.5

6

45

Male

Black

4

Both sample profiles in the table above were a fair reflection of the demographic profiles found at executive levels in South African companies. The key criterion used for the selection of the above samples was lived experience of uncertainty within a context of organisational change and uncertainty, that being a longer period in Company ABC (five years) and a shorter period in Company XYZ (18 months). I did not look for homogeneity in relation to race, gender, age or years of executive experience, however some diversity in these respects did reflect the reality of the organisational context. NOTE: To ensure anonymity, English male pseudonyms were used in my thesis report to reflect the majority. However, in this book I have chosen to use different pseudonyms to reflect the diversity of the sample, while being careful to ensure anonymity.

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Appendix 1: Overview of research study

In Phase 2 of my research I interviewed a sample of executive coaches, who will remain anonymous. In an increasingly turbulent environment with demanding expectations of leaders, it is most likely not easy for leaders to be vulnerable and share their issues of uncertainty.204 Research has shown that executives are favourably disposed to coaching because it is a one-to-one intervention with an external executive or leadership coach, which potentially affords them a safe and confidential place for exploration and reflection.205 I therefore believed it would be valuable to explore executive coaches’ experiences of, and approaches to, working with leaders’ uncertainty, plus their views on what constituted a leader’s capability for uncertainty. Of note, the leaders and executive coaches in Phases 1 and 2 were separate entities and were not in a coaching relationship. Profile of Executive Coaches (Phase 2) Age

Gender

Race

Experience (yrs)

Coaching training and/or academic qualifications

50

Female

Black

7

BA; MA (Guidance & Counselling); NLP, Gestalt & Mindfulness accreditations

40

Male

White

5

BA (Theology); Completing MA (Professional Coaching)

37

Female

White

8

BSc (Hons) Actuarial Science; Co-Active Coach training; Currently completing M Phil (Leadership)

50

Male

Indian

7

B. Comm; MBL; PCC Certificate ( Integral Coaching)

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Age

Gender

Race

Experience (yrs)

Coaching training and/or academic qualifications

49

Male

White

7

MA (Counselling Psychology); MBA; Integral Coaching & CoActive coach training

57

Female

White

11

Meta-coaching accreditation; Certificate in Coaching; Completing M Phil (Management Coaching)

The overall purpose of the study was to propose coaching guidelines for developing the components of a holistic capability for uncertainty, and to highlight implications for leadership development within organisations. To achieve this purpose, integration in Phase 3 of the study was required across my findings for the research objectives in Phase 1 and Phase 2, as illustrated below. Phase 3 of study – Integration of findings across Phase 1 and Phase 2 Phase 3 Proposed coaching guidelines & implications for leadership development Phase 1 Executive leaders (Companies ABC & XYZ)

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Phase 2 Executive coaches

Objective 1: Lived experience of uncertainty by leaders

Objective 3: Experience of executive coaches in working with executive uncertainty

Objective 2: Capability for uncertainty developed through leaders’ lived experience

Objective 4: Views of what a capability for uncertainty is

Implications and leverage points for executive coaching

The components of a capability for uncertainty

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capital-s-mark-barnes-as-new-ceo Woods, P., Gapp, R., King, M., & Fisher, R. (2013). Exploring the complexity of managerial capability: Insights from the competence-capability debate. British Academy of Management Conference, Said Business School, Oxford University.

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114. Gore, 2016.

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186. DeRue & Myers, 2013; McCall, 2010.

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174. Kotter, 2014.

205. Cavicchia, 2012.

Index A

appraisal of uncertainty, 43–44 apprehension, 19–20, 25, 29–30

acceptance of uncertainty, 35, 37–41, 43,

approaches,

45–47, 49, 51, 53, 55, 59, 113–114,

command-and-control, 130

138 acting role, 8, 12, 14–15, 84–85

participative, 105 apps, 51, 71

acting senior executives, 11, 16

journaling, 143

action learning groups, 146

assessments, 82, 100, 141

activities

assignments, 60, 63, 140, 144

cognitive, 69

cross-cultural, 60

supplementary learning, 146

on-the-job, 144-145

adaptability, 32, 35–36, 38, 113, 119

attendant stresses, 33

adaptation proficiency, 57

attention, 49, 99, 105, 132, 142

adaptive capacity, 32–33, 115

attitudes, 25, 31, 34, 57, 62, 67, 103

developing, 117-118

authority, 107

adaptive challenges, 114–115, 118 addressing, 114

positional, 14 aversion, 27, 30, 134, 143

adaptive leaders, 114 adaptive leadership, 114–115

B

adversity, 33, 70 after-action review, 66

barriers, 60

agency, 29, 95, 116, 119–120

battles, 24, 132–133

diminished, 142 personal, 90 agenda, 68, 78, 130 political, 105 shared, 131 agents, 115 alignment, 86, 98

beliefs, 7, 28, 35, 48–49, 69, 77, 90,92, 99 reframed, 49 black-or-white thinking, 43 blunders, 66 political, 133 board, 8, 11, 21, 29, 51, 65, 66, 85, 102–103, 106–107, 109, 112, 117

personal, 90

boundaries, 99, 120

strategic, 96

breathing, 50–51

anonymity, 1, 150

burnout, 52, 99

anticipatory uncertainty, 13, 19–20, 28,

business, 3–4, 7–8, 13, 18, 23–24, 52,

30, 85 anxiety, 5–6, 25, 47, 120, 126–127, 142 appointment, 7, 15, 19–20, 27, 77, 107, 117

54, 59, 61–63, 65, 91–92, 97, 105, 109–111 business acquisitions, 65 business challenges, 92

external, 103

business decisions, relevant, 143

internal CEO, 103

business hero, 61

167

Living and Leading Through Uncertainty

business leaders, 4, 122

developing, 143, 146

business strategy, 97–98

change leadership support, 146

business uncertainty, 19, 85

change management, 121, 123

business unit executives, 98

change processes, 126, 139

business units, 96–99, 104, 118, 121, 131

change programs, 122 change projects, 123

C

change structure, 123 choices, 4, 6, 51–54, 61, 65, 68–69, 82–83,

capability, 1, 7, 30–32, 34–35, 37, 41–42,

circle of concern, 120

147–148, 152

circle of influence, 120

capability for uncertainty, 1, 31–35, 37, 39–42, 55, 59–60, 72, 74, 87, 135, 137–139, 141–144, 146, 148–149, 152 capacity, 4, 113, 142

claiming leadership, 98 coaches, 1, 14, 18, 29, 37, 70, 119, 145–146, 148 professional, 70, 147 coaching, 14, 70, 140, 145–148, 151–152

personal, 4, 113

executive, 30, 147–148, 152

reflective, 142

external, 146-147

careers, 6, 18, 46, 52, 54, 64, 66–67, 91

internal, 145,147

career trajectory, 90

coaching circles, 145–146

CEOs, 3, 8, 11–12, 17, 21, 44, 47, 61, 67,

coaching clients, 27, 96, 134

91, 103, 107–109, 129, 133

coaching conversations, 59

CEO’s performance, 107

coaching partnership, 14, 70, 96

CEO transitions, 77, 107

coaching practice, 1, 27, 59, 67, 129, 149

change, 3, 5, 29, 31, 42–43, 45–46, 52–53,

coaching process, 42

63, 70, 75–77, 82–83, 121–122, 126,

coaching programme, 123

128, 132–133

coaching relationship, 14,

infrastructure, 122, 146

coaching sessions, 148

leading, 124

coaching style, 130

change initiatives, 121, 125, 134

collaboration, 23, 78, 115, 135

leading, 115, 126

commitments, 29, 124, 127, 131, 139

organisational, 124, 146

communication, 121, 127–132

change leader competence, 123 change leader positions, 122, 146

credible, 38, 113, 125 face-to-face, 131

change leader roles, 122–123, 146

communication approach, 103, 128–129

change leaders, 121, 123–125, 146

communication principles, 35, 132

change leadership, 38, 113, 121–122,

communication processes, 132

124–125, 143, 146 change leadership and credible communication, 121

168

87, 90

47, 57, 59, 77, 135, 137–143, 145,

communities, 42, 126, 131 companies, 3, 7–8, 10–13, 16–17, 19–20, 50–52, 73–74, 85–86, 96–99, 103–

change leadership approaches, 125, 131

105, 111–112, 127–130, 140–141,

change leadership competence, 124, 146

143–144

Index

competence, 47, 61, 90, 93, 106, 108, 124, 133

cultural congruence, 104 culture, 12, 60, 76–77, 86, 94, 99–100,

competence in change leadership, 122

104, 137, 139–140, 145

competencies, 31–32, 37, 94, 141, 146 complex adaptive systems, 115, 122

D

complexity, 3, 22, 28–29, 31, 47, 92, 95, 102, 116–118 cognitive, 31 experienced, 22–23, 28, 30, 38, 113, 116, 119 components of a capability for uncertain-

decisions, 5, 16–17, 43, 47–48, 51–53, 82–83, 85–87, 104, 123 conscious, 119 executive, 83 high-stakes, 47

ty,33, 37–42, 55, 74, 87, 113, 138,

quick, 36, 45, 81–83

142, 148, 152

right, 17, 21

composure, 25-26

tough, 52

concept, leadership pipeline, 95

defensive reaction, 69

confident, 14, 95, 98, 106, 123

devalued identity, 30

constraints, 29, 85, 94

developing capability for uncertainty, 34

budget, 29 financial, 8 constructive doubt, 47 context, 1–2, 5–6, 9–10, 14, 16, 22, 28–30,

development, 34–35, 38–39, 41–42, 58, 72, 88, 112–113, 115, 137, 139–141, 143, 148 development intervention, 122, 147

32–33, 72–79, 90–91, 99–100,

development of leaders, 33, 135, 138, 140

105–107, 116, 118–120, 133

development of mental frames, 35

changing, 73, 76–77, 84, 89, 142 contextual complexity, 22

development opportunities, potential, 144

contextual uncertainty, 2

development programmes, 145

control, 6, 14, 22–23, 28–30, 45, 48–49,

development strategies, 141

71, 79, 83, 92, 114, 119 conversations, 35–36, 58, 62, 70, 78, 97, 115, 118, 120, 127, 130–132, 134, 139, 147 corporate culture, 62 corporate politics, 22, 26, 28, 30, 133–135, 143 corruption, 110

diplomacy, 133 direction, 8, 15–16, 25, 85, 120, 128 strategic, 98, 103 discomfort, 6, 13, 27, 29–30, 44–46, 81, 133 experienced, 12 disruption, 73 minimal, 121

counter-productive behaviour, 79

disruptive technologies, 3

credibility, 4, 17, 89, 91–93, 98, 101–102,

distances, 50, 80, 130

106, 129 credible communication, 121, 127, 131 crucibles, 33, 144 identified, 145 crucibles of experience, 33

emotional, 80–81 geographical, 131 diversity, 107, 115, 150 doubting, 86, 97 dynamic phenomenon, 45

169

Living and Leading Through Uncertainty

dynamic process, 116 dynamics, 76, 90, 95–96, 149

149 executive levels, 15, 20–21, 28, 77, 111,

social, 4

150 executive roles, 21, 132

E

executives, 4, 8, 14, 18–19, 21–22, 60–61, 70, 77, 93, 109, 122, 147–148, 151

economic uncertainty, 4

global, 60

effective conversations, 118, 131, 141 facilitating, 129

newly-appointed, 104 executive teams, 8, 17, 20, 26, 62, 76, 96,

effective sense-making, 37, 74, 114

98, 102–103, 111

efficacy, 93, 130

executive transitions, 18

effort, 68–69, 108, 119

executive uncertainty, 152

emergence, 115, 118, 139

existential dimension, 29

emotionality, 81

existential terms, 6

emotional reactions, 25

existential uncertainty, 18

emotional regulation, 50, 70

experience, 8–10, 19, 29–30, 32–36,

emotional response, 44

38–39, 43–44, 51–53, 57–60, 71–72,

emotional state, 24, 29–30, 80, 125–126

76–77, 124, 142, 144, 148–149,

emotions, 18, 26, 47, 79, 81, 86, 125–129

151–152

intense, 19, 79–80

on-the-job, 140, 146

employee engagement, 24

experienced level of uncertainty, 10

employee resistance, 122

experienced identity uncertainty, 89

empowerment, 23

experiential learning, real-time, 145

engaging leadership approach, 120

experimentation, 66, 98, 106, 114–115,

engaging people, 36, 124 enquiring mind, 78

118, 139, 148 expertise, 62, 114–115

entrepreneurs, successful, 65, 101

political, 133

environment, 3–4, 31, 44–45, 73, 109 external, 2–3, 74

F

internal, 2 environmental uncertainty, 2–3

facial expressions, 125

events, 19–20, 44–45, 77, 82, 84–85, 87,

facilitation, 142, 144

119, anticipating, 19 unfolding, 9–10, 81 excitement, 47, 129

failures, 64–66, 69, 94, 122 experienced, 64 well-publicised, 65

exclusion, 17, 29

fast-growth companies, 140

executive clients, 18

feedback, 58–59, 67–69, 97–98, 100, 106,

executive coaches, 1, 14, 18–19, 21–23, 27–28, 37, 53, 119, 151–152 experience of, 149, 152 executive committees, 7, 51, 117, 134,

170

facilitator, 139, 145

131, 140, 143, 146 seeking, 69 unsolicited, 69 feedback conversations, 68

Index

feedback mechanisms, 107

I

feelings of uncertainty, 5, 17, 43 feelings of anxiety, 6, 126 feelings of discomfort, 30, 44 feelings of vulnerability, 14, 98

identity, 1, 5, 14–15, 28–30, 33, 85, 87, 89–90, 92–93, 95, 99, 106, 109, 123–124

flux, 9, 29, 38, 43, 46, 73,82

developing, 98

flux of uncertainty, 9, 44, 46

emerging, 89, 95

focus, 31, 34–36, 38–39, 45, 47, 50, 52, 60,

multiple, 89–90

75, 79, 81, 94–97, 106, 108, 119–121 developing, 120 proactive, 120

personal, 90 positive, 35, 37, 87, 91–93, 98, 102, 109, 112, 123–124, 142

foreign cultures, 60

preferred, 90

formal programmes, 140–144, 145

previous, 95

forums, 131, 134

revised, 95, 124

online, 131

identity change, 124

participative leadership, 117

identity construction, 89–90, 124,

framing uncertainty, 59 frustration, 8, 12–13, 15, 18, 23, 26–27, 29–30, 51, 85, 107, 109, 117–118

141–142 positive, 142 positive leader, 94 identity development, 90, 95, 109, 142,

G

144 identity uncertainty, 13–14, 16–18, 28–29

gamification, 131

implementing organisational change, 124

gender, 150–152

implementing strategies, 10

gender assumptions, 90

impression, 36, 105, 107, 127

globalisation, 3, 130

initial, 103

government, 7, 110

in-depth reflection, 38, 57

government departments, 27

in-depth understanding, 149

granted leadership, 98

influence stakeholders, 143

groups, 17, 90, 145

information, 6, 24, 48, 91, 100, 104, 107,

minority, 90 growth, 22, 58–59, 66, 123 personal, 34–35, 46, 87, 93, 96, 113

130–131 accessing, 63 positive, 78 information overload, 63

H

initiatives, 59, 84, 97, 106, 110, 112, 115 organisational, 144

holistic capability, 1, 33, 38–40, 138, 141, 152 human behaviour, 6 humbling process, 64

organisational transformation, 122 restructuring, 28 intention, 41, 49, 60, 92, 99, 121, 138 company’s, 147 intentionality, 130–132 interactive abilities, 141

171

Living and Leading Through Uncertainty

interactivity, 130, 132

leaders, 1–37, 39–41, 50–51, 57–60,

interrelationship, 5, 28, 139

62–63, 66–67, 70–71, 74–75, 77–86,

interventions, 146

88–90, 92–94, 108–109, 111–135,

integrated, 143,145, 146

137–145

one-to-one, 151

agile, 140

supplementary, 145

derail, 67 developing, 1, 59, 138, 140–142, 148

J

leader’s approach, 34 leader’s behaviour, 59

job loss, 19, 85 job-related development opportunities, 143 journeys, 71, 123-124, 129

leaders’ capability, 32, 39, 114, 138 components of, 37 development of, 7, 135, 137, 140, 147 leader’s confidence, 122, 143 leaders derail, 144

K

leaders’ experience of uncertainty, 9,

key decisions, 12, 16

leadership, 2, 7, 18, 23, 30, 35, 38, 44, 110,

30, 35 key indicators, 31, 37 key learning goals, 60

113–117, 129–130, 137–139, 144, 147, 151

key lessons, 65, 78

leadership agility, 139

key stakeholders, 16, 26, 93, 96, 98,

leadership approach, 15, 25, 35, 51, 72,

101–102, 105–106, 108, 121, 127, 129, 132, 134–135, 146 identifying, 68 influencing, 4, 38, 113, 132–133, 143

85, 91, 99–100, 103, 114, 116–118 adaptive, 114–115, 117 self-organised collective, 117 leadership capability, 74

key strengths, 68

leadership coach, 42, 151

knowledge, 6, 31, 62, 67, 95, 147

leadership coaching, 70, 137, 145, 147 leadership development, 39, 60, 137–138,

L

142, 144, 146, 152 leadership development interventions,

lateral transition, 95 leaderboards, 131 leader identity, 13, 16, 28–29, 90–91, 93–94, 98, 106, 109–111, 125

138–139, 140, 143 leadership development programmes, 133 leadership development purposes, 137

revised, 96

leadership development strategies, 141

virtuous, 109

leadership focus, 120

leader identity construction, 93

leadership identities, 14, 93

leader identity development, 90

leadership paradoxes, 22, 118

leader reputation, 38, 89

leadership practices, 36, 113, 116

leader role, 21, 38, 89

adoption of relevant, 36, 38, 41, 113 leadership role, 1, 30, 34, 65, 90, 95, 109, 121, 125

172

Index

leadership styles, 12, 91, 130

middle management level, 123, 141

leadership transitions, 77, 87, 94–95, 98,

millennials, 112

100, 102, 144–145, 147 learning, 32, 35–36, 38, 57–60, 62–65, 69,

mindfulness practices, 49–51 mind-set, 37–38, 43–44, 46, 49, 57, 119,

81, 98, 101–102, 104, 114–116, 118, 122, 139–146, 148 cross-cultural, 60

141 core, 141 threshold, 45, 59

formal, 140

mismanagement, 7, 101, 110

on-the-job, 146

models, 94, 130

optimise, 142 self-directed, 55 learning activities, 140–141, 144, 148 supportive, 144

negative role, 99 positive role, 99, 139 motivations, 44, 71, 103 mutually-reinforcing spiral, 93

learning agility, 37–41, 55, 57, 59–61, 63, 65, 67, 69, 71–72, 77, 113–114, 138,

N

141–142 learning curve, 17, 98, 101

Navigate, 22, 26, 28, 30, 83, 90, 101,

learning exercises, 142 learning experience, 143

134–135, 144 political landscape, 132

learning goal, 60

negative emotion, 44

learning interventions, 140

negative signals, 75, 78

learning opportunity, 58–59

negative spirals, 93

learning orientation, 37, 57, 139

negative thinking, 80

learning process, real-time, 124, 147

negativity, 25, 81, 133

learning lessons, 62, 65, 69, 76, 81

neglecting key relationships, 108

lived experience of uncertainty, 7, 10, 29,

negotiations, 12, 98

35, 37, 39, 149–150 lived experience of uncertainty by lead-

networks, 80, 103, 115 normalize uncertainty, 46, 142

ers, 149, 152 O M objective uncertainty, 6 management, 12, 52, 61, 74, 102, 117, 128, 130, 139,141

on-boarding, 103 openness, 37, 43, 61, 78

management support, 122

optimistic, 8, 35–36, 127

management team, 78

organisational, 28, 109

managing people’s uncertainty, 28

ambiguity, 148

managing uncertainty, 45

change, 19, 24, 29, 32, 73, 75, 112, 120,

media, 12, 103, 128 social, 67, 129

122, 124, 128–130, 132–133, 135, 138

mental frames, 35, 69–71, 73, 77

change processes, 12, 121

metaphors, 22, 53, 80

change research, 19

173

Living and Leading Through Uncertainty

context, 2, 4, 7, 9–10, 30, 32, 39, 74, 87, 89, 134, 138, 150 changing, 87 crises, 33 responses, 3

personal purpose, 51 personal transition, 42, 58, 95–96 personal uncertainty, 1, 6–7, 13–14, 17, 19, 21, 28–29, 52, 87, 93, 123–124, 142–144

re-structuring, 12

personal values, 51, 86, 104

scripts, 90

perspectives, 26, 31, 35–37, 57, 69–71,

uncertainty, 7, 9, 21, 25–26, 37–41, 112–117, 119, 121, 123, 125, 127, 129, 131–133, 135, 149 organisations, 2–5, 10–11, 17–18, 67–68, 90, 103, 107–108, 115–116, 118, 121–126, 133–135, 137–139, 141, 143–145, 147–148

77–81, 107–108, 115–116, 118, 120, 124–126, 128–129, 134, 149 new, 86 optimistic, 19 positive, 13 pervasiveness and flux of uncertainty, 38, 43

entering, 93

pervasive uncertainty, 127

global, 12

phase, 94–96, 149,

organisation’s performance, 3 orientation, 38, 43, 46 outcomes, 3, 5–6, 12, 38, 42, 66,70–71, 84, 89, 94, 97–98, 132–134, 141, 143

psychological, 94 plausible interpretations, 38, generating, 73 political behaviour, 143 political blunder, potential, 134

P

political dimension, 132 political landmines, 135

paradoxes, 22–23, 118–119 managing, 30 patterns, 46, 59, 72, 115 behavioural, 69 peaks, 9–10, 29

corporate, 26 political proficiency, 133 political savvy, 38, 113, 116, 132–135, 143 applying, 134

people’s uncertainty, 24–25

politicians, 26, 133

perceptions, 17, 28–29, 58, 77, 81, 93,

positive emotion, 44

101–102, 106, 133 negative, 104 perfectionistic, 48

positive leader identity, 37–41, 89, 91–95, 97, 99, 101, 103, 105–107, 109, 111–114, 138, 142

persevere, 45, 55, 86–87

positively influencing, 134

personal awareness, enhanced, 148

power, 14, 123, 133

personal challenges, experienced, 123

practice

personal goals, 6, 45, 86, 97 personal impact, 21

174

political landscape, 110, 134

daily meditative, 50 routine, 70

personal level, 34, 74

predictability, 114

personal meaning, 18–19, 29, 86–87

prejudices, 33, 77

personal observations, 1

pressures, 8, 21, 27, 59, 81, 143

personal opportunity, 48

pressurised roles, 58

Index

principles, 34, 36, 52, 83, 132, 139, 142

67, 71, 86, 99, 104, 122–123, 126,

priorities, 23, 36, 73, 96–97, 100, 103, 105, 117, 119–120

147, 151 research objectives, 152

problem-solving, 47, 49

resilience, 19, 33, 35, 86

programme, 141–142, 145

resources, 63, 91, 124

formal leadership, 141, 145 leader development, 100

internal, 51 responsibility, 11, 53, 83, 94, 107

progress updates, 131

reward, 44

promotions, 10, 14, 21, 96 potential, 21

optimise, 43 risks, 5, 47, 65, 103, 107, 109, 111

psychological weight, 17 purpose

calculated, 64 role identities, 17

defining, 65

role-related shift, 123

organisational, 133

role transitions, 123

Q

S

qualitative research approach, 149

scenario

quality leader development, highest, 140

present, 105 worst-case, 85

R

scenario planning, 74 self-awareness, 67, 70, 147

reactive threat response, 81 recognition, 93, 98

self-confidence, 60, 93 increased, 38, 89

reflection exercises, 70, 142

self-development, 38, 42, 59, 89

reflection template, 71

self-development actions, 68, 106

reflective ability, 69–70, 77, 81, 148

self-development goals, identifying, 141

critical, 142

self-directed learning approach, 57-58

reflective questions, 69, 83

self-doubt, 2, 14, 29, 33, 45, 47, 93, 98

relationships, 23, 68, 91, 96–99, 102–103,

self-improvement, 6

106, 108, 133, 135

self-organising, 115

building, 103

self-reflection, 67

confidential, 147

self-reflection questions, 42, 62, 111

developing, 105

self-regulation, 79

effective, 102

senior roles, 11, 15, 109, 132

relationships shift, 107 relevant leadership practices, 36–41,

sense-making, 10, 35, 38, 41, 73–79, 84, 86–87, 118, 141–142, 148

112–117, 119, 121, 123, 125, 127,

sense-making approaches, effective, 88

129, 131, 133, 135, 138

sense-making process, 84, 148

renegotiate, 108

effortful, 73

reputation, 91–92, 102, 106

shared dashboards, 131

research, 18, 27, 32–33, 43, 57, 60–61,

shareholders, 12, 111, 132

175

Living and Leading Through Uncertainty

showed courageous leadership, 51, 109

subjective uncertainty, 5–6

skills, 31, 57, 62, 67, 95, 121, 147

sub-systems mutating, 122

political, 27, 30, 35–36, 133–134

success, 8, 18, 24, 26, 59, 64, 94, 105–106,

social identity, 17, 90

122, 124

social systems, 115

succession systems, 141

society, 101, 110, 112

successor, 17, 107, 111

civil, 109–110

support, 7, 16–17, 33, 35, 52, 80, 112, 126,

socio-political trends, 3

128, 139, 143

space, 21, 91–92, 126

effective, 123

confidential learning, 147 neutral, 81

emotional, 36 supportive learning approaches, 145

stability, 26, 116

support networks, 125

stakeholder meetings, 97

support on-the-job development, 141

stakeholder relationships, 108

survey

improving, 109

global leadership development,

stakeholders, 36, 51, 68–69, 77, 102, 105, 108, 114, 118, 123–124, 126, 129,

140–141, 144, 146 sustainability, 139, 144

133

increasing, 111

external, 102

sustainable change, 49

influencing, 116, 133–135

sustainable leadership, 109, 111

relevant, 66

system

state, 82, 110, 121, 124

brain’s alarm, 44

associated, 6 internal, 22

formal mentoring, 144 system implementation, 121

positive, 79 thinking-feeling, 22

T

uncomfortable, 45 state-owned company, 7 state-owned enterprises, 27 story, 53–55, 64, 74, 84, 92, 96, 98, 104, 142 strategies, 10, 23, 59, 61, 63, 104–105, 108, 112, 137, 146, 148 developing innovative business, 74 generating, 10 strengths, 30, 68, 83, 105, 118 perceived, 60, 68 relative, 40 stress, 25, 50, 52, 91 decreased, 50

176

team, 24, 26, 59, 72–73, 76, 78, 88, 90, 97, 115, 117–118, 120, 126–128, 131, 135 team alignment, 103 team learning modules, 146 formal, 146 team members, 42, 55, 59, 72, 97, 102–103, 112, 120, 127, 130, 135 teamwork, 23 technological change, 3 disruptive, 3 technology, 63, 131–132, 143 tensions, 22–23, 26, 76, 118

subconscious level, 73

competing, 119

sub-identities, 89

contradictory, 23

Index

sensing, 76

unproductive second-guessing, 48

theoretical lenses, relevant, 142

unquestioned assumptions, 69

thinking partners, 130

upheavals, 13, 26, 75

thinking patterns, entrenched, 57 thoughts, 50–51, 80

V

negative, 80 new, 50 threat, 8, 30, 43–45, 47

value-adding conversations, effective, 130 values, 6–7, 35–36, 51–53, 66, 68–69, 74,

threats

77, 80–81, 84, 86–87, 90–91, 99,

perceived, 44, 79, 124 potential, 19

109–111, 122–123, 127 viewpoints, 71, 78, 115

tolerance, 82, 139

virtuous aspirations, 112

tools, 124, 131

virtuous leadership, 110,111

transformation efforts, 122

vision, 92, 101, 103, 111, 129

enterprise, 122

visualizations, 131

transition coaching, 104

volatile times, 92

transitioning, 14, 95, 144

vulnerability, 2, 14, 25–26, 98, 126–127,

transition phase, 95, 103

139, 147

transition plan, 100 transitions, 10–12, 14, 16–19, 21, 26, 29,

W

45–46, 60, 74–77, 93–104, 107–109, 112, 121, 123–124, 144–146

weakness, 27, 47, 118

trial and error, 61, 63, 98, 124, 139

wisdom, 58, 65, 69, 83, 86, 109, 139

trust, 14, 27, 30, 80–81, 91–92, 109,

women, 91

127–128, 130, 135 building, 135

work context, 46, 48, 69, 71, 83–84, 118, 126, 145, 148

erode, 24

work-life balance, 21, 99

maintaining, 129

workplace, 11, 31, 90

turbulence, 2, 13, 74 increasing, 113

worldview, 35 worry, 19, 30, 48-49, 107

turbulent situations, 80 turbulent times, 22, 59

[Created with TExtract / www.Texyz.com]

U uncomfortable feelings, 6, 45 understanding politics, 26 uneasiness, 25, 81 unethical behaviour, 109 unexpected circumstances, 143 unfolding, 9, 12, 76, 84, 148 unpredictability, 30

177

Developing leaders’ capability for uncertainty “Uncertainty is opportunity.”

Today’s leaders are experiencing unprecedented turbulence. Trying to reduce or deny this uncertainty is a futile exercise. Leaders now need to acquire the capability to deal with uncertainty. Leadership coach and change leadership consultant, Dr Kathy Bennett offers organisations a comprehensive guide to develop this capability in their leaders. Her new book, Living and Leading Through Uncertainty, provides an in-depth analysis of uncertainty coupled with self-reflective exercises to help leaders cope in a VUCA world. By weaving together practical techniques for enhancing leadership capability, together with inspiring real-life stories of leaders who embraced uncertainty, this book provides a simple yet strong framework to become a more resilient, adaptive leader. Living and Leading Through Uncertainty is a must-read for ALL business leaders, professionals and executive coaches. “If there was ever a time for leaders to stop relying on their own experience and capacity to make decisions, it’s NOW! Living and Leading Through Uncertainty will give leaders the courage to embrace their strengths and weaknesses, surround themselves with people who complement them, share their collective wisdom and stop thinking they’re weak because they don’t have all the answers.” Dr Salomé van Coller-Peter, Head: MPhil in Management Coaching, University of Stellenbosch Business School

Mark Holtshousen, Executive Coach & Head of Global Career Management at MTN Group “Kathy has been on our coaching panel for more than 8 years, which delivers executive coaching services across a range of industries and sectors in South Africa and Africa. Living and Leading Through Uncertainty is a reflective and practical narrative based on her journey as an executive coach and on her research. It’s a must-read for leaders and executive coaches.” Dr Willem de Jager, Associate Director: People Advisory Services, Ernst & Young, Africa

KATHY BENNETT

“Kathy speaks from a place that few others can on the subject of leadership uncertainty, having delved deeply into the lives of leaders in transition as an executive coach, and with the solid foundation of a researcher. She allows us to understand that what we are experiencing is not unique, and more importantly that we have the capacity to rise and lead through uncertainty.”

LIVING AND LEADING THROUGH UNCERTAINTY

LIVING AND LEADING THROUGH UNCERTAINTY

LIVING AND LEADING THROUGH UNCERTAINTY

Developing leaders’ capability for uncertainty

KATHY BENNETT