4 key tenets for leading through turmoil and ambiguity

When one thinks of leadership, words like “strong,” “visionary,” “decisive,” “confident” and “success” come to mind.

However, leading is more art than science as it entails both an intellectual and emotional component to sustain interest and direct behavior. As the pandemic unfolded, a whole new model of leadership came into view—one that placed a different set of characteristics at the forefront.

Among the words leaders are learning to focus on now:

The key to leading today begins with your narrative about your values, purpose and the shifting environment enveloping society and business. The narrative should intrinsically tie-in to your business and share a distinct point-of-view internally and externally. Most important, it must chart a course forward when the situation is continually changing. Where management focuses on the “how”, leadership is about the “why,” giving context to the operations found in other parts of the organization.

Measuring and employing an effective leadership approach requires going beyond the traditional emphasis on outputs and penetration of messages. While the accessibility and regularity of messages is critical, the desired outcome—behavior change—requires reaching the hearts and minds of employees which must be gauged through qualitative as well as quantitative measures.