Holding On to Reality - Leading Through Uncertainty

Leading in a crisis shares many similarities with leading innovation. In particular, acting with a large number of unknowns and unknowables in the face of emerging events and realities. It is why I study innovation leadership because it is the F1 of all leadership. Where envelopes are pushed and stakes are high. Leading innovation is a crucible for the highest tests of leadership.

Whether leading an organization, team, family or yourself everyone at the moment is outside their comfort zone. The typical playbooks have been deployed. We’re in uncharted territory. This is why for leaders amidst uncertainty information elaboration and group reflexivity aren’t just essential but in fact vital. The daily reassessment cycle of new knowns and new unknowns is exceptionally challenging when trying to maintain a firm grasp on reality.

Beyond Change - This is Transition

We can reasonably expect, based on the evidence from past quarantine situations, that day 10 will be especially hard for you and your team. It will be when one realizes this situation isn’t just change and is in fact a transition. The effects associated with trauma will be the strongest emotion. Leaders may start to sympathize with BP’s CEO Tony Hayward when he said “I’d like my life back” in the middle of the Deep Water crisis as the oil platform burned with no end in sight.

The point of information elaboration (adding to the group new knowledge) and group reflexivity (considering how this knowledge changes goals and tasks) is to maintain contact with reality. To minimize the inevitable creep of logic distortion such as denial, intellectualization and distancing. To decide what to do , when and to contain restless anxiety to “just do something.” This is a test of EQ over IQ.

EQ Superheros

It can be helpful in a crisis to look at the EQ (Emotional Quotient) factors associated with professionals in vital life and death functions. The evidence tells us the most important and significant EQ factors of Physicians/Surgeons, as well as other health care professionals, are Independence, Stress Tolerance, Empathy, Impulse Control and Flexibility.

It often won’t feel good and there is no shame to acknowledge it doesn’t. That containment of reality helps to metabolize the strong and conflicting emotions that the situational stress may trigger in your teams. While acknowledging and listening to the feelings as they might provide important signals to inform your decisions or regulate your decision quality over time. Trust your training, listen to your intuition and you can minimize being blinded by emotion.

Movements

In the coming months, I’ll continue to publish Connecting Dots. However, we can expect the tone and content to evolve with the context of how the crisis emerges. While there are already signals of changes in the innovation landscape it’s important we stay in the here and now.

I will also increase referencing of source material so you are reassured I am sharing perspective born from documented and researched evidence. If you have questions or doubts please don’t hesitate to write. Likewise, any leadership or innovation challenges you’re facing. I’m available to help.

Thank you for your feedback and please share with two leaders you think would appreciate this newsletter.

Stay safe,

- Brett

Source Material:

• The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: rapid review of the evidence Samantha K Brooks, Rebecca K Webster, Louise E Smith, Lisa Woodland, Simon Wessely, Neil Greenberg, Gideon James Rubin

• Team reflexivity, development of shared task representations, and the use of distributed information in group decision making. van Ginkel, W., Tindale, R. S., & van Knippenberg, D. (2009). Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 13(4), 265–280

• The EQ Edge, Emotional Intelligence and Your Success Steven J. Stien, PH.D and Howard E. Book, M.D.

• 3rd ed., rev.; DSM–III–R; American Psychiatric Association, 1987 (logic distortions)