Humans crave certainty. We like knowing…
- The plane will land safely.
- The Starbucks pumpkin spice latte will be back in October.
- And the paycheck we earned will show up next week, next month, and even next year.
We often hold on to the idea (consciously or not) that how the world operates today is how it will operate tomorrow. Our brains like it that way. The problem is that life does not always work like that.
The Truth
The truth is that we live in a world in which change is nearly the rule. If the status quo produces a sense of certainty, then change can produce – you guessed it: uncertainty …along with a host of additional visitors like fear, anxiousness, low mood, or even depression.
Uncertainty is rooted in biology: when change occurs, your brain’s threat response is activated. But uncertainty is also personal; people will react (or respond) to change primarily based on their unique stories.
Reactions to change are normal and explainable, but they are as different as the personalities that express them.
What’s Important Now
So, how do you lead a team through change? And how do you help those on your team to navigate successfully through the uncertainty that change can trigger?
Gen.(Ret) Stan McChrystal, former four star general says that you can lead most productively through change when you:
- Communicate Relentlessly.
- …To create clarity and certainty
- …To build reassurances and confidence within the team.
- Stay in touch with individuals on your team through informal interactions in order to lessen the human insecurities that inevitably arise in times of uncertainty. (This is a big-time investment…but WELL worth it!)
- Inspire purpose: remind the team why we are here – and why what we are doing matters.
- Reset the vision for what winning looks like.
Inspiration
McChrystal also says that the leader must be willing to focus on what the team needs right now – understanding, support, inspiration…etc. He says that the leader does not exist for the leader.
As you think about important changes ahead for you and your team, I invite you to consider what the individuals on your team may need most from you right now: someone who can help them move through the (normal) discomfort of uncertainty and perhaps inspire fresh thinking around the amazing opportunities that may be ahead for them, the team, and your customers.
Lead on!
