3 important questions to ask

1. What do you value?

If you're able to step back from the immediate challenges you're facing, uncertainty can remind you of what is most important to you, Empson and Howard-Grenville write. Your feelings about the events that have led you to this place are indicators of what you value most.

For example, if you find yourself angry about a situation, it's likely because something or someone has done something wrong in an area you care deeply about, Empson and Howard-Grenville write.

As a result, you should consider this moment an opportunity for you to acknowledge and affirm your own values, learn more about yourself, and question your own assumptions about the way the world is and the way it should be.

2. Where do we stand?

It's easy for introspection to feel like navel-gazing, but introspection and reflection are essential for leaders in uncertain times, Empson and Howard-Grenville write. Your colleagues will be looking to you for reassurance and clarity and providing that can be difficult when views within your organization are polarized.

As a result, leaders should look inward and determine what they and their organization stand for. Then they'll be able to have enough confidence and clarity about their purpose to help their colleagues identify common ground and navigate the uncertainty together.

3. How do we move forward?

People often respond to prolonged periods of uncertainty by withdrawing into helplessness or becoming cynical, but that's a tendency that leaders need to push against, Empson and Howard-Grenville write.

While uncertain times are often unsettling, these experiences also represent a chance for you to experiment and challenge assumptions that are no longer useful.

As a leader in uncertain times, you should provide colleagues with guardrails to hold onto as they build their self-confidence and reassurance about the future, Empson and Howard-Grenville write.

Pay attention to the fundamentals

When things are changing, it can be helpful to focus on what stays the same, the things that need your attention, and the areas where you can make a difference, Empson and Howard-Grenville write.

The first thing you should do is take a step back and take stock of where you are and where you want to be. Figure out how you can reaffirm the core purpose of your organization — times of uncertainty can look simpler if you focus on your goals and encourage the people around you to do the same.

Times of uncertainty can also cause expressions of personal difference to come across as defensive, but it's important to remember that some differences contribute to a job well done, Empson and Howard-Grenville write. That's why it's also important to sustain organizational connections to drive a sense of collective capacity, which is an important anchor in times of uncertainty.

Leaders should also make sure that they and their colleagues hold fast and stay true to their course, remembering that every storm will pass and the key to getting through them successfully has a lot to do with preparation and judgment, Empson and Howard-Grenville write.

Empson and Howard-Grenville say that many of the changes that have been forced upon us in recent years are now part of our collective sense of how to get things done.

"We have made them our own. That's a cause for hope. Knowing that we survived the collective challenge of the pandemic, we can and should feel confident that we will make it through the new challenges that we're facing," they write. "The key is to recognize that beyond the immediate anxiety and confusion, liminal experiences can be invitations to reflect, reach out, and reorient — not simply to feel lost at sea." (Empson/Howard-Grenville, Harvard Business Review, 11/1)

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