Leading in turbulent times

We just discussed leadership and how best to lead your teams through turbulent times. How to lead your teams into a new world when the old models of leadership are inadequate. Organizational environments range from Stability-Complexity-Chaos. Everyone was in concensus that their organizations were operating on the line between complexity and chaos.

The key to successfully leading here is to have a strong vision of the future (think 20 years out – use your imagination!) and strong values that guide your behavior in how you get there (e.g. innovation, teamwork, customer-led, openness). Leadership by “Vision & Values” is the only way to lead in this environment – empower your teams with a charter and let them figure out how to achieve it. “Command and Control” only works in a stable environment or in case of emergencies. Employing this type of leadership in a rapidly changing environment leads to disaster. It’s not a game of pursuing the known, with a formula driven method. Its all about vision, risk, responsibility, and learning.

“leadership is the art of creating a future that would not otherwise happen and then enrolling people in the effort to make that vision come true”

To develop todays action plans that will take you toward your vision, you need to “Walk the Cat Backwards”. This process starts with vision (20 years out) and values. Leads to a mission (5 years out-must be achieved), strategy (differentiated approach to achieve mission), and goals and ends with objectives and action plans. “What/How” pairs: Vision (20 years out)+Values, Mission (5 years out)+Strategies, Objectives (this year)+Action Plans.