The uncertainty of the world right now has never affected us at such a global scale. The ongoing crisis that began early in 2020 has caused disruption and adaptation in varying degrees and it is hard to find an organization that has not been impacted.

For the majority of our clients though, despite this disruption, their long term visions and strategies remain in place. The organizational goals that were set before or during 2020 have stood-up well to the crisis in the short term. In that sense, leaders have been able to use their vision and long-term aspirations to bring a clarity and future-focus to teams and people who need stability and groundedness.

What we experience for ALL of our clients though, is that the context within which they deliver has changed, and for some, unrecognisably. While this does not always result in a strategic overhaul, it does have a major impact on how strategies are delivered, on priorities, on resources and on their team-effectiveness and leadership.

Many things that organisations have taken for granted are being questioned, re-evaluated, discontinued, improved and adapted. And, as with any change in organizational design, culture or process, this causes confusion, uncertainty, stress and in the people who are experiencing the change.

Our first reaction as humans is to seek clarity, to seek the firm ground where we can plant our feet to help us feel secure and ready to take the next step. Leaders in change are bombarded with questions about the future that they often don’t have the answer to. People want answers and without the clarity, some teams experience paralysis or at best sub-optimal performance because the confusion and stress dominates.

It is not an option for organizations and teams to be paralysed by uncertainty, to be held back because they do not have a clear picture in front of them. Leaders today more than ever, must hold the space of discomfort that arise as so many of our organisational norms are being questioned at the moment.

What people want, if they cannot have the detailed clarity they seek, is confidence and that is where leaders play their most critical role in change. We are working with leaders to help them get clear on where they are confident not necessarily where they are clear. And when we start to dive into these conversations with teams we realise there is often much to be confident about. There is much hope, optimism, experience, expertise and wisdom that can be brought to the surface in the absence of absolute certainty.

We help remind leaders that their role is not just to give answers, but to bring confidence, hope, opportunities and possibility to the conversations they are having and with a little focus on these elements, you can help to unlock any organizational paralysis and have your teams step into the future together, with confidence.