We live in an era of permanent crisis. Just at the moment when we began to believe that the worst of the pandemic had passed, and to dream of a return to a certain normality, a new wave, produced by the omicron variant, is immersing us once again in great uncertainty.
Added to the new wave of the pandemic are the political and economic risks that several countries on the continent are facing. We definitely live in times of great volatility. It is in times of crisis that your leadership skills are put to the test. Today, leadership increasingly requires new habits of mind to develop. So it is worth asking yourself what are these habits that you need to cultivate as a leader today. I want to suggest the three main ones.
The first thing is that as a leader you have to focus on strengthening your “inner core”. Think of an oak tree, with its foliage and trunk above ground and its roots underground. In the past, leadership studies focused on the external appearance of the tree, that is, on a leader’s behaviors and actions. But, in the era of permanent crises, when it becomes difficult to make forecasts, it becomes essential that the roots of the tree are healthy, deep, solid.
That is, “who you are” has priority today over “what you do”. That means consolidating your self-concept, along with the quality of your thoughts, beliefs, values, and emotions. In a context of uncertainty, the quality of your behaviors, actions, decisions and performances are a reflection of the depth of your inner core. In fact, it is a dimension of relevant development. We are not just intelligent animals; we are beings that can grow in their levels of consciousness.
Second, leading in times of uncertainty requires the ability to have clarity of purpose. Faced with a crisis, the pupils require and need a leader who knows how to give unequivocal direction. This can be complex in a context of great volatility. Therefore, more than emphasizing the objectives to be achieved, it is important that as a leader today you know how to communicate a vision aligned with the purpose and values of your organization. A higher purpose will also help you develop a higher consciousness.
Finally, you have to develop the capacity for systems thinking. This requires the humility to recognize that today you are not right, but that it is essential to listen and understand several perspectives at the same time.
It is about having an open mind, always being available to learn, even from your own mistakes and those of others. It is about understanding that today we have to give space to experimentation, to risk, to mistakes. More than ever today we need generative collaboration. It is thus, cultivating these three attitudes, that we can think of prospering, and not merely surviving, in the era of permanent crises.
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