Predictable Results in Unpredictable Times

1. Execute priorities with excellence in uncertain times

Great performers do four things that lesser performers do not do: Focus on the top goals, Make sure everyone knows the specific job to be done to achieve these goals, Keep score, Set up a regular cycle of follow-through.

Clarify and commit to top priorities. In turbulent times, it's crucial to identify 1-3 "Wildly Important Goals" that are decisive for success. Ensure every team member understands these goals and their role in achieving them. Develop clear measures of success, both lag indicators (results) and lead indicators (actions that drive results).

Implement a disciplined execution system. Establish a regular cadence of accountability through brief, focused team meetings. Review progress on key measures, celebrate wins, learn from setbacks, and make new commitments. This creates a rhythm of execution that maintains focus and drives results even in unpredictable environments.

Elements of great execution:

• Clear, limited priorities (1-3 max)
• Specific success measures for each goal
• Regular accountability meetings
• Tracking of both lead and lag measures

2. Build and leverage trust to accelerate progress

When trust goes down, speed goes down and costs go up. Distrust slows everything.

Trust impacts speed and cost. High-trust environments enable rapid decision-making, innovation, and collaboration. Low-trust environments breed bureaucracy, politics, and disengagement. Leaders must actively build trust through transparency, keeping commitments, and extending trust to others.

Create a "high-trust dividend." Organizations with high trust levels enjoy benefits like increased innovation, stronger customer loyalty, and higher employee engagement. To build trust:

• Be transparent about challenges and decisions
• Make and keep clear commitments
• Extend trust to employees and empower them
• Align words and actions consistently

Trust-building behaviors:

• Create transparency
• Keep commitments
• Extend trust to others
• Demonstrate respect
• Listen first
• Clarify expectations

3. Focus on creating value for customers and employees

Make customers the priority throughout the company by asking the question again and again: Would the customer pay for this?

Prioritize customer value. In challenging times, refocus on delivering what customers truly value and are willing to pay for. Strip away activities, products, or services that don't directly contribute to this value. Engage employees in identifying and delivering on key customer needs.

Build employee loyalty through meaningful work. People are motivated more by contribution than by compensation alone. Create a "contribution-focused" workplace where employees can see the impact of their work on customers and the organization's mission. This builds engagement and unlocks discretionary effort, especially crucial during difficult periods.

Questions to drive customer focus:

• What job are customers hiring us to do?
• What could we stop doing that customers don't value?
• How can we simplify our offerings?
• What employee ideas can improve customer value?

4. Align the organization to deliver what matters most

When people ask me how this company made so much progress so quickly, I think they want to hear that there was something particularly brilliant about the strategy or the planning. The reality is: it was the alignment of the people around a common set of goals.

Realign around core priorities. In turbulent times, strip away non-essential activities and realign the organization to focus intensely on delivering core customer value. This may require redefining roles, restructuring teams, or reimagining processes.

Push the "reset" button. Use challenging periods as an opportunity to critically examine every aspect of the organization. Eliminate complexity that doesn't serve customers or employees. Streamline decision-making processes. Empower front-line teams to respond quickly to changing conditions.

Areas to examine for realignment:

• Organizational structure
• Decision-making processes
• Performance metrics
• Resource allocation
• Communication channels
• Job responsibilities

5. Communicate clearly to reduce fear and uncertainty

Clarity reduces fear, even if what is made clear isn't very positive.

Increase communication frequency and transparency. In uncertain times, people crave information. Leaders must communicate more often, with greater clarity and candor. Address concerns directly, even if you don't have all the answers. Share both challenges and the strategy for overcoming them.

Provide context and direction. Help employees understand the broader situation and how their work contributes to the organization's response. Be clear about what's known, what's uncertain, and what actions are being taken. This reduces anxiety and allows people to focus their energy productively.

Elements of effective crisis communication:

• Increased frequency (daily/weekly updates)
• Transparency about challenges
• Clear articulation of strategy and priorities
• Opportunities for two-way dialogue
• Consistency across leadership team
• Empathy for employee concerns

6. Empower employees to take initiative and innovate

The rigid control mindset of the Industrial Age led to the death of the initiative and resourcefulness an organization needs to survive in a world dominated by the extreme, the unknown, and the very improbable.

Foster a culture of empowerment. In rapidly changing environments, organizations need employees at all levels to think creatively and take initiative. Move away from command-and-control leadership styles that stifle innovation. Instead, clearly communicate desired outcomes and trust employees to find the best ways to achieve them.

Encourage calculated risk-taking. Create psychological safety for employees to experiment and learn from failures. Recognize and reward innovative thinking, even when ideas don't pan out. This builds resilience and adaptability crucial for navigating uncertainty.

Ways to empower employees:

• Delegate authority along with responsibility
• Provide resources and remove obstacles
• Celebrate initiative and learning from failure
• Create cross-functional teams to tackle challenges
• Implement rapid prototyping and feedback loops
• Invest in skill development and training

7. Adapt leadership style for the Knowledge Age

To lead in the Knowledge Age, you need a paradigm of releasing, unleashing, valuing the different (even disruptive) viewpoint. You motivate people with zeal for the mission.

Shift from control to enablement. Traditional command-and-control leadership is ill-suited for knowledge workers and rapidly changing environments. Adopt a leadership style that unleashes creativity, fosters collaboration, and taps into intrinsic motivation.

Lead through purpose and principles. Articulate a compelling mission and clear values to guide decision-making. This provides a framework for employees to act autonomously while staying aligned with organizational goals. Trust in people's judgment and ability to contribute meaningfully to solving complex challenges.

Characteristics of Knowledge Age leadership:

• Facilitator rather than dictator
• Emphasis on asking questions vs. giving answers
• Focus on outcomes rather than methods
• Encouragement of diverse perspectives
• Continuous learning mindset
• Comfort with ambiguity and change

8. Concentrate efforts within your Circle of Influence

Anytime we think the problem is "out there," that thought is the problem. We empower what's out there to control us.

Focus on what you can control. In turbulent times, it's easy to become overwhelmed by factors beyond our influence. Instead, concentrate energy on areas where you can make a direct impact. This proactive mindset builds resilience and momentum.

Expand your Circle of Influence. By focusing on what you can control, you often expand your ability to influence other areas over time. This creates a virtuous cycle of increased effectiveness and reduced feelings of helplessness in the face of uncertainty.

Strategies to expand your Circle of Influence:

• Identify specific actions you can take today
• Build relationships and coalitions
• Develop new skills and knowledge
• Look for root causes you can address
• Focus on long-term impact vs. short-term fixes
• Celebrate small wins to build momentum

9. Maintain a clear mission to overcome challenges

If the mission is significant enough, you won't have fearful people working at it.

Articulate a compelling purpose. A clear, meaningful mission provides direction and motivation in difficult times. It helps people push through challenges and tap into discretionary effort. Ensure everyone understands how their work contributes to this larger purpose.

Use the mission as a decision-making filter. When faced with tough choices, refer back to the core mission. This helps prioritize actions and resources, ensuring the organization stays focused on what matters most. It also provides a sense of stability amidst uncertainty.

Elements of an effective mission:

• Clear and concise
• Inspiring and ambitious
• Focused on impact, not just activities
• Relevant to all stakeholders
• Aligned with organizational values
• Regularly reinforced in communications and decisions

Last updated: August 19, 2024