Let me start by apologising to anyone who thought this may have something to do with the world famous book by E.L.James. It has nothing to do with that. It’s more about the 50 shades of grey in leadership, and maybe there are more than 50 in that arena…

Day in and day out as a leader in business you face confusion, complexity and chaos. If your living in the UK at the moment Brexit is a great example of this!  What they create (confusion, complexity and chaos) is mess, shades of grey, not knowing and sometimes lack of clarity around your role or what the next step is.

Some of you may thrive in chaos but hate confusion and others of you love complexity but hate chaos. The truth of the matter is leadership today requires you to be comfortable with the ambiguity that may be caused by one or all of these three themes. No matter how much you know it doesn’t stop the inherent feelings of panic, anxiety and stress that ambiguity can create.

When any of us are faced with these emotions our brain is pumping cortisol through our body to take action to ‘feel’ safe again. This stops us thinking clearly, which is the very thing we need to be doing in that moment.

Moving Forward in a period of uncertainty

As a leader you  set the tone for the environment you are in and the team you are leading. And despite the fact that we all know the pace of change is driving this ambiguity many of us are still looking for black and white answers! Part of your roles as a leader is to manage the tension that this creates. Bringing as much clarity as you can to help your followers.

We need to train ourselves to think ahead even if it’s only the next few steps, the next 30 days to feel as though we have some ‘control’.

Here are some simple things to think about:

• Adjust your leadership style to suit the needs of individuals and the situation. Know when to partner with your team, when to take a more evaluative, analytical and decisive stance, when to support and encourage and when to delegate.
• Provide structure and direction, which might simply be around when we meet and making small decisions to move forward. Ensure people are clear about their roles and the expectations you have of them.
• Work constructively and calmly under pressure. Identify how stress and pressure affect your own performance and understand your trigger points. Ensure you have mechanisms in place to cope with these and recover.
• Maintain a positive mindset, even when things aren’t going to plan. There is learning in every situation.
• Be patient!

Leadership is an inner game. If you can master leading yourself through the chaos, complexity and confusion that surrounds you you’re more likely to take others with you.

“Be the warrior not the worrier”
Angel Ceberano