Sometimes unexpected pressures create chaos, for you, your business, and those around you.

You’ve been caught off guard. You didn’t make time for this. And yet you are still expected to lead well, which includes providing clarity for all looking for assurance and guidance.

What do you do?

First, get clear, for you.

Now I shall ask, what do you do to get clear about the next moves to make so that you can lead in the best way possible? (Even when you are unsure of details, because one can never know what the future will hold)

Or even better, what have you done to prepare you for action when the unexpected happens?

Have you left room in your strategic planning for these zigs and zags? Your initiatives and project plans? Your calendar?

Are you part of a group of peers that can get together at least once per month, and more often in a “tiger team” way (focused support from a sub-group), to get the support you need that fits the situation, how you lead, and…you?

Are you and other strategic decision-makers ready to tackle the communication plan and next moves, together?

Be clear, for others.

After you have a direction, and some semblance of a plan, you must communicate in a way that is clear for others.

Clear in a way that each person understands what this new direction might mean for what they do next in their role.

And clear enough so that individuals can move positively forward without stalling, stopping, or creating more chaos for those around them.

I was recently asked by podcast host Jude Germain (Maverick Leadership) if a leader must feel inspired in order to be inspiring. Yes. And if any forward movement is possible without first having this mutual inspiration. Also, yes.

Not every communication is inspiring. Some communication may even need to be more commanding than collaborative, especially when the needed shift is imminent and you truly know the best next move.

So be clear in your way, and based on the particular situation.

And always when it is time to be clear for others, focus on the others so that you are communicating in a way that lands with them.

Learn, and help others learn.

A take-away:

Your struggles make you better—when you learn from each one.

Perhaps it is still the pandemic that haunts you. Or rising interest rates, Or bank failures. Or layoffs. Or a need for positions to be filled that you are struggling to fill. Or… whatever the situation is. You know that there will always be something that catches you off guard, fills your day with unexpected work, and creates chaos.

Learn and model this way of learning. In doing so you are creating a learning organization. Learning supports clarity, and an ability for you and all to gain clarity within chaotic times. Organizations where learning and clarity are simply the ways of working there, are more successful.

Your best next step

For “Your 1 Best Next Step,” name your chaos and give yourself time to create clarity within that chaos.