Leading uncertainty
In our previous blog we asked the question: Where are you now? Are you in the no longer or in the not yet? Now that we have more interaction with virtual leaders and their teams, it becomes even more clear. Where you are now and where you are going is, first of all, an individual process. It is a renewed search for your own fire. It then helps to discern a few steps in the culture shock as already described by the anthropologist Oberg in 1960. You will undoubtedly recognize them:
- The honeymoon phase is about those first experiences. No more this, no more that, no more traffic jams, no more public transport stress, just a quiet start. All great.
- Until the first culture shock came. Am I going to hoard toilet paper too? Aren’t you? Yeah, you are! You adapted willingly and worked from home. Pretty nice but the work was not what it was (not even for us) and we didn’t know how to handle it:
- The second culture shock. Slowly but surely we got a new image of how it should or could be done and from all kinds of adjustments we started to look for our client again, to find him or her again. All with the hope, conviction and expectation that we now know how we can best serve you as a customer. So from now on we’re going to do this and that and then we “have” our client…right?
- And then irrevocably comes the re-entry shock. No registrations, no appetite, no budget, no idea…
Let the grass grow
Anyway, we know we can’t grow grass by pulling it, so as Being on Mission team we’ll have to take care of our “little garden” again. So that everything will blossom again. So that our clients can find a partner again to shape the route based on their own mission – their own inspiration. Because one thing we learn is that transformation is an irreversible process that every human being undergoes at his own speed.
Source: Jitske Kramer/Denkproducties
Leadership as a voyage of discovery
We have sat at home for a while, worked at home, had time to reflect on our work, our lives, our values, and perhaps have already drawn conclusions from it. I want it different (or not) I suddenly know how to shape my leadership (or not) I know how to link my values to my vision and mission (or not) and yes I know that sitting under a newspaper doesn’t make me fitter, more conscious, more active. And that is part of the essence of our Being on mission programs. Nowadays both digital and off-site. Taking responsibility for your own path. As a leader, as a partner, as a father or mother, as a colleague, as a human being. So that you can shape your own future from an intrinsic certainty and with your head held high.
Now that the world is “upside down”, or rather standing still, and at the same time rushing through, leadership in organizations is more important than ever. After the first crisis management, in which the emphasis was on redesigning processes and keeping the business afloat, we are now entering a period in which we are looking for “the new normal”.
The challenge for you as a leader today is to rebalance your professional roles. Managing processes and cash flow, coaching your team members, leading the way and paying attention to (customer) relationships and sometimes sales.
Being on Mission: the beacon in your search for clarity
