M A N A G I N G A M B I G U I T Y A N D U N C E R TA I N T Y

Transcription

1 M A N A G I N G A M B I G U I T Y A N D U N C E R TA I N T Y

2 FULL SERVICE MANAGEMENT CONSULTING FIRM FEMALE OWNED SINCE CONSULTANTS, TRAINERS AND COACHES, GLOBALLY OUR MISSION IS TO DEVELOP EXTRAORDINARY LEADERS

3 I N T R O D U C T I O N S A N D W E L C O M E! Gordon Loeb Gordon@loebleadership.com Teri Coyne Teri@loebleadership.com

4 A G E N D A Uncertainty vs. Ambiguity The VUCA Perspective How do you handle change? Essential skills to lead your team effectively Small Adjustments to Increase Agility

5 T H E N E W N O R M A L Technology, increased globalization and interconnectedness has reshaped the expectations and needs of clients, customers and businesses. Being able to act with incomplete information, work without direction and to quickly adapt to changing priorities has become an essential skillset not just for leaders but for all professionals. Leader Preparedness Top four skills that, when practiced effectively, had the greatest impact on leader preparedness: 1. Managing and introducing change. 2. Building consensus and commitment. 3. Inspiring others toward a challenging future vision. 4. Leading across generations. Development Dimensions International, Inc., Global Leadership Forecast

6 M E A N I N G A N D D I F F E R E N C E S UNCERTAINTY VS. AMBIGUITY

7 D E F I N I T I O N uncertainty [uhn-sur-tn] adjective 1. not definitely ascertainable or fixed, as in time of occurrence, number, dimensions, or quality. 2. not confident, assured, or free from hesitancy: an uncertain smile. 3. not clearly or precisely determined; indefinite; unknown: a manuscript of uncertain origin. UNCERTAINTY AT WORK Dealing with situations where relevant information is unavailable and unknown A Decision is required in an area beyond your expertise A Decision is required without full clarity of the outcome Unplanned changes that challenge the anticipated outcome If there's one thing that's certain in business, it's uncertainty. -- Stephen Covey

8 D E F I N I T I O N ambiguity [am-bi-gyoo-i-tee] noun, plural am bi gu i ties. 1. doubtfulness or uncertainty of meaning or intention: to speak with ambiguity; an ambiguity of manner. 2. an unclear, indefinite, or equivocal word, expression, meaning, etc.: a contract free of ambiguities; the ambiguities of modern poetry. AMBIGUITY AT WORK Dealing with new situations with no familiar cues or precedents Complex situations where there are a number of cues or stakeholder interests that need to be taken into account Insoluble situations that can t be solved in the usual ways Situations where they may not be a right answer Business today is about making decisions amid ambiguity. -- Geraldine Laybourne

9 W E L C O M E T O V U C A Acronym coined by the US Army in late 1990 to illustrate the world, post Cold War. Now applied by business describe the turbulent and rapidly change business environment. VOLATILE: Fast change without a clear predictable trend or pattern. UNCERTAIN: Frequent disruptive changes, Unpredictability, Unknown Outcomes COMPLEX: Multifaceted effects, Interdependent causes AMBIGUOUS: Misrepresentation, little clarity about what is real and true V U C A

10 V U C A D R I V E R S New Technologies, Competition, Pricing Compression, Shifts in Demand Industry Elections, Economy (Interest Rates, Inflation), Natural Resources, Technology, Legislation Firm National Elections, Economy (Interest Rates, Inflation), Natural Resources, Technology, Legislation Personal Demands/Challenges, Skills, Career Management, Priority Management Personal Global Conflicts, Sanctions & Restrictions, World Markets, Trade Wars &Tariffs, Natural/Environmental Disasters

11 T H E B U T T E R LY E F F E C T The phenomenon whereby a minute localized change in a complex system can have large effects elsewhere.

12 I M PA C T UNCERTAINTY Lack of clarity about the present and the future Encourages us to relate situations to what we have experienced before rather than take a fresh approach Triggers an impulse to take control of situations and focus on what we know Paralyzes decision making no decision is better than a bad one. AMBIGUITY Lack of clarity about the meaning of events Prevents us from assessing the appropriate opportunities, and risks Leaves us to find the meaning on our own and do what is comfortable and gives us satisfaction Creates conflicting objectives and goals

13 So what do we do? Anything. Something. So long as we just don't sit there. If we screw it up, start over. Try something else. If we wait until we've satisfied all the uncertainties, it may be too late. Lee Iacocca

14 T H E A N T I D O T E T O V U C A Accepting that the world is full of uncertainty and ambiguity does not and should not stop people from being pretty sure about a lot of things. Julian Baggini VOLATILE: Fast change without a clear predictable trend or pattern. UNCERTAIN: Frequent disruptive changes, Unpredictability, Unknown Outcomes COMPLEX: Multifaceted effects, Interdependent causes AMBIGUOUS: Misrepresentation, little clarity about what is real and true V U C A VISION: Take actions to create and communicate a future state. UNDERSTANDING: Take a wider, different perspective. Stop, look and listen. CLARITY: Focus, flexibility and creativity. Make sense of the chaos. AGILITY: Innovative decision-making through collaboration, and broadened perspective.

15 S TA R T W I T H YO U You Set the Tone Raise Your Self-Awareness Focus on You First, Then Others

16 F O C U S O N E N H A N C I N G YO U R A G I L I T Y Flexibility Speed Experimenting Performance Risk Taking Interpersonal Risk Taking Collaborating Information Gathering Feedback Seeking How willing are you to try new things or approaches? How quickly do you grasp (and accept) new ideas or approaches? How often do you experiment or test new ideas or approaches? How often to you take on challenges with uncertain or ambiguous elements? How do you respond? How likely are you to seek challenging situations that will push you out of your comfort zone? How many activities do you engage in where you are collaborating and leveraging the skills of others? How much time/effort do you invest in increasing your knowledge? How often do you ask ask for for feedback?

17 L E A D I N G A N D C O M M U N I C AT I N G Shift from Director to Facilitator Expect problems Swap out should with could Imagine multiple scenarios Be clear about what is clear Listen and Engage Assess collectively what you know Reward and encourage risk taking

18 D E M O N S T R AT I N G YO U R A G I L I T Y COLLABORATION AND INTERACTING Let s take a step back Let s look beyond the obvious What could we do? What is another way to look at this? Do you think there are any similarities or contrasts between this problem and Let me see if I understand your position I was thinking about our conversation yesterday what you do think of this idea to help out your situation? What are your ideas on this? So, why don t you recap/tell me what you ve heard so I can make sure I ve given you the direction you need to be successful. SELF-AWARNESS I ve been reflecting on how I might have handled the situation differently I would love to get your perspective on how I handled the discussion of the problem in that meeting This is a challenge for me I need to keep working on Would you able to give me some guidance on how I can learn more about Let s take a minute and get clear on each of our roles What advice/direction do you have for me regarding this. CHANGE AND RESULTS I know this doesn t look promising..but let s not give up yet So that didn t work out the way we planning what did we learn that we can apply.. Why can t it be done? What is holding us back? Let s take a step back and review what we know so far If this doesn t go as planned what are some ways we can minimize impact? Would it be helpful if we stepped through the process and reviewed different outcomes?

19 TO O L S F O R M A N A G E M E N T R A Responsible Who is/will be doing this task? Who is assigned to work on this task? Accountable The person who is ultimately accountable for the project or task being completed appropriately Responsible person(s) are accountable to this person Strengths What do we do well? What resources do we have? What are strengths/ benefits? Weaknesses What could we improve? What resources lack? Where are our knowledge gaps? C I Consulted People who are not directly involved with carrying out the task but who are consulted May be stakeholder or subject matter expert Informed Those who receive output from the task or need to be informed and updated Opportunities What opportunities are open to us? What trends can we take advantage of? What will our strengths be after opportunities? Threats What threats could harm/impact? What is the competition doing? What threats do weaknesses cause? RACI Index SWOT Analysis

20 TO O L S F O R B U I L D I N G A G I L I T Y JOHARI Window to Understand how you are perceived Develop a Growth Mindset Carol Dweck s Ted Talk Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (book) DiSC To learn more about your behavior type Practice Mindfulness Take on a Challenging Project Commit to Seeking Feedback Regularly Practice Failing and Recovering by Learning a New Skill

21 P U T T I N G I T A L L TO G E T H E R First Step is to Accept that VUCA is the New Normal Agility is the KEY to managing Uncertainty and Ambiguity Start with Yourself Assess Your Own Responses Model Agility with Your Team Build up your Agility Muscle Practice Failing

22 Q U E S T I O N S Gordon Loeb Gordon@loebleadership.com Teri Coyne Teri@loebleadership.com