8 STRATEGIES for EFFECTIVE LEADERS #5 Be flexible, adaptable and comfortable with uncertainty

Be flexible, adaptable, and comfortable with uncertainty. Be prepared for every possibility and contingency. Be receptive to the rapid flow of information and changing conditions. Be willing to act quickly to exploit new opportunities. Learn from the past, but embrace the power of change. In his book, Principle-Centered Leadership, Stephen R. Covey offers a great profile of the leader who embraces this strategy. They're not slavishly chained to their plans and schedules. They don't condemn themselves for every foolish mistake or social blunder. They don't brood about yesterday or daydream about tomorrow. They live sensibly in the present, carefully plan the future, and flexibly adapt to changing circumstances. That's a perfect description of the Sensei Leader. Honor tradition and be a good steward of the immutable principles and values of the past. At the same time, approach each new day with open ears, open eyes, open mind, open heart. Commit yourself to exploration, creativity, and innovation—the lifeblood of human progress. I found a post by Dan Rockwell, author of the Leadership Freak blog, titled "Three Qualities Traditional Leaders Reject." Traditional leaders are unwelcoming. Traditional leaders expect you to receive their ideas. They don't receive yours. Are you freaking kidding me? Those leaders are following the wrong tradition. I wanted to lose my traditional mind. Thankfully, I took a deep breath and read the rest of Rockwell's article. Stop looking down your nose at outsiders, frontline employees, and new hires. Adapt to them. Don't force them to adapt to you. Tradition should inform progress, not restrict it. One time I asked Master Yong about a struggle I was having. Trying to separate effective contemporary techniques from those that were just taught by rote because they'd always been done that way. He told me this: "Jim, just because it's old doesn't make it right." Probably more than ever, today's leader has to be flexible, not only in response to changing conditions but in response to people. Even the smallest organizations are now part of a diverse cultural and environmental paradigm that previous generations never could have even imagined. In their article, "Acceptance of Uncertainty as an Indicator of Effective Leadership," Randall White and Sandra Schulman of Executive Development Group highlight the importance of a leader's ability to handle uncertainty. We suggest that being an effective leader is contingent on the ability to deal with ambiguity and its resulting cognitive-affective reaction, uncertainty. Those who can keep the experience of uncertainty to a tolerable level can keep more options open and embrace ambiguity as an opportunity to bring people and options together to learn and adapt collectively as they find their way. The Sensei Leader honors the past as a means to deal with the uncertainty in the present and in the future. Or as General Patton once said, "Prepare for the unknown by studying how others in the past have coped with the unforeseeable and the unpredictable." The best leaders embrace uncertainty. They understand that uncertainty is an opportunity, an opportunity to test your ingenuity, your creativity, and your adaptability under pressure. Condition yourself to deal with the unexpected uncertainty, fear, even chaos. The more comfortable and confident you are under these conditions, the more effective your performance as a leader.