The Learning Leader: What Do You Do in a Crisis?
Challenging times — especially crises — are a great acid test for "learning leadership" — to see if you model an adaptive and flexible approach under pressure. When things go wrong and are at least partly out of their control, great leaders can show how quickly they learn and help their organizations do so ... or not.
I've identified five mistakes wannabe learning leaders sometimes make, especially in a crisis or under pressure. Also below are some learning-based alternatives to these mistakes.
1. Hubris over humility
When the plan runs on rails, success seems easy. You can get lazy and even begin to believe your own hype on how clever you are. The ancient Greeks called it hubris. Be aware that a crisis doesn't always emerge fast and with a blue light flashing. You might simply sanction the equivalent of carrying on making the slide rule when the electronic calculator comes out. For example, being obsessed with your website when the world has moved on to mobile. However, "blindsided" is as much a failing as "blind panic."
Learning: Begin by accepting in advance that things will go wrong or, at best, change dramatically. Have a plan. And have a plan B. Test the plan against all kinds of disruptive scenarios. If the plan can cope with the very unlikely, it will ride out the possible. Tell people about the plan. Let people know that "crises" — fast-changing, risky situations — are the new normal.
2. Pressure pushes principle aside
Sometimes leaders feel that they have to act quickly. But if you don't consider alternatives or seek other opinions from your key stakeholders, what's meant to be decisiveness can look like ignoring long-espoused core values about reflection, participation and engagement. The result is your "learning leader" credibility vanishes and the negative effects are felt long past the crisis.
Learning: Be clear on principles in advance and hold on to them throughout. The Faustian compromise can ruin reputations at a stroke. Also, reflect before the instant solution bounce back in a crisis — even if you think you know the answer. Let others help solve the challenge, if you can. Or at least be seen to seek their opinions. You'll look smarter — and so will they.
3. War room fever
Sometimes in an emergency, the CEO's office feels like a bunker or war room. Acolytes come and go. Minions sit outside waiting for a chance to report. Even once you are admitted to the presence, the leader watches for tweets and texts and e-mails with one eye while looking out of the corner of the other as you share your tidbit of info. You feel like simply another data stream.
The problem is there's manic action inside the bunker, but outside everything else freezes up. There's a collective holding of breath since it's deemed unwise to do anything without sanction. People feel disempowered. And you need more than generals to fight a war.
Learning: Keep big stuff close to you, but make time to identify manageable tasks that give others the chance to take action. Notice quick wins when others achieve them. Make it clear there are areas still in their control. Pay attention to the world and feelings outside the war room. Above all, create momentum in parts of the system. A general needs troops!
4. Communication chaos
In fast-moving situations, leaders can confuse the act of thinking with sharing ideas, logic or even decisions. They almost literally assume others know their decision processes and can read their minds. These amnesic leaders forget the importance of communicating regularly and systematically even if just to say, "Nothing much has happened."
In the chaos, people make up information to fill the communication void. For employees and others, it's not clear what's definite data and what's random rumor. The result is confusion and unhappiness even when no one is trying to unsettle things.
Learning: Create a regular channel — even a simple intranet page — where people can find out "stuff" and ask questions. Reply to any question within 24 hours. With information, people can make good choices. Without information, they feel panicked.
5. Don't just respond to the ringing phone
When things are super busy, it's easy to pay attention to the loudest noise. So you as a learning leader may find yourself surrounded by the Casualties and the Cassandras. Casualties can be those who see their reputations or roles being undermined, and they want to complain loudly and often about this. Cassandras are those who are only too happy to explain how much worse the situation will get. They're keen to share their doom-laded prognosis with you.
Neither is a good focus for attention. You need to look out at the wider organization.
Learning: First identify the key internal and external relationships you need to pay attention to and manage. Decide the ones that you must look after — and then delegate contact with the others to someone else. Take the pulse of the organization as often as you can. Talk to ordinary people who run post rooms, who clean toilets, and who speak quietly and don't complain. Get the Cassandras and the Casualties to talk to each other — ideally in a closed room.
As a leader, you can model the learning behavior you want and need best in a crisis. Or you can demonstrate that it's really just a nice idea you read in a book somewhere. My advice is put the sentiment into practice
Bernard Ross is director of The Management Centre (=mc). Reach him at b.ross@managementcentre.co.uk.
