What are the best ways to mentor leaders through uncertainty and ambiguity?

In my experience and in research I found that we all need some level of certainty however, mistakenly we are trying to create external certainty in a very uncertain world. One way to create more certainty is to focus on the things you can control rather than the ones that you have no control over. Start focusing on a daily intention setting and see how it can transform that way you see the world.

Work with the leader to identify specific challenges or situations where uncertainty and ambiguity are prevalent. Define the goals and objectives of the mentorship. Ensure that the leader and mentor have a shared understanding of what success looks like. Evaluate the leader's current skills and knowledge related to handling ambiguity. Tailor the mentorship scope to address specific gaps or areas for improvement. Define a timeline for the mentorship to provide structure and a sense of progression. Break down the mentorship into manageable phases with specific milestones. Establish the boundaries of the mentorship, including the mentor's role and responsibilities.

The intriguing truth is that life inherently contains these elements. What may seem ambiguous to one leader could be familiar territory for another. In these VUCA times, our coach role is to guide leaders in tapping into their inner wisdom and refining their decision-making skills. This involves exploring their decision-making strategies: Do they rely on logic, follow their heart, trust their gut instincts, or effectively integrate all three? When leaders learn to balance and harmonize these elements, uncertainty and ambiguity often diminish, much like snow under the sun. This approach fosters a sense of clarity and direction, which is essential for effective leadership.

We face heightened uncertainty and complexity in a world that is at the threshold of new levels of change. When it comes to leading through uncertainty, and coaching leaders to navigate through this, experience shows me the conversation turns to the coachee's own relationship with uncertainty and ambiguity. Outcomes are less about the specifics of what is created and more about the leaders' relationship with such systems. This also connects to resilience and adaptability.

From working with leaders of change over the past 25 years, I find that regular check-ins, open communication, and creating a supportive environment for them to share their concerns and seek guidance are essential components of effective mentoring in times of uncertainty and ambiguity. After starting there, we typically work on building strength in these three areas: 1. Developing their adaptive leadership skills. [e.g., view challenges as opportunities for learning and improvement.] 2. Enhancing their strategic thinking. [e.g., id patterns in complex situations. Anticipate potential future scenarios.] 3. Cultivating their emotional intelligence. [e.g., navigate interpersonal dynamics, manage their emotions, empathize with others.]

When everything is certain, there is little possibility. Where there is uncertainty, there is only possibility. Often when faced with the unknown we seek to find answers to our questions, to resolve ambiguity, to reduce complexity, to create structure. A beginner's mind is a way of being. It's about remaining open to explore, to seek value and to create from what emerges. Rather than looking for answers it often serves to look for better questions. How do you go looking for better questions? Run some experiments. Try stuff out. Inject energy into the system and see how it responds. You'll discover new information, new interest, and from there you can ask new questions.

Another set of skills to add to adaptive skills are resilience skills. There is a structure to being able to bounce back and adapt to new and unexpected challenges. Leaders need resilience to face the present and renew their vision on a continuous basis as needed. We can help our mentees by training them on the mindset and skillset of bouncing back, and being resilient.

We humans are hard-wired to survive in a world where most things want to eat us. Our reptile brain is constantly scanning and filtering for danger. Consequently, we're familiar with fear. And fear is mostly where we come from in times of uncertainty. The first thing then is to simply acknowledge that surviving is important. It's natural. And it's ok. This is self-compassion. Then let's take a breath and check what's happening. Is it scary or dangerous? Making distinctions is a useful way to create perspective. Now that you created a little space, think back to all the changes you've navigated in life. Perspective is seeing the space that has developed between you and the disruptive events of your life. This is part of resilience.

Dans un contexte d'incertitude et d'ambiguïté, il est essentiel d'encadrer les leaders en soutenant leur bien-être émotionnel. Pour cela, il peut être bénéfique d'utiliser des outils tels que le coaching individuel, qui permet de développer leur résilience et leur capacité à gérer le stress. De plus, les méthodes de communication empathique favorisent une connexion émotionnelle et facilitent l'expression des émotions. Enfin, la mise en situation, par le biais de jeux de rôles ou de simulations, permet aux leaders de tester différentes approches et de renforcer leur confiance pour prendre des décisions dans l'incertitude.

When our reality seems to be ambiguous or uncertain, it means we haven't adapted to new information or stimuli. We don't have yet strategies and tactics to organize information/resources in an effective way. In such circumstances, we actually create new realities, and our approach should be suited to this. Trust is the energy management bodily system, and stress is an activator, where emotions are built based on our experience of the world. Our emotions are constructed; therefore, I would suggest offering questions that build a personal framework of new circumstances. You need to operate in somewhat familiarity if you don't want to resonate in fight or flight mode. People read energy, and personal energy should always be managed first.