E299: In the Next Few Years, the Name of the Game Will Be Leading in Times of Crisis

To you:

The new normal is leading in times of crises. I'll say it again in a meditative way: In the coming years, the key focus will be on leadership during times of crisis.

We used to think of crises as exceptions—rare, disruptive events that we had to put up with until things could return to normal. The reality, however, is otherwise: crisis is the new normal. Be it economic uncertainty, world pandemics, geopolitical tension, supply chain disruptions, climate change (that people forgot about), or armed conflict, one thing is certain: uncertainty is here to stay.

In this new world of disequilibrium, the essence of leadership goes beyond guidance; it lies in crisis navigation. Get used to it, because it is not the exception anymore.

The leaders who will thrive in the coming years won't be those holding on to stability, hoping for a return to what they call "normal." They are going to be the leaders who embrace the chaos, who see opportunity amidst the adversity, who have a sixth sense in terms of navigating the storms.

Crisis Isn't a Moment—It's a Mindset (read this again and stop feeling overwhelmed)

We’ve been conditioned to think of crises as temporary. Something that interrupts our plans, causes disruption, and eventually passes. But what if a crisis isn’t a moment, but a mindset? What if leading in times of crisis means always being prepared for the unexpected? The best leaders in the coming years will not just react to crises; they will anticipate them. They will stop seeing chaos as an unexpected occurrence and start realizing it as an integral part of the landscape. Leadership in a crisis (personal or professional) is about expecting the unexpected and thriving in it. (Hard? of course it is!)

Agility, mindfulness and purpose-driven thinking will be your superpowers.

In a world defined by chaos,  the leaders who hold on to rigid plans, who wait for perfect (or "normal") conditions, who steadfastly refuse to move off-script—they are guaranteed to fall behind.

The true leaders are going to be those who can pivot, adapt, and make bold decisions in the moment - while still dreaming big. They will not wait for all the information, knowing it will never fully materialize. Instead, they're going to move with speed and make informed decisions with the knowledge that agility trumps certainty.

Over the next several years, really strong leaders will be distinguished by three factors: the ability to act fast, adapt to new realities, and make tough decisions within ambiguous contexts. The predictability era is gone. The planning-perfection era is gone. Now agility is one of the most important things.

Crisis is an opportunity, not a setback. (do not discount this as a cliche)  That is the difference in thought pattern between great leaders and the rest: Crisis is not a drawback. It's an opportunity.

Yes, a crisis is disruptive. Yes, it's uncomfortable. But it's also a moment of possibility. Because when the world is in flux, the rules change. The playing field gets leveled. That's when innovation and reinvention happens.

The leaders best placed to succeed in the coming years are those who, confronted by crises, view them as opportunities rather than challenges. They will be asking themselves questions like, "What can we do differently?" and "What doors have swung open because of this?" Rather than retrench, they will move forward because they know inside every crisis lies an opportunity—one that is waiting for those bold enough to seize it. (think about what you went through in your life).

Resilience is built in crises, not before it!

You don’t build resilience in easy times. Resilience is built in the middle of the storm. It’s forged when things go wrong, when the plan falls apart, when you feel lost, stuck or confused, when you’re forced to make decisions with limited information and high stakes.

The leaders that will make it through in the next few years aren't the ones who have had a cakewalk. It's going to be the ones that can take difficult times, that have come out of crises stronger than they went in. Crisis leadership is not about perfection but about getting knocked down and getting back up again, coming back with clearer vision, sharpened focus, and increased resolve.

In the coming years, resilience will be the most important leadership trait. Not because you’ll avoid crises, but because you’ll face them head-on and emerge stronger.

People Follow Calm in the Storm

El Paso, here is something you must remember: In times of crisis, people look up to leaders for calm, not certainty. In the midst of a world that sometimes appears to be utterly chaotic, your team doesn't expect you to have all the answers. But they do hope you have some stability.

The leaders who will rise over the next decade are not the ones with all the perfect answers. They're the ones who can stay calm, get their message across, and convey confidence to their teams. When the world seems like a mess, people aren't looking for absolute certainty; they just want clarity. They need a leader who can honestly say, "I don't have all the answers, but here's what we're going to do next to find out."

Calm is contagious (so is panic)!

With resolute steadiness, you create a space in which people feel free to move, act, take challenges, and own things instead of being paralyzed with fear.

Crisis Leadership Is About Trust 

Trust has always been at the heart of leadership; in times of crisis, it is the most valuable coin. In the years ahead, leaders will not have the luxury of time to build trust incrementally. They will need to start with transparency, vulnerability, and integrity from Day One.

Why? Because in times of crisis, people just can't afford to trust leaders they don't trust. They need to know you're deciding things with their best interests in mind, that you are forthright about what you know and what's unknown, and that you'll be there with them for what's often a long haul.

Leaders whom they trust, who communicate openly and regularly, and who—when they have no answers—say so, will be the ones that people will follow through even the toughest of times.

Leading in Crisis Isn't Optional Anymore!

Those days are gone when you waited for stability to lead. Crisis is now the background against which leadership is projected. It's not something you do occasionally; it's the environment in which you lead every day. The leaders that will rise in the next few years are the ones who are going to embrace this reality. They are going to stop wishing for things to go back to normal and start leading with the realization that normal is gone.

Crisis is constant; uncertainty is the only thing that is certain, and the ability to lead through it will define your impact.

So, the question is not whether you will go through crises in the coming years ahead, rather, how will you lead others through them. The leaders who will thrive in the next decade won't be the ones who simply wait for the storm to pass. They'll be the ones who have the ability to navigate others through the storm.

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