Coimbatore Taxi News

Future leaders must be ready for unexpected crises

The corporate world went through a variety of ordeals this decade. Increased competition, dearth of talent, mergers and acquisitions, financial crisis, technology disruptions, terrorist attacks and unusual weather events have all had their impact on the way global business functions. Experts opine that even in the future, this would continue, that too on a larger scale along with a new set of challenges.

This scenario calls for a stronger leadership. For the future leader, it is imperative to be capable of coping with the unexpected.

He should analyse a new situation within the shortest period, understand how it could change the course of the business, devise a suitable strategy for future action and lead his team in the direction.

In fact, it is the ability to recover quickly that separates leaders from common people. Be it in reacting to minor faults in day-to-day activities or executing major changes or dealing with unforeseen challenges, leaders are recognised by this unique trait.

In today's volatile business world, the time between surprises is shrinking drastically. A leader should be able to influence his team members, clients and peers to respond in a similar way and act according to his strategy. The following is some advice on how to speed responses and turn the adverse situation into favourable one or at least control the damage:

Be ready: A good leader remembers that adversities can crop up at any time, anywhere and of any magnitude. He keeps his eyes open to spot potential problems. Well before a problem emerges, he is ready with alternatives.

The awareness that problems can emerge keeps a leader open to think in the direction of alternatives. If not ready with Plan B, the awareness will at least help him to come to terms with the actual situation faster.

On the other hand, being complacent about one's strategies and believing that nothing can go wrong creates rigid barriers in responding quickly to the latest developments.

Communicate: Fast information flow is vital for controlling damages.

In case the data is critical, the decisions made on its basis can have a huge impact. So, by passing information even though it is not authentic, critical decision-making can be halted till the confusion is cleared.

Communication should be in shorter cycles, not gathering bulk data and disseminating it; people may not even attempt to go through the message if it is large.

Relationships: Trust is essential to develop and maintain good relationships. When employees are confident that their leader cares for them, they feel more empowered to act. They are more willing to collaborate and work towards the common goal of overcoming the adversity.

The kind of relationships people share among themselves and with the leader is also vital in exercising influence on their minds.

When this is blended with individual commitments and resilience capacities they can maintain high performance in any kind of situation.

Norms: Unforeseen situations are when creativity comes out.

Clear set of rules about what is acceptable and what is not will provide the direction, employees need to divert their creativity.

A leader should guide the employees in making critical decisions by clearly communicating the standards and values pertaining to the business and the organisation. And this is done not during adversity but well before it. When people already know the right thing to do, they need not waste precious time in waiting for orders or permission.

Crisis is the time when a leader can demonstrate his character and competence. It is also an opportunity for him to improve relationships with seniors, team members, clients and other acquaintances of the organisation.

So, to prove oneself as a good leader, one should actively practise handling challenging situations, even if it means going in search of them initially to pick up the skills.

NITYA SAI SOUMYA