By Mike Thompson, author of "The Anywhere Leader"
These are the days of uncertainty. I love what John F. Kennedy once said, “The one unchangeable certainty is that nothing is certain or unchangeable.” Uncertainty is the watchword for today’s business leaders – and most aren’t prepared to lead through it.
It’s easy to lead through the predictable and the known. What’s harder is leading through volatility and disruption – the unknown terrors that keep us up at night: The next massive oil leak. A competitor’s surprising price reduction to undercut the market. Rogue public smear campaigns. A terrorist’s attack in a crowded marketplace. An important investor disappearing in the middle of the night. Bird flu, swine flu … equestrian flu, anyone?
Some leaders run from such disruption, quietly seeking the nearest safe zone. The uncertainty of today’s world calls for leaders who meet these challenges head-on. They know that playing it safe no longer is safe. So they are driven for progress, sensationally curious and vastly resourceful.
These are anywhere leaders. They make momentum happen; they don’t wait for momentum to happen. They ask more of the right questions, instead of racing to spit out the right answers in hopes of recognition. Their resourcefulness allows them to do a lot with very little – a common scenario these days. In other words, their success isn’t dependent on the size of their budget.
The good news is that anyone in any environment can become an anywhere leader. The behaviors found in anywhere leaders aren’t always easy to develop, but anyone can develop them.
Here are a few questions to get you started toward anywhere leadership:
Am I making the momentum or am I waiting for someone else to step up before I jump in?
I encourage you to develop more of a daring nature – get in front of a great idea. Today’s businesses need champions of great ideas.
Am I the one who always provides the answers?
Giving answers might be a good ego-booster, but your value becomes limited by your capacity. Anywhere leaders build the knowledge of their teams by asking the right questions.
Am I finding creative ways to use my limited resources or am I allowing limited resources to bring failure?
Anywhere leaders don’t leave their success up to the size of their resources; they inspire hope by creatively finding solutions.
About the Author
Mike Thompson is the author of The Anywhere Leader: How to Lead and Succeed in Any Business Environment (Jossey-Bass) and the founder and CEO of SVI, a leading organizational development company whose mission is to create irresistible companies and extraordinary people. Thompson is traveling with partner organization Heifer International (heifer.org) to countries all over the world to uncover Anywhere Leader stories and document them at anywhereleader.com. He also is the author The Organizational Champion (McGraw Hill).
Mike Thompson: The Anywhere Leader: How to Lead and Succeed in Any Business Environment
John Agno: Can't Get Enough Leadership: Book Notes & Coaching Tips