Becoming a More Nimble Leader

When Bob Dylan wrote The Times They Are A-Changin’ in 1963, he chose a tempo that seems quaint and measured today, but is in keeping with his folk genre. If he wrote the same song today, he’d likely choose a pace closer to Billy Joel’s We Didn’t Start the Fire. The last decade has taught us all to brace ourselves for more – and more sudden – change. To adapt to that change, we have all had to learn to be more nimble in our analysis and our decision making.

For the last 25+ years, I’ve coached business leaders as they lead their organizations. I have listened to thousands of professionals talk about the changes they incorporated into their work and personal worlds. We’ve talked through how they can explain their new plans, their company’s revised objectives, and their strategy for the moment, all while their situations remained in flux. We’ve had those conversations in the face of changing economic situations, changing regulations for their industry, and, most recently, an attack on our democracy, a war in Europe, and a global pandemic.

With each major event a company or team faced, the leader would talk about achieving a “new normal.” But often, shortly thereafter, the rules would change again and they found themselves in a new “new normal,” and that pattern kept repeating itself. They would have to start all over again. It became apparent that our “new normal” was actually all of us learning to achieve a “new nimble.”

We’ve all become accustomed to making decisions in a fluid environment. The rules keep changing, the factors to consider become more complex or, in some cases, completely out of control, and the structural underpinnings of how we think about issues no longer apply.

We all have our own challenges and triumphs as we navigate through an ever-changing landscape. We all figure out how to set the tone for our organizations and create new processes for dealing with crises. We each have our own failures. Both our successes and our failures are learning moments. We can also learn from each other’s triumphs and struggles.

Based on my experiences with many leaders, we can be more nimble if we adopt three approaches or behaviors.

We need to understand the essence of who we are as an organization, ask the right questions of ourselves and our teams, and gain practice in making bold decisions.

By understanding how these three elements come into play as we make decisions, we’ll be better able to remain nimble both in times of crisis, and in the normal levels of craziness we all experience. Here are some questions you can ask yourself and your team to see how well positioned you are to adapt and make decisions in uncertain times.

Understand Your Essence

Being nimble is about both being able to pivot and knowing when to do so. We can’t pivot if we don’t have a starting point. Knowing the essence of who you are allows you to move both deftly and strategically in a way many others cannot.

Ask yourself and your team:

• How do we define our mission, our values and our limits?
• How do our stakeholders view us? Do they know what they can ask of us?
• How well does our organization promote creativity?
• What voices do we welcome into strategy conversations?

Ask the Right Questions

One of the key drivers of success during times of tumult is the right mix of confidence and humility. Without confidence, we become paralyzed. Without humility, we rush forward blindly. Humility requires accepting that we don’t have all of the answers and that we need input from those around us. The most nimble organizations create cultures where people aren’t afraid to ask challenging questions.

Ask yourself and your team:

• How well does our organization’s culture welcome input from a wide array of perspectives?
• How well does the size and structure of our organization allow us to shift resources as needed?
• Where can we seek meaningful knowledge about our industry that provides a unique perspective for us?

Be Bold

To lead, we must make decisions about our path forward and then head down that path. We have to explain those decisions to our stakeholders and accept the consequences of those decisions. Organizations that have practice making quick decisions and that promote a culture of decisiveness in matters both small and large are more likely to thrive in times of uncertainty.

Ask yourself and your team:

• Do we trust our team members to make the right decisions in the heat of the moment? How can we improve that level of trust?
• Have we created the right atmosphere of independent thought and decision-making?
• Does our culture allow people with competing views to continue working together smoothly after disagreements?
• How well structured are we to respond quickly to take advantage of opportunities as they arise?
• What changes would we need to make to move more quickly?

Finally, there are two key questions you may want to ask yourself that will impact your ability to remain nimble in times of change.

First, on a scale of 0 to 10, where are you regarding being a perfectionist?

Second, again, on a scale of 0 to 10, how would you rate yourself on being really hard on yourself when you make a mistake?

Obviously, these are very subjective self-assessments. However, asking yourself these very basic questions will help you become more self-aware. If you rank yourself an 8 or above on either scale, you may need to shift your approach.

There are no “perfect” decisions. Every decision leads us to different opportunities and challenges. Clearly, some ideas or decisions are better than others. But none of them are perfect. In times of rapid change, a series of really good decisions will drive your organization forward. If you overanalyze a situation in an effort to determine the perfect decision, you’ll become paralyzed. Ask yourself if your decision will move the process forward enough in the moment. If it does, take the step.

If you’re really hard on yourself when you make a bad decision, you’ll paralyze your ability to pivot when you need to. Accept that your decisions have consequences and be ready to accept those consequences. You’re going to make the occasional bad decision. Accept it internally. Own it publicly. Then, channel your inner Elsa from Frozen and Let it Go. There are more decisions waiting to be made. You’ll get the next one right.

Originally published on Forbes.com.