Supervising in Uncertain Times

Webinar Takeaways

There's so much uncertainty in the world today…

• Economic volatility
• Geopolitical conflict and wars
• Climate change
• Cybersecurity
• AI and automation
• Political polarization
• Social unrest

And in the workplace...

• Shifting job market
• Remote and hybrid work
• Cost-cutting and driving for efficiency
• Creating inclusive cultures
• AI and tech disruption
• Restructuring

What's the impact on employees?

• mental health challenges
• job security concerns
• increased stress
• decreased engagement
• burnout
• decreased performance and productivity 

How do we unleash creativity? Understand that uncertainty can be a catalyst to unleash creativity.

How can stress help us tap into our power and courage?

• Understand what creates stress.
• Stress is needed to keep us challenged and evolving.
• Anxiety comes when we get overwhelmed—believing that external demands are greater than our internal resources—and over estimate the threat and underestimate our resources.
• Ask: am I overestimating the threat and or underestimating my resources?

Navigating uncertainty requires a different kind of power. How can we increase our internal locus of control?

The old paradigm of control is sometimes necessary, but we also need a new paradigm: Power as the ability to meet uncertainty with acceptance, humility, creativity, and confidence.

How to empower yourself?

1. Accept what is: we can only start from where we are, not from where we think we are.
2. Balance realism with optimism: don’t resist reality while holding onto your optimism; we need both.
3. Find curiosity and courage: be comfortable with not knowing allows new ideas to come in
4. Affirm your strengths and purpose—and accept your humanness
5. Build your support network—you can’t do it alone. Bring in diverse perspectives and voices, people to agree and to challenge us.
6. Add value (the act of improving or providing something extra that others find useful) vs. completing tasks. Think of the people you work with as customers. What am I doing to make the other person’s life easier/make things simpler? How would I feel if I received this email/directive/comment. Do things from the lens of helping others rather than yourself. 

How to empower others?

1. Communicate authentically and often: people will fill in, often with negative “stories”, information that they lack.
2. Give people a voice and choice—be strategic about when and where.
3. Balance the unknown with the known.
4. Set short-term goals and celebrate progress.
5. Recognize and appreciate: “I see you as a person.”
6. Provide context and connect the dots. Where is progress being made? Acknowledge frustrations and talk about what worked.
7. Prioritize—be the reality check. You are the middle person between upper management and your team and need to advocate for them.
8. Invest in employee development.
9. Empower through coaching. Ask, “What’s happening?” “What do you know for sure?” “What outcome would you like?” “What could you do to make this situation better?” “Who else could help?” “What is your next step?”