Ambiguity and Leadership Create a Poor Partnership for Team Building

It goes without saying we are dealing with uncertainty right now; in our present circumstance as well as for the future. This lack of certainty is likely unusual for most of you who are in a leadership role yet, because of the ambiguity of life at the moment, it’s natural for questions to arise and doubt to rear its head. If ambiguity is a trigger for your anxiety, they can become poor partners for your leadership and steps need to be taken to shift your relationship with uncertainty and turn it into a working alliance.

It’s important to remember that you form relationships with others in the same way you relate to yourself; defining the way you relate to the world and other people. In a leadership role, it defines your relationship to your team and your ability to create a safe and secure place for them. This will determine the ultimate success of your team.

The key to this is your self-talk, the conversations you have with yourself and whether they are focused on the past, the future, or the present moment. Your past and future-related conversations with yourself can come from two places: fear and survival mode (what went wrong in the past and what can possibly go wrong in the future) or curiosity and appreciative inquiry mode (what worked well in the past; what are my strengths based on that; how can I take it further to construct the future, results and values-based life I desire).

For example, dwelling on negative events in your past is counterproductive because: first, you can’t change them and second, when you focus on the past you often repeat your previous behaviors and reproduce the same unhelpful patterns. On the other hand, focusing on the future that is centered around prevention of bad things happening can be helpful as a short-term survival strategy, but will prevent you and your team from growth and expansion in the long run.

In other words, the habits of thought and behaviors developed in the past limits you to the same behaviors in the future, regardless of previous results.

Being mindful of the present can be challenging yet it is very liberating and opens lots of new possibilities. This is the core of mindfulness practice, the fundamental principle on which the benefits of being mindful in all you do rests.

Mindfulness Focuses on the Present & Your Strengths as a Leader

Being mindful enables you to tap into your strengths, the qualities that lead to long-term success. This happens because staying curious in the present and getting in the habit of returning your mind to the present moment moves your limiting thoughts and feelings into the background instead of continuing the habit of negative self-talk. You might still notice it, but it is not in the driver’s seat any longer, so it does not have the same power.

The effect this can have on your team is really pretty impressive. After all, as their leader, you set the tone within the team and the way you see and feel about yourself will be reflected by them. When you’re at your best, they will be as well.

Which brings us to the next benefit of mindfulness training, stepping into your strengths; that is, the leadership characteristics that brought you to your current position.

To do this, you must leave your problem-solving mode (“what’s wrong with me – how do I fix what’s wrong with me”) described above and move into your strength-based, curiosity, and appreciative inquiry mode. This is where you are able to connect with positive experiences from your past and employ the things that worked before.

Connecting with those strengths allows you to construct a different future, beginning with self-talk that champions you and evolving into behaviors that serve your life purpose.

So, while problem-solving mode has value in a crisis, human beings are not wired to stay in the crisis mode for long periods of time. The appreciative inquiry mode on the other hand, is more introspective; more about “What do I need in the moment?” than what needs to be done to solve all the possible problems, in general.

There is a great deal more that can be said about these modes of thinking and behavior, as well as the effects of ambiguity in leadership. The limits of space and time though, prohibit more in a blog post.

Have Questions?

I have two suggestions for you if you would like to learn more: Watch my April 25th Facebook Live presentation, or take advantage of the opportunity to schedule a FREE call with me. I look forward to hearing from you.