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3 Ways That Star Leaders Boost Confidence When in Chaos

Pretty female team leader talking with mixed race group of people in the small startup office

Summary: It is difficult to lead in times of chaos and uncertainty. While that is absolutely true, the more important fact is that chaos is also the best tool to test a leadership. Being a Star leader is mostly about being an anchor in the muddled waters of chaos and sailing the team successfully to the destination.

Chaos has become an important ingredient of the soup that everyone’s everyday life is. While uncertainty can hit anyone, anywhere – it’s chaos at the workplace that seems to be more widespread. And with uncertainty at work, comes the fear, the doubts, and the indecision. 

Carol Bartz entered Autodesk, a software company that stayed still without aiming for higher ground as CEO. She revolutionized the culture with her determined, not-giving-a-damn approach manifested in her 3F concept: fail fast forward1. The idea is simple: it’s better to fail, take your losses with a sigh and just move forward to do more things than to stay in one place and not even move out of fear. With this optimistic confidence she was able to keep a strong hand on the steering wheel with trust from others despite high tides. From 2003 to 20042, she managed to quadruple Autodesk’s net income and raise revenue by 15 percent; and triple both the revenue and employee count since she joined. 

When their team is clearly struggling, a lot of managers tend to:

Cave in to Pessimism

There are times when the morale of your team is low. Your team will have to know that the chaos, the madness – it’s all temporary; that not being able to see a solution right now doesn’t mean they’ll never see it. So, you’ll first have to get past the fear of the problem yourself, have belief in yourself, be optimistic, and only then will you be able to do your job well.

Hesitate to Ask for Information

When in chaos, don’t overthink, don’t assume. Instead, be optimistic and act. Not having complete information could create a situation of confusion and chaos. Instead, to do away with all the indecision and doubt, do not hesitate in asking for all the input you need to come up with a viable plan or a solution.

Are Not Really Present

We just talked about how you as a leader are the best one qualified to instill confidence in your team when they need it the most. But how would you ever do that if you’re not there? If your team doesn’t see you working with them, if they don’t see you being positively engaged to solve the problem, how would you ask them to keep working despite all the odds?

Impact on Leadership

Research shows that certain companies have a standard set of features which defines them as high in hope: They have clearly defined goals, and they are sure about their knowledge of what paths will lead to those goals. Whether small “mom-and-pop” companies with just a few workers or huge corporations with billions of dollars floating around, such conditions of high hope and positive expectancies lead employers and employees to be motivated for constant action. They reach well beyond what is necessary or required, achieve positive relationships with clients, and boost productivity and profit margins4. Do you want to take the step which puts you over the edge or keep playing safe?

Star Mindset

You can’t control everything that happens to you, but you can control your mindset. Can you believe in your own visions strongly enough to make others believe in it as well?

3 Immediately Actionable Steps

  1. Next time, when you face a crisis situation, take 2-3 minutes to step out of the chaos and check in with yourself. 
  2. Be confident and ask all the relevant questions to gather data that will lead to clarity and possibility.
  3. The way to cheer up your team is by being by their side and working through the situation optimistically.

Summary

It is difficult to lead in times of chaos and uncertainty. While that is absolutely true, the more important fact is that chaos is also the best tool to test a leadership. Being a Star leader is mostly about being an anchor in the muddled waters of chaos and sailing the team successfully to the destination.

References

  1. Hasse, J. (2019, February 20). Former Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz Shares Advice For Cannabis Entrepreneurs: “You Have To Have Some Cojones.” Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/javierhasse/2019/02/20/fmr-yahoo-ceo-carol-bartz-shares-advice-for-cannabis-entrepreneurs-you-have-to-have-some-cojones/?sh=3ff40c252259
  2. Institutional Investor. (2004, June 10). Carol Bartz of Autodesk: Designing woman. Institutional Investor. https://www.institutionalinvestor.com/article/b15136qcrvbv6z/carol-bartz-of-autodesk-designing-woman
  3. Forbes. (n.d.). Carol Bartz. Forbes. Retrieved September 10, 2021, from https://www.forbes.com/profile/carol-bartz/?sh=fa5a61b2047c
  4. Snyder, C. R., & Lopez, S. J. (2018). Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths. SAGE Publications.
  5. Schaubroeck, J., Lam, S. S. K., & Cha, S. E. (2007). Embracing transformational leadership: Team values and the impact of leader behavior on team performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(4), 1020–1030. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.92.4.1020

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