Limited visibility: How good managers lead

“Iberia zero seven five eight, wind 190 degrees, 5 knots, from runway 23L cleared for take-off"

This is how concisely a take-off clearance sounds, allowing pilots to immediately initiate take-off and safely get their jet and passengers into the air – even in limited visibility. Ground markings and runway lighting are sufficient for orientation.

Functioning organizations are guided by similar means of orientation. This is particularly noticeable in difficult weather conditions, whether in the form of geopolitical risks on a large scale or a slowdown in order intake on a smaller scale. Practically everyone makes appropriate plans. But how uncertainty is dealt with in each case separates the wheat from the chaff. The relevant leadership question is not: How do we minimize uncertainty? But rather: How do we provide sufficient orientation in the given uncertainty?

This is not only a completely different question. Psychologically, it is the decisive one.

In companies, too, people react to uncertainty with increased cognitive stress. With the known consequences: actionism, micro-reporting (consequently leading to micromanagement), and deferral of decisions. Teams lose their focus, priorities become blurred, and a fatal indifference spreads. So it's high time to talk briefly about structuring as a management task.

Heuristics, understood as imperfect and not entirely rational approaches to solving problems, can help us better manage the complexity of a task. It is worth answering some fundamental questions first. What is the biggest risk in the project and how do we want to deal with it? How will the success of the project be measured? How do we reach a decision? And, of course, how do we want to deal with internal conflicts along the way?

Priorities are excellent for structuring what is important, but they are usually not very stable in times of trouble. Does that make them worthless? Of course not. But experience teaches us that even handling three priorities appropriately is no easy task. In most cases, this leads to conflicting goals. Therefore, if priorities need to be observed, then as few as possible, so that you have the opportunity to defuse any such conflict yourself.

Giving feedback does not just mean saying, “You did a great job!” Qualified, i.e., differentiated feedback is part of error-friendly personnel management. Error-friendly literally means dealing with errors in a friendly manner. If mistakes are understood as an invitation to learn from the situation, this alone changes the perspective of everyone involved. It is always easier to talk to a person about their own learning than about the degree to which he or she has developed certain skills.

In situations where there is a lack of structure, managers (and politicians, too) tend to use the phrase “We're navigating by sight at the moment.” This is meant to sound comforting. However, as long as it is not stated what can be seen on the currently visible route section and what line should be followed there, this statement merely simulates leadership. It doesn't help: when visibility is poor, suitable orientation systems are needed. And that is precisely a leadership task. coopartner can provide support in this regard.