It is often said that crises bring out the best leaders. They are those who know how to act and adapt to any challenge, change or uncertainty.
Last update: April 13, 2022
The best leaders know how to respond to any situation by adapting in an innovative way. This ability requires knowing how to adopt numerous resources.
The most important is the mobilization of human capital to act in the face of challenges without fear. In a changing and ever-uncertain world, you need to be prepared for change.
Somehow, a person's qualities often reveal themselves in times of trouble. After all, driving in times of stability and prosperity is extremely simple.
What is decisive is knowing how to develop performances when unlikely events occur, when the “black swans” of which the Lebanese essayist Nicholas Taleb make their appearance.
Good leaders do not improvise, organizational psychology reveals that it is necessary to train people with adequate skills to be able to manage times of crisis. Being prepared for almost anything is the key to surviving in any changing scenario.
Social environments are changing and constantly require adaptability from all of us and, above all, from leaders who make big decisions.
The best leaders can adapt, but how?
Charles Darwin said that the species that adapt best to the environment are the ones that end up surviving. The same could be said of social environments, because i our economic and technological scenarios advance much faster than our species and this forces us to react to each of these changes.
The research work carried out at the University of Hanover (Germany) indicates an evident fact that is not without concern. A significant number of leaders (social, political, economic, health, etc.) are unable to successfully adapt to adversity.
In an increasingly unstable, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environment, we need chameleonic figures to learn new and valuable skills.
Everyone is advised to be more active and proactive. We have learned over the years that the absence of difficulties and problems is something exceptional. Everything changes, the world goes fast and we are called to be dynamic, innovative and resilient.
For this reason, all the figures who decide for us and who direct us are also obliged to develop adequate skills, and not just to survive the challenges.
We want more effective leaders who know how to exploit challenges to allow us to move forward in the best way. Let's see in the following lines which dimensions are indispensable.
Knowing how to anticipate
A good leader is not a passive person who takes everything for granted. He knows the environment, the "macro" and "micro" world, knowing how to weave relationships to be attentive to any event.
The last thing we should do is limit ourselves to our daily scenario. Only by looking at the horizon do you find clues as to what might happen. Knowing how to anticipate is a fundamental skill in any good leader.
Ability to articulate, mobilize and motivate
The person who has a responsibility is above all a good manager. Knowing how to manage and mobilize resources is the secret to facing any challenge. Beyond that, lead by example with your own attitude to motivate the group.
Responsibility, trust and projection in the best leaders
The best leaders take full responsibility for the process of responding to the threat, problem or challenge. Likewise, they are figures who know how to delegate and who trust their team.
They know that their human capital is capable and is a projection of themselves, so they do not hesitate to delegate responsibility to others.
The best leaders are resilient
The man or woman who runs a project, company or institution is skilled in resilience. He knows what it means to fail and he has learned from it.
Accept and understand that adversity and change are not an exception, but a constant in life. This is why you have a proactive mentality that acts in the event of an accident or unforeseen event. He does this by applying his experience and his ability to respond creatively.
Figures skilled in managing the daily contradiction
The leaders of the future will be adept at dealing with the daily contradiction social scenarios to achieve equilibrium.
Far from freezing or reacting with frustration by seeking guilt or making impulsive decisions, they will act reflexively with adequate emotional intelligence.
In the current global context, organizations and their leaders cannot remain passive in the face of changes that are yet to come. We need flexible and skilled figures in adaptation processes.
Situational theory about the best leaders
People who adapt to any environment and circumstance are the best leaders. This is what Hersey-Blanchard's theory of situational leadership indicates. They are expert figures who mobilize staff in multiple ways to facilitate this adaptation.
They can issue specific orders and also trade synergies with other leaders to make consensual decisions. It is also common for them to delegate to others.
Knowing how to respond to unpredictable events requires the adoption of multiple strategies. Changes are a constant, which is why we need not only more effective leaders, but also people with original visions that allow them to take full advantage of each uncertain event.
