Leadership In An Uncertain World

Leading during the pandemic was a wake-up call for many of us.

When Covid first hit, we had to act so swiftly that we didn’t have time to debate which leadership styles to adopt. We were navigating a crisis with no map, so we relied on instinct.

Leaders need to adjust their style and use new skills when the world gets weird.

It turns out, leaders who were both decisive and empathetic rose to the top. Decisive leadership helped us deal with the sudden shift to remote work—both our own and that of our customers. For example, ServiceNow quickly created emergency-response applications on our platform to help customers manage the unique, rapidly evolving challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic and followed that up with return-to-workplace applications.

Leaders also realized that empathy was critical. People were burned out, working overtime as employees, caregivers, and teachers. We were confined to close quarters with cranky family members, and each headline was more depressing than the one preceding it. Understanding and compassion, at work and at home, were essential to leadership—and to our collective well-being.

Thanks to science, we have moved on from the crisis mindset. But we are still adjusting to Covid-19 as an endemic, and now, in 2022, leaders are facing a multitude of other pressures—global inflation and other macroeconomic factors, social and geopolitical unrest, climate concerns, hybrid work, and more. Some days, the world seems stacked against humankind.

This got me thinking. What type of leadership do we need now, during this time of uncertainty, and what will serve us well over the long run?

Transparency builds trust

Empathy and decisiveness will always remain important when working with others. These are foundational leadership traits, and I’m grateful that so many leaders have come to appreciate the power of empathy. But when I think back to what got me through some “long slogs,” as I like to call them, other traits come to mind.

First is transparency, which sometimes gets a bad rap as a corporate buzzword. However, I believe all leaders should be straightforward and honest with the people they’re leading. Beyond sharing information, leaders need to be vulnerable enough to share what makes them tick and how they make decisions.

Having the confidence to say “I don’t have all the answers, but here’s how we are thinking about it” pays off time and time again—especially during unsettling times. 

Transparency also means being open and honest when you simply don’t have an answer. As leaders, waiting until all the boxes are checked can be tempting, but that only leads to more frustration and confusion for employees. Having the confidence to say “I don’t have all the answers, but here’s how we are thinking about it” pays off time and time again—especially during unsettling times.

When people I work with know where I’m coming from and I know how they approach things, we work better together. We understand what we each expect and can collaborate to meet our goals.

As business guru Brené Brown says, “In the absence of data, we will always make up stories.” In my dual role as CFO and leading ServiceNow’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategy, I don’t want anyone to create their own stories about our purpose, growth trajectory, or ESG initiatives. Transparency means being open and truthful and—ultimately— trustworthy.

Courage leads to growth

Leaders also must have the courage to take calculated risks. 

This is what ServiceNow’s Hervé Duborjal is referring to when he says times of inflation may be a good time for investment. Yes, this is a bold statement, but it’s the right kind of risk for a leader to take. Hervé doesn’t have all the answers, but he does have enough insight and experience to challenge the status quo and suggest an innovative approach.

Hard times call forth leaders to do hard things in service of each other and our customers. Having the courage to act on the opportunities we see, especially when others only see threats, is how we make the world work better.

Grit and heart fuel the fire

Finally, I would be nowhere if it weren’t for grit and heart.

To me, grit is not just a vital leadership skill, but a vital life skill. I’ve had to dig deep and ignore my critical inner voice and forge ahead—whether it was being the first in my family to attend college, moving across the country with two small children, or taking a risk on a role. I cannot tell you how many times I wanted to turn back or quit. But I persevered. I’m not sure “quit” is in my vocabulary, but “grit” certainly is.

If you’re in it for the long haul, you have no choice but to persevere. 

I like Angela Duckworth’s definition of grit as “passion and perseverance for long-term goals.” As for passion, I know the reason I hung in there when the road got bumpy was because my heart was in it. I also believe that having long-term goals is necessary, because as a leader you’re going to have short-term setbacks. Quarterly earnings may not be what you expect. A star player may resign. Supply chain issues may get in the way of meeting certain deadlines. But if you’re in it for the long haul, you have no choice but to persevere.

As we move from an “unprecedented” crisis to a period of “uncertain” times, it's crucial that leaders have the necessary skills to guide their organizations. More important than possessing individual leadership traits, though, is knowing how to read a situation and deciding what’s needed. Is it empathy? Transparency? Grit? Or, most likely, a combination?

With a steady hand, I’ll follow my heart on this. It hasn’t led me astray yet.