But that is only half the truth and covers only half the duties of leaders. In
addition to ideas, new perspectives and alternatives, people also need fixed points of
orientation, and a feeling of safety and security. They follow the path of change
willingly only if they can roughly estimate where they are going and what their
company will stand for in the long term.
An unpredictable boss is in my opinion as bad as a drunken captain on the bridge
who suddenly jerks the wheel without having set the sails for the new course.
A boss who – as Sprenger postulates – disrupts for the sake of disrupting will lose
their credibility and their standing. They confuse their employees and create
a climate of fear and uncertainty, not one of innovation. Even Machiavelli claimed
that all a leader accomplishes with constant changes is nothing more than to hide
their inability to make the right decision.
Especially in times of change – and the future will be a time of perpetual
change – leaders will be confronted with the resistance of employees, colleagues,
clients or their own superiors, but they have to counter this resistance and convert
it into positive energy. They have to redirect the wind that blows against them into
their sails so that it advances the company and does not deviate it from the new
course. This resistance may take the form of strong gusts, i.e., open resistance, but
also as a diffuse crosswind, i.e., emotional insecurity. This case is much more
difficult and malicious, as the manager does not know which way the wind is
blowing and no fight can truly be openly fought. The company then hums like
a hive of rumors, fears, hunches and opinions that are difficult to locate and to
invalidate.
In a chaotic, confusing environment that changes every day, the staff has to use
all of its power to organize and to re-orient itself. This energy is lost for the
operational business and for the maintenance of relationships. What happens to
the learning curve if the experiences of yesterday are no longer valid today because
the executive jerked the wheel and changed course yet again? Who can finish an
idea or plan a project if their work is constantly disrupted by a (superior) trouble-
maker? Who can appear trustworthy to costumers if they no longer know what
they’re actually selling or what their brand stands for?
To avoid misunderstandings: I am not calling for leaders to shelter their
employees from the shocks and evils of the world. They must always keep the
future in mind, be the first to recognize trends and to prepare the company and the
people for them. But not alone! People must learn to deal with uncertainty – and
that won’t happen overnight. We were socialized in a system that stood for
constancy, safety and collective welfare. This system no longer works as it was
intended to, but values and attitudes are changing only slowly.
It is important to get the people out of the ruts of their established ways, but not to
overwhelm them. That goes for managers as well as for their employees. Finally,
even managers can grow afraid when their environment starts to shift and falter.
These fears and uncertainties have to be communicated openly, because doing so
creates trust between managers and employees, as the latter feel that their boss knows
about their concerns and perhaps even shares them. Reinforcing the “we” feeling in
an environment of change and risk can be crucial for the success of a company.
3.2 Leading with Your Head and Heart 183