Out of Control — How to Lead Through Uncertainty? With Dr. Paul Lawrence

Leaders are expected to get results. In fact, some people will say that’s what leaders get paid for, and they are held accountable when the desired results are not achieved. But, at the same time, leaders can’t really control outcomes, especially during times that seem to become increasingly uncertain. So what can leaders do?
Dr. Paul Lawrence is helping us find answers in this episode. Paul is a leadership consultant, coach, researcher, and author of many books and articles on leadership and coaching.

Key Aspects and Statements
[05:12] Leaders often think there are things they control and others they can’t. What often gets forgotten is the bit in the middle: what we can influence. That’s the real domain of leadership in a complex world where you can’t control results.
[7:14] There are five ways of thinking about systems and about change.
[13:13 ] In the first three ways (linear and non-linear systemic, collaborative systemic), we imply that we are standing outside our organisation, we can diagnose things somehow, and then we'll work out what we need to do. We believe we can control things.
[15:42] In a complex system, however, a leader can't stand outside the organisation. They are part of the system. So, when I, as a leader, put something out there, other people will make sense of what I am saying in their own way. As a result, something quite unexpected may emerge; what the leader wanted and intended didn't happen. In other words, you don't get to control outcomes in a complex system.

What I can do as a leader is to get genuinely curious, get out into the organisation and explore what people are thinking and saying.
[28:14] In research about successful change in organisations, we found one word that stood out: dialogue. Dialogue is a way of engaging people in conversation. Dialogue requires leaders to get out there genuinely curious, to find out what people are saying, how they're thinking, how they're behaving. Leaders need to suspend judgment and be open to the possibility that what emerges from all those conversations might be different from what they expected.
[36:25] The way we think does change; it evolves through that social process of conversation and interaction. And that’s why it’s so important that we challenge how they think about systems and change.
Reflection Questions:

• How can I influence? How might influence happen in unexpected ways? and How can I be personally more at ease with my limitations of influence?
• How can I as a leader be more curious and open to learn from those I wish to influence, not from a point of control but from a point of influence - when it's about them, not about me?
• How do I think about change and how does that sharpen the way that I lead?

Dr. Paul Lawrence's contact details are on his website, and you can find all his books and articles here.
More info about us and our work is also on our website: secondcrackleadership.com.
Do you have any questions, feedback, or suggestions for us? Would you like to explore how we can help you to drive results in your organisations through a company-wide initiative or individual executive coaching? Then email us: hello at secondcrackleadership dot com.
To connect with us on LinkedIn:
Martin AldergårdGerrit Pelzer