Demonstrating the Value of Collaboration Within the Unknown

Collaborative Leaders Respect the Need to Operate in the Unknown

“There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things.”

— Niccolo Machiavelli

It is no secret that today’s leaders are balancing a lot of balls. These balls can rightfully be named: nonstop demands, vision, strategy, execution, developing people, managing expectations, communication, and last but not least, managing the unknown.
The stalled economy has created the need for leaders to become comfortable with not knowing in advance if your ideas, goals, and desires will get the desired results and yet you must move forward anyhow.

Dealing with the unknown of what is coming over the horizon yet you stay the course because you believe your team can create something great, is becoming the new normal. This style of collaborative leadership requires guts and perseverance.

Collaboration requires leaders who are comfortable with ambiguity as they seek to bring life to their vision.
Collaborative leaders believe enough in the people they have assembled on the team that regardless of the unknown , they have the ability to help everyone stay focused on achieving the goal.
How can becoming comfortable with the unknown help a leader be successful?
1. You will learn to confidently stay the course as you learn to appreciate the small baby steps you sometimes must take to reach a bold goal.
2. You will be able to accomplish more than you originally imagined because you will release your fear of needing to have all the answers immediately.
3. You will create more opportunities to demonstrate your capabilities because you will stand out from your peers as a leader who recognizes that the rules have changed and therefore the approach to reaching success must also change.
Learn to get comfortable with operating in the unknown. The current terrain demands that leaders recognize the need to take a stand and perform with the attitude that regardless of the shaky environment, you know that you bring value to your organization.
Depending on your industry, the current trends indicate that the economy is slowly trending upward. The reality is that no one knows when things are going to positively turnaround. Yet; leaders who recognize the need to stay the course despite not always having a compass are the ones who will survive.

Are you willing to lose your fear of not having all the answers as you make the decisions required to bring your vision to life?