What do you do when you face trying moments either in your personal life or the organization you lead? Every leader who has been in any C-level leadership position for some time will attest to the fact that crises, challenges, and setbacks, are all part of their daily lives.

Crises or challenges could be the loss of a key product or significant financial disaster, an unforeseen legal battle or natural disasters like the coronavirus pandemic that is crippling many businesses and economies of nations.

In such situations, the way C- level leaders respond to the crisis after thorough reflection, evaluation, maintaining vision and the quality of leadership they provide, fundamentally shapes how employees and the organization navigates the storm.

For many who dream of that day when they will be appointed into C-level positions, they do so because of the power to appoint and disappoint, make decisions that determine the fate of the organization, the mouth-watering salary plus the different perks that come with the position. What is not so obvious, however, is that being appointed to dine with the top echelon of an organization, is like being thrown into a tide where you experience both the calmness and roughness of the water waves. In all situations, however, the C-suit leader is expected to provide quality and effective leadership for the viability of the organization despite obstacles.

Given the challenges and uncertainties that often confront C- level leaders, HCI is your guide, owing to the extensive work that we have done with C- level leaders in different countries. We interviewed some of them to understand the common behaviours they exhibit when effectively leading through such tough and complex conditions. We share some of these behaviours because we understand the implications of COVID -19 on businesses and the disruptions it has created, which require leaders to demonstrate confidence and maintain vision for their stakeholders. We hope these will help.

1. Communicate clearly and effectively.

There is no better time for a leader to clearly articulate and re-echo the broader vision and direction of the organization and rekindle confidence in the team than in times of crisis and uncertainties. During crises, it becomes critical for leaders to design adaptive strategies that evolve with the challenges at hand and the possible solutions. That way, it becomes easy to influence and motivate followers and other stakeholders to navigate complex and interrelated systems towards an anticipated solution to the crises. Communication thus, helps leaders to inspire confidence in the followers and other stakeholders to know what is at stake, what measures are being taken to address the crisis and the possible anticipated duration of the crises. Effective communication therefore creates a sense of shared goals and defined outcomes across the organization and make everyone feel valued and a part of finding solutions. Consider effective communication as a major strategy in leading during complex and uncertain times.

Related article: Six lessons to learn from COVID-19 pandemic 

2. Think, remain calm and opt for quality decisions.

Many times, when we are faced with challenging times, we resort to worries and panicking with the hope that things will get better. Unfortunately, worrying and panicking does not solve problems. They instead make a leader to make mistakes. As was indicated earlier in this article, crises, challenges, disruptions and uncertainties, are part and parcel of the leader’s life. After all, that is what you are paid to do – make quality decisions in both good, excellent or worst times. But scholars and practitioners increasingly accept the idea that the ability of a leader to influence and facilitate others towards shared goals is largely determined by the quality of their decisions and not merely the positions they hold.  Studies have also shown that the information gathered in any crises, most often, are usually not entirely accurate or complete for effective and quality decision making. Psychologist Gary A. Klein, in his book Streetlights and Shadows: Searching for the Keys to Adaptive Decision Making, for example, argues that the common assumptions underlying most of our effective decision-making require revision to remain true in ambiguous situations. We cannot rely only on rational and scientific methods of analysis for gathering as much information as possible before making a choice, he affirms. He therefore opines that in times of uncertainty and crises leaders need more than data, they need balanced expertise and analysis with experience‐driven intuition, to enable them make effective and quality decisions that will have lasting impact.

As a leader, therefore, before you make any decisions, spend some quality time to connect the dots, instead of panicking.

3. Facilitate shared responsibility in seeking solutions to the crises.

The adage ‘’Two heads are better than one’’ is an ancient proverb with lasting implications for leaders in any given situation. In times of uncertainty or disruptive situations, there are interactions between established and spontaneous actors with the organizations which requires effective collaboration to quickly find a solution. It therefore becomes imperative for the leaders in any crisis situation to effectively navigate these interactions to facilitate a shared vision for the desired outcomes. Dialoguing and brainstorming with your team and other actors on the challenges facing the organization is the sure way of getting answers to the pressing issues. It sets in motion the machinery of getting everyone to begin to work together towards a common goal. When the leader facilitates a shared responsibility of setting a common outcome, it unifies everyone at all levels and inspires both lateral and vertical communication within the organization which leads to finding a lasting solution to the crises or challenge at stake. If a leader decides to do it alone, he will be denying the creative minds of his followers and other actors in the crises to contribute to the success of the organization.

Related article: COVID-19: five ways to stay productive at home

4. Adapt strategies and avoid rigidity.

Tough times call for innovations and the courage to make very hard decisions. Great leaders when dealing with crises ensure that they adapt to the current needs of the emergencies. Disruptions and uncertainties come with a lot of pressure on a leader but being able to withstand this pressure positively and tackle the crisis head-on is what separates a great leader from a good one. For most successful leaders who have lived and led through crises, when faced with any disruptive situation, they dealt with the uncertainty by regularly reviewing and innovating their strategies to achieve desired outcomes. Studies have shown that conditions in a crisis can change quickly, and so must leaders constantly revisit their articulated strategies and ascertain their relevance and effectiveness, in the face of current data and analytic tools. Effective and great leaders apply diverse types of experiences to cope with the crises confronting them. They leverage both traditional and indirect experience, plus the adapting lessons from their experiences to solve current conditions.

5. Learn from the crises.

Like it or not, but every leader is likely to face one form of crisis or the other in his or her leadership journey. The secret though, is that, all great leaders do not pass through disruptive and uncertain times without learning from the crisis. Let us face it, COVID 19 will leave the world and the way business is done completely different when it finally withers. Whether in the service industry, manufacturing, tourism or legal sector of the economy, nothing will remain the same when the pandemic is over. The question though will be whether the current disruptions and uncertainties will leave you a better person with a new perspective about life and business or not.

History teaches us that it is unlikely to foretell when and how a crisis will occur. However, it is very certain that we can identify the patterns and behaviours in any crises, that can best support us in coping effectively with what we face and innovate the possible outcomes in any given situations. Let us all resolve therefore, to begin the lookout for these underlying patterns and behaviours because they become the vital data and critical assumptions for any future scientific or social research and learnings that will help enlighten us all for the common good. Afterall, there is a silver lining in every difficult situation. It is told.