He was the Shell Answer Man, and he had all the answers: How to change a tire. How to drive in snow. How to avoid getting your car stolen. How to save gasoline.
For about two decades, through the 1990s, he was the face of Shell, the brainchild of the Ogilvy and Mather advertising firm.
As I was growing up, the Shell Answer Man was the picture I had in my head of what a “good leader” looked like. Calm, credible, and had all the answers.
If you’ve been tasked to lead your strategy, it is likely others have that image of you. You have a strong track record and have built up quite a lot of expertise. Others trust you.
You just “know things.”
But — what if you don’t?
What if you are leading your strategy and have more questions than you have answers?
In my work with leaders driving a new strategy, or getting one back on track, I often see a sudden change force leaders into an awkward and unfamiliar place.
Maybe your market or your business model has changed suddenly. Your organization may have just been merged with another. Maybe the founder of your company, or a senior leader who always had the answers, has just retired or passed away.
You and your organization are in a “liminal” state: you are no longer where you were, and you are not in the new place yet. You’re on the threshold, in between.
Organizational structures, processes, and systems that worked before now seem awkward. Questions are coming from everywhere, “What do we do about…”? And no one – not even you, the leader in charge – knows all the answers.
It can be frightening.
Leading in this “in-between” state requires a new approach. And it starts with acknowledging to yourself that it’s okay to NOT know the answers.
In her book, “ How to Lead When You Don’t Know Where You’re Going: Leading In a Liminal Season”, author Susan Beaumont talks about going “from Knowing to Unknowing.”
You may be used to leading by casting a clear vision, lining everyone up, and confidently looking like you know what you’re doing.
Instead, leading a new strategy in this liminal state requires that you openly acknowledge that things have changed and that you’re NOT going to have answers.
This is not about just tolerating not knowing but getting really comfortable with it — and actually helping your organization get comfortable with not knowing too.
As Steven Hawking observed, “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance; it is the illusion of knowledge.”
The pandemic offered all of us an opportunity to stretch our muscles while living without answers. None of us had been in a situation where the world suddenly shut down because of a virus.
CEOs were humbly acknowledging on earnings calls, “We never saw this coming and we’re still figuring it out.” Front-line employees in retail stores and hospitals and schools realized their bosses didn’t have answers and were taking the lead to change processes overnight. Parents were making it up as they figured out how to work at home and manage kids learning how to do school virtually.
It became normal to not have the answers. How can we leverage this experience so that we are all better at leading in uncertainty?
In an unknowing environment, I’ve observed three approaches that seem to help leaders navigate more successfully:
a) Listen without having to give answers.
Sometimes the process of verbalizing questions can help people sort out what they are thinking, even when answers aren’t easy to come by. Just allowing people to be heard, and acknowledging that the question is valid, can be a gift that helps an organization deal with not knowing.
b) Share the truth without making it pretty.
People are suspicious of “spin.” In a liminal state, they won’t believe your pretty answers anyway. Talk frankly about the situation you’re in, what you know and what you don’t know. Acknowledge the risks and talk openly about what-if scenarios. The more facts people have, and the more they can openly discuss possible scenarios, the more prepared people can be to make on-the-ground decisions of their own.
c) Get okay with imperfect action.
In uncertainty, people freeze. Adapting requires fast learning. Saying yes to pilots and beta tests or smaller “let’s see if this works” efforts can help your organization move forward and learn without having all the answers first. This is a better use of everyone’s energy than getting stuck trying to get things perfect. Simply taking action can create an energy of its own and build people’s confidence, especially when the context is framed as “Let’s see what we can learn.”
These are three examples of leading WITHOUT having the answers: Co-existing with uncertainty and unvarnished truth. An open-handed approach that allows other leaders to step up. When it becomes evident there isn’t a quick fix, walking alongside people as they self-organize, and let a new way emerge.
———-
Are you finding yourself in a liminal state as this new year unfolds? You may lead a whole company or a team, a church or a nonprofit, or a community. Usually, you’re the one with the answers. But today, you have a lot more questions than you have answers. You may be feeling uncomfortable and even a little scared.
But take heart.
You can be EXACTLY the right person to lead your organization in a time such as this. Simply by allowing yourself to get GREAT at NOT knowing!
I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
— Susan Schramm
This article is part of my series, Driving a New Direction to equip and energize leaders with practical ways to move people forward, whether you’re leading a new strategy (or getting one back on track). I write about once or twice a month, and would welcome your subscribing below!
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