Purpose to the Rescue: Leading In Times of Uncertainty

Leading in uncertainty can be a daunting task. Whether you are a parent, team leader, business leader, political leader or have taken an active role in supporting your broader community of family and friends right now, many of us find ourselves responsible for others or inspired to create change during this challenging period. So how might you lead well in times of uncertainty? We recommend applying the Principles of Purposeful Leaders. 

The Principles of Purposeful Leaders

When thinking about Purposeful Leadership, it's useful to first understand the distinction between Management and Leadership. John P Kotter explains it this way; Management is about controlling complexity. Leadership is about producing useful change. Purposeful leaders produce change that is not only useful, but purposeful. Our research and practice at People With Purpose over the past six years has revealed that  purposeful leaders embody a unique combination of perspectives to inform HOW they ideate, make decisions, set priorities and take action. The four principles of purposeful leaders are:

IMAGINATION “I can imagine things to be better and am driven to make it so”

INTEGRATION “I take a holistic view and am mindful of the connections and potential consequences inherent in the ecosystem in which I lead”

IMPACT “I seek to create positive and sustainable impacts for all stakeholders ”

INDIVIDUALS “I am considerate of the impacts of my vision and before I act, I empathise with individuals who may be affected by my choices”

Many leaders appear to follow one or more of the 4 Principles, but only purposeful leaders consistently operate from all four. WHY do they lead in this way you may ask?  We’ve found that the underlying reason is simple. Purposeful Leaders wish to improve the(ir) world.  Their perspective on the world may vary... it could be the world at large - like our aspiration here at People With Purpose (our purpose is to equip business to improve the world), or it could be the world of health care, of sustainable farming or home-schooling your children. (!!)

When a leader operates from these four principles, their impact is much more likely to be purposeful, scalable, relevant and positive. Each of these principles is vital, particularly when leading in uncertainty. To demonstrate this, we have compiled some examples of businesses leading with purpose and showcasing at least one of the 4 Principles of Purposeful Leaders during COVID-19.

Imagination

Purposeful leaders step outside of their comfort zone, think outside of the box and create alternative solutions to common practice. They have the ability to envision a better future, and to inspire others towards it. Companies using imagination to lead in times of uncertainty include:

1. Zoom was quick to realise a way they could enable teachers and students around the world. They have offered free use of their platform for educational purposes to support remote schooling.

2. Bundaberg Rum saw an opportunity to play their part in flattening the curve, devoting their resources for a much needed commodity: hand sanitiser. They are now donating enough ethanol to produce 500,000 bottles of hand sanitiser.

Integrated World View

Purposeful leaders see the world as a series of interrelated and contingent systems, recognising our inherent connection with each other and the world we share.

Those who exhibit purposeful leadership qualities are constantly seeking more knowledge and are able to integrate and synthesise this information to inform their decisions. This quality enables them to see global and local changes and respond appropriately. 

1. AirBNB saw a need for housing healthcare professionals who are fighting the coronavirus all around the world. To assist them, the company has welcomed them into their Open Homes Program, offering free or subsidised stays.

2. Walmart, Apple, and the Olive Garden are updating their sick leave policies to encourage unwell staff (who previously may not have been eligible for paid sick leave) to stay home and stop the spread.

Impact Orientation

Purposeful leaders are doers, not just dreamers, and they are driven to create impact beyond financial terms. These leaders have a focus on achieving goals and creating impact with scale. They are action-orientated and hungry for progress. This paradigm can be seen in the following companies’ current actions:

1. Maanch has launched a response fund to support those most affected by COVID-19, including elderly support, children support, small business & community support, food banks, mental health, and medical research.

2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have developed a bot to evaluate symptoms of a patient and suggest appropriate medical care to relieve the health sector.

Individual Consideration

The ability to empathise and put themselves into others’ shoes; to see, understand and be motivated to alleviate others’ suffering is an essential characteristic of a purposeful leader. Purposeful leaders reject utilitarianism and zero-sum thinking, recognising that undermining individual needs can undermine the whole. Guided by this principle, purposeful leaders seek to create synergies of value and meaning for all. This has particularly shone through with businesses offering financial support to their customers:

1. Commercial & General were able to empathise with their small business tenants during this difficult time, choosing to call off all rental payments for 3 months

2. Didi - a ride-sharing company - has dropped service fees from 20% to 5%, providing their drivers with 95% of each fare.

It is encouraging to see so many examples of purposeful leaders emerging from this epidemic to help improve the world.

How might you lead more purposefully in this time of uncertainty? Subscribe to download our Purposeful Leaders Worksheet to uncover your opportunities to lead more purposefully. If you are already subscribed, you will receive this resource in the May Newsletter and will find the direct access link there! Contact us at why@peoplewithpurpose.com if you have any issues.

You may also be interested in this list of resources about COVID-19 which covers topics including business resilience and staying purposeful while working from home.

Did you know our team at People With Purpose works with individual business leaders, executive teams, boards and entire organisations to help develop purpose-led strategies and purposeful leaders? Right now you can book into a complementary purposeful discovery session with our Founder and CEO Danielle Duell to learn more about how our purposeful leadership, coaching and strategy services might assist you, your team and your organisation adapt to create greater purposeful prosperity and impact.