Leadership Lessons 28 : Managing the Challenges and Risks

 Leadership Lessons 28

Managing the Challenges and Risks

Challenges are always around the corner. Challenges and risks come in life and organizations in different forms. Sometimes quite suddenly and often derail our plans.

There are challenges and risks that test our mettle as a person, as a manager and as a leader. How do we understand and address such challenges that make or unmake people, managers and leaders.

None of us knew 2020 would be an year of an unprecedented challenge. No one thought a little virus could derail economies, jobs, and individual or institutional plans.

Challenges could become a crisis or an opportunity, depending on the way we handle them . This too requires an approach of self reflection and thoughtful response.

There are challenges in our control and there are challenges beyond our control. Covid 19 was a challenge beyond our control.

So one had four options. a ). Get anxious and worried b) Retrieve and change your plans c) Stay calm and simply wait .d) Try to make the best out of a challenging context

I chose the last two approaches. I was always looking for a real retreat where mind can be totally free, devoid of any anxiety and enjoy every moment. Hence, Covid 19 provided a new opportunity and a reflective and even spiritual retreat. My own thinking process to changed.

Happiness is a choice. If you only choose to be happy, you can be happy. It also requires a sense of optimism and peace of mind. Smiling at Life and other human beings can make you a bit more happy

When the going gets tough, the tough get going.

One of the first leadership lessons I learned in life is that getting worried or anxious would not solve any problem. Getting worried and anxious often not only complicate a problem but also steal your happiness and peace of mind.

Resilience is an important leadership quality. Resilience is a state of mind to face and handle difficult situations in an effective way, without a sense of hurt. One of the core aspects is a detached mind to reflect and respond effectively. Resilience doesn't happen overnight.

A meditative mind with internal sources of faith, convictions , commitment and persistence prevails in the midst of challenges

How do we handle challenges?

1) Diagnosis

Understanding and analysis of a challenge is the first step. This would give a sense about the nature, character and extent of the challenge.

2. Collective Thinking

In an organizational context, it is important to have leadership team thinking collectively to understand and analyze a challenge. Challenges are bigger than a problem.

Challenges can potentially create multiple risks and turn in to a crisis. Challenges and risks reinforce each other.

Hence a diagnostic approach based on information, possible evidence and possible response options are pertinent.

3) Multi -Dimensional Analysis :

The way we see a challenge matters. Many of the challenge may have a multi -dimensional character. Depending on the lens, the challenge may look different from different point of view.

Hence it is important to analyze a challenge, using multiple lenses from multiple angle. This actually may not only give you a comprehensive understand based on multiple sources of information and analysis, but also point hidden opportunities and solution within a challenging situation.

4) Creative Thinking and Innovations.

This is what often helps people to think 'out of the box' and transforming a challenge in an opportunity. And making it a trigger for change and seeking help from unexpected people. Exploring options you never planned and charting out new and exciting pathway to future.

5).Winning People

:Leadership is not about solo music. However you are smart, transforming a challenge in to an opportunity requires an inspired and empowered tean with collective will to transfom a challenge. They need to have a sense of direction, results and impact and a contagious enthusiasm to move together to reach there.

Challenges and Risk are always around in an organizational context or in any start up initiatives. Hence it important to have a proactive approach to potential challenges, risks and threat..

A good organization or a project needs a risk assessment matrix. Risk can be high, medium or low. Depending on the risks, nature of challenge varies.

A monthly risk assessments and clear and strategic risk reduction approach helps to avoid or manage risks before they trun into a risk or challenge

Learning from Experience

I had several occasions to face challenges. Once I proposed a rather big global forum to a rather small team. It was beyond their comfort zone, or the way they got used to. There was less money and not an enthusiastic team.. Though I convinced the organizational leadership team, my team didn't want to do something big. Many supported and then undermined from the back end. Many opposed. Few supported.

This became a challenge. Because if there is no' buy in ' within an organization, it could be a challenge. And challenge could turn in to a crisis and even a disaster.

Risk averse people, simply want to survive in an organization, will only operate doing the basic minimum to survive and making bosses in good humor. In any organization large number of people belong to this category where they primarily want a job and salary. Hence they are simply the 'maintenance type' who prefer incremental approach.

I had an option to be risk averse and simply in the comfort zone. Doing business as usual. But then life would be simply a boring routine of predictability.

So took the challenge. The first thing was to slowly win over the team.. This involved assuring that there would be no huge burden of expectations from each of them. And addressing some of their anxiety too helped. Scaled down the ambition and budget and do a modest event. Then broke down huge impossible looking ambitions in to small doable tasks and I had to take up the responsibility to do more challenging tasks.

Of course in my mind the ambition and the scale of the program persisted. Hence, adopted a bit of creative thinking and a plan B and Plan C for resource mobilization and drawing on alternative options.

In the end Plan A, B and C were combined and we did organize something that looked impossible challenge a few months ago. And when it happen, give credit to your colleagues who in the first place opposed you. That makes all the difference!

Challenges are often the trigger for new imagination and innovations and help transform ourselves and organizations.

So instead of avoiding challenges, embrace challenges and turn them around to discover opportunity that we never thought of.

Being realistically ambitious and, then meeting challenges and managing risk are important indicators of good leadership. It is possible.

JS Adoor

To be continued