Leadership In The New World Disorder

How to survive and thrive against the forces of chaos and disruption

What aspects of our intellect can we all bring to bear when the proverbial sky is falling and the rules we’ve lived by for so long are suddenly rendered moot by unforeseen and dramatic change? Leaders and aspiring leaders seeking to thrive in this caldron of chaos and confusion need to learn how to succeed in the new world disorder.
 

To desire order is all too human. The very definition of order suggests a sense of calm, control, and poise. Less drama, less stress, comfortable predictability. What’s not to like? As adult professionals, leaders should step away from this abject fantasy, take a deep breath and then come to grips with how the world really works, down in the core of your being, you know this to be true. You watch as everything around you shifts, moves, and evolves. Any attempt to slow this natural process is futile so why not just embrace it? Why not just go with the crazy flow and master the new reality?

I believe that true order is an illusion. The universe we all live in was created in chaos, and since that dramatic beginning, you, me, all of us, have been participating in a natural continuum of that big bang event. When I was in the Navy SEAL teams, we trained for crisis, we prepared for bad data, missing pieces of the picture, and complete reversals of fortune. We did this because these dynamics are the nature of war and it is no less true in business. In business, leaders strive to contain, to mitigate, when they should be learning how to become comfortable with change.

The shock we all feel when the processes, systems, procedures, and people we’ve come to rely on fail, is emotional and mind-numbing. This initial visceral reaction is bad enough, but it can get worse. Often management teams slide into the dark abyss of denial. The shattering of previously held truths being too much to even contemplate. They hope for a return to normal, they pray for order to be restored, and when that doesn’t work they seek leadership to light the way.

What effective skills or knowledge can leaders apply to a crisis scenario?

First and foremost, study business history. The truth about the universe and human nature plays out again and again in the tragic stories of once great companies and corporations.

Second, accept that change is inevitable and be ready to master that chaotic environment by training for the day when it hits you or your organization.

Third, practice judgment, the application of wisdom not data and analytics models. When significant disruption occurs, you must fight back with your intelligence and your heart because the old data and models will let you down.

And fourth, practice being creative. Creativity is the single most powerful tool a leader has when faced with reinventing or reimagining the world after a crisis. Brainstorm, gather abstract data points, communicate outside your comfort zone, and leverage applied and purposeful curiosity to create a new beginning.

Navy SEALs apply creativity all the time. Unconventional warfare units are just that, unconventional. Their tasks, their missions, are complex and odd. A challenge a conventional military force cannot execute. Nobody in the SEALs knows when their time will come, but when it does, they are prepared for the unknown. They embrace the shaky assumptions and the constantly changing target environment. They plan for the most likely case and then move forward. Adapting and evolving the plan continuously as key inputs erode and cold reality forces them to adjust. They apply wisdom and judgment to successfully navigate the problem set and never intellectually or emotionally rely on hard rules, fixed information, or rigid procedures.

Organizations and their leaders can become nimble, agile, and flexible. Characteristics combine to help us cope with and eventually master the chaos all around us.     

Author Bio

Marty Strong is a combat veteran who spent twenty years in the Navy’s elite SEAL teams. He is a practicing CEO, Chief Strategy Officer, and speaker. He also serves on the board of LGS Management Group, Inc., and the board of BEST Robotics, Inc. Marty is the author of Be Nimble: How the Creative Navy SEAL Mindset Wins on the Battlefield and in Business (January 2022), and his new book, Be Visionary: Strategic Leadership in the Age of Optimization, released January 2023. Connect Marty Strong