Berger Blog

The demands on leaders have taken a bit of a turn over the past six months.  I was listening to a radio discussion somewhere that was talking about the changes that we’ve seen since last summer.  In August of 2008, it was pointed out on the program, when the Summer Olympic Games had begun, the housing issues were barely emerging and nothing on Wall Street had yet garnered any real attention.  In Soeul, the Chinese government was worried that their economy was growing too fast.

Not even six months later, a global economic crisis and nationwide employment and real estate crisis are all any one talks about.  The Chinese government now is worried about the surging unemployment in industrial centers across China.  Living overseas as I have been for the past two years, I’ve been able to be at the edges of the conversations, somewhat involved but not at the center of them.  Despite my location, I’ve participated in work with leaders and been in the discussions with them about the new challenges they’re facing.

   “How do I lead with so much uncertainty and instability all around me?”

   “How can I lead confidently when I’m not even sure about my job?”

   “It’s not easy motivating my staff in the middle of all this muck!”

The reality is that all of these worries are grounded.  It isn’t entirely about attitude and perspective, as it often can be for a leader.  Many leaders, when given the chance to step outside of their normal perspective, they see that their cognitive and emotional states determine their behaviours and results.  And that by finding ways to change their thoughts and feelings, they can change their outcomes, without anything “real” ever changing. 

In this current state of change and turmoil in the marketplace, the worries and challenges that leaders are working with are more than cognitive and emotional states, however some of this same distancing of perspective and shifts in out thinking and feelings can, in fact, have a tangible impact on how effective and successful leaders can be through these challenging times.