How to lead your team with safe uncertainty

We’ve been talking about ‘safe uncertainty’ recently with a client managing a major organisational change. It's a concept that originates from the field of family therapy, but what can it tell us about building effective and resilient teams in times of uncertainty? 

Psychotherapist Barry Mason explored how people and groups, particularly children, navigate change and ambiguity, moving from chaotic family situations into care or fostering environments. He distinguishes between the apparent, though false, need for absolute certainty (What is going to happen?) and our real and genuine human need for safety (Will I be okay?).

It challenges the idea that we must have complete certainty to be able to move forward. Instead, it looks for a balance between stability and flexibility, so that we can focus on building a sense of safety for ourselves, whilst also thriving in the uncertainty and allowing fresh possibilities to emerge.

Leading your team with safe uncertainty

It starts with developing a mindset that is less focused on eliminating uncertainty, and more focused on being curious and engaging with it, thereby opening up the team’s creativity and new possibilities. As Barry Mason puts it...

Safe uncertainty is “not a technique or skill but an ever-evolving state of being"

Here are three leadership approaches that will help:

1.     Build psychological safety

Develop your team’s resilience by being open and honest about the challenges and ambiguities. Encourage them to talk openly about their hopes and concerns, without judgement or agenda. Role model vulnerability – don’t be afraid to talk about your own concerns or say that you don’t have all the answers. Help the team to feel that it’s okay to live with the uncertainty – and that it’s natural to find it unsettling.

2.     Encourage experimentation

When there’s uncertainty, it’s a natural response to keep our heads down and play it safe. In 'fight or flight' terms, this is the freeze response and leads to inertia and inflexibility.  To counter this, encourage your team to generate new ideas and try new things within agreed limits. If something doesn't work, focus your team on learning from the experience rather than fearing failure. Teams who are comfortable with uncertainty are good at planning but also great at adapting, experimenting and staying curious.

3.     Empower the team

Give team members responsibility and the authority to make decisions within parameters. Keep check of your leadership style under stress and resist the temptation to over-control or micromanage. Focus on what’s within your control or influence: “I don’t know what’s going to happen in future, but I will make sure you have every opportunity for coaching and mentoring to develop your skills while you’re in this team”. Finally, celebrate the wins, no matter how small.

If you want to develop your team’s resilience and ingenuity in uncertain times, get in touch. We can help.