5 Principles of effective leadership in an uncertain world

In this blog, I share my top 5 tips to offer progressive leadership in an uncertain and ambiguous world.

The world of business can be adverse and complex. With constantly changing markets, disruptive technologies, multiple consumer trends, shifting political dynamics and climate change – feelings of uncertainty and anxiety are likely to develop within your team. So how do you, as a leader, keep a clear head and offer strong guidance to your workforce?

Be Agile

As Cluster Head for North Asia at Unilever, my own career path has been paved with challenges and moments of uncertainty. I have taken many roads in my career, across different countries and market conditions, each with their own cultures and subcultures. I am currently based in China, which has its own vast and complex dynamic that I must not only respect and understand, but master, if I am to provide valuable leadership to my team. How do I do this? By understanding that as a leader, my learning is never truly complete, that to succeed I must evolve and adapt to a constantly changing landscape.

Ultimately, success in changing environments is about forming mental flexibility, adaptability and understanding the value of educating oneself. While we work towards a stretching destination in the future, we must accept that the path will not be straight and predictable.

Unilever is a global organisation with a far reach across many countries and cultures, this means we get the opportunity to work across many markets with different conditions and positions. This creates our ability to be adaptable and agile minded. I make sure to encourage this way of thinking in my workforce and in turn, practise what I preach. I will always favour an experimental mindset versus a rigid strive for traditional practises. As I recently heard a senior Chinese leader say:

 “It is not the big fish that will eat the small fish, but the fast fish that will eat the slow.”

 Create a Strong Team

An organisation is only as strong as its weakest link and when dealing with times of unpredictability it has never been more important to secure a stable, competent workforce. Fundamentally success is about the ‘who’ far before the ‘what’.

As a leader, it is important to ask: Who are the people going on this journey together? Do you trust them? Do they connect with the core values and purpose of your business? At Unilever, we champion sustainability, fairness in the workplace and inclusivity, so it is paramount that our team advocates the same ideals. Our teams are increasingly made up of Millennials. In our experience, Millennials prove themselves hungry to learn with a consistent desire to make a positive impact on the world. In fact, we find Millennials to have a strong sense of a larger purpose, a belief system that fits perfectly with Unilever’s values of responsible business and sustainable practices – just look at our recent #PutItRight campaign.

Simplify the Complex

Thirdly, when launching a new business venture, analysing a different market, dealing with a competitive threat or simply implementing a new program, your team may be subjected to a whole host of market volatility, and masses of data that could result in feelings of stress and uncertainty.

For instance, in my current role I experience China as a massive and complex market with huge diversity and exponential speed of change. The best way to understand the business is to directly engage with the frontline of the business – with consumers and customers and listen to them. Our role as leaders is to educate ourselves of these changes, understand the complexities and simplify them. When we learn to simplify the complex, and we communicate in simple terms, we can come up with a set of clear priorities for our team. This helps clarify things and allows them to see their role in the bigger picture. I call this ‘sense making’ – the art of joining dots and keeping business simple.

Celebrate Success

Working within a large global company like Unilever in times of volatile change can mean a variety of challenges. As head of my Cluster it is of course my job to face these challenges head on. However, as leader it is also my duty to recognise and celebrate the successes in my team.

Recognising achievement is vital in building confidence and a sense of joy within your team – it speaks volumes in ensuring your employees understand their value within the company and this positivity is a fantastic motivator. This recognition need not be elaborate, sending simple thank-you notes or congratulating people with a little gift serves the objective to ensure the team feel valued. This spreads a widespread feeling of positivity within the company and curates a culture of generosity.

It’s the thrill of doing business and realising the opportunities that gets me out of the bed every day, and I want to share this energy with all in the company.

Build Resilience

Finally, when trying to navigate a constantly changing world, one of the most valuable pieces of advice, and something I live by in all areas of my life, is the increasing importance to stay mindful and positive. Be it during personal struggle or dealings within the business, finding a mental balance to accept the negatives and knowing that these lows are temporary, are vital skills when leading a team.

Keeping this resilience and calm has never been more important in leadership; it helps to gain trust and reassurance while inspiring your team to follow your example.

Do you think you could have what it takes to shape the future of Unilever as one of our inspiring leaders? Whether you join as an intern, graduate or experienced professional, Unilever offers all of our employees a chance to grow, build your own path in an environment that values fair opportunities, sustainability and enhancing the livelihood of millions. To find out more, connect with us on LinkedIn and discover our current vacancies.