Neither Nero, nor Chicken Little: Skills for Surviving (and Thriving) in Turbulent Times

We hardly needed the current pandemic to drive home the notion that we should prepare ourselves and our organizations to be successful when things get rough. We all should think about, and prepare, to thrive and not just survive. But any kind of preparation and capability development requires an investment. Without knowing how soon the next crisis will come, how long it will last, or what form it will take, how do we reasonably allocate resources to prepare for tough times vs. investing to make the most out of good times? To build resilience, we should be neither Nero, fiddling away while Rome burns, nor Chicken Little, always proclaiming and anticipating disaster.

Absent an infallible crystal ball, how do we decide what capabilities to build and how to prepare ourselves? For myself, I answer the question in part by borrowing from a book by my late partner, mentor, and co-author, Roger Fisher, which he wrote with our mutual colleague Scott Brown, “Getting Together: Building a Relationship that Gets to Yes.” Derived from decades of work on superpower relationships, the book laid out a relationship-building strategy the authors called “unconditionally constructive.” In essence, we should do those things that are good for building the relationship, and good for us, whether or not our counterpart reciprocates.

In turbulent times, I suggest we apply that advice by focusing on those capabilities that are good for us and good for those we also need to thrive along with us, whether heading into tough times or relatively calm and prosperous ones. Though not an exhaustive list, a handful of skills jump out for me as meeting this bar.

Empathy.
At the top of my list for skills critical to possess in the middle of a crisis: the ability to understand and appreciate how others are feeling about something, whether or not we agree with their assessment or their expectations.

Amidst crisis, empathy is a skill that helps me understand that I am not alone, and to deepen my perspective on what the crisis is and what it means for others, too. When I better understand how the crisis impacts a colleague or business partner — or how my actions may be aggravating the situation — I come up with some better ideas. When others see me as more understanding, they also are more likely to see me as collaborative — worthy of engagement and problem-solving.

When I help those I work with feel heard and understood, I model for them a way to navigate their own feelings and experiences and recover problem-solving skills pushed aside by fear, resentment, or other more emotional reactions to the situation. Empathy is also widely useful when dealing with a much more localized challenge during a time of plenty. It is rarely “wasted investment” to build team members’ skills to understand not only each other’s words, but the feelings that accompany them.

Curiosity.
Also falling into the general category of critical communication and leadership skills, curiosity is both a habit of mind and a practice that can be nurtured and enhanced. Think of it as the ability to suspend the absolute certainty that our views are correct, if only for sufficient time to really understand a different or conflicting perspective. Being curious helps us avoid confirmation bias — selecting only the “facts” that fit our mindset — the precursor to many disastrous outcomes in business, politics, science, and more.

Far from “killing the cat,” curiosity can be key to survival. It clears our heads and cuts through emotional reactions, allowing us to consider multiple, sometimes wildly conflicting hypotheses at the same time. Curiosity helps us test and validate assumptions, rather than get swept up in the rush off the cliff. Maintaining our curiosity amidst disagreement helps us listen differently and understand better. When others view us as open to persuasion, we ourselves become more persuasive. Our curiosity also helps those we work with, and depend on, to get through tough times. When we listen differently to our suppliers, we learn about the ways we are disabling them. When we listen differently to our customers, they get better solutions from us. When we listen differently to our own teammates, they feel more engaged, more empowered, and they do a better job for us and for the organization.

This skill definitely improves with awareness, training, and practice. High potential and high performers in the workplace tend to be praised for their ability to learn, to drive ahead and rise to a challenge, and to pivot when necessary. Curiosity is an essential ingredient of high performance, in good times and in bad.

Problem-solving.
Building the skills to define a problem, diagnose its causes, develop solutions, and take action — regardless of the specific methodological details of a particular discipline or function — is already on many organizations’ Learning & Development roadmaps. In the context of crisis, the ability to solve problems, and do it particularly well, takes on urgent connotations:

• A sense of agency. The value of excelling at problem solving during a crisis goes beyond the benefit of bringing the crisis to a resolution. Being competent to understand and tackle problems also moves me from feeling buffeted by events and subject to the consequences of others’ action, to feeling more in control, capable of taking action, and having some real agency. (Some would call this being “at cause” rather than “at effect.”)
• Creating value. As a problem-solver, I can focus on finding answers that create value, rather than fighting for a diminishing slice of something in a zero-sum world. As I collaborate with colleagues and external partners to create value, I improve outcomes not only for myself, but for those around me.
• Future-readiness. In every survey and expert report on the skills necessary for the “future of work,” problem-solving is at or near the top of the list. Bringing insight, creativity, and critical thinking to bear on complex problems cannot (yet?) be automated. Whether mitigating downside risk or magnifying upside opportunity, problem-solving is an enduring capability.

Navigating change.
Comfort with the familiar and fear of the unknown combine to make change hard in many organizations. Recognizing how to be constructive (but not passive) when others are defining and leading the change can be especially challenging. It requires that we develop the mindset and skills to: seek out and appreciate why the change is required; raise concerns and engage in problem-solving; recognize and embrace progress; and choose to help others.

When we skillfully navigate a major change thrust upon us by a crisis, we get ourselves across whatever difficult terrain we need to traverse, and we position ourselves and our organization for success. We avoid being the “collateral damage” of a crisis-driven transformation; we’re not kicking and screaming as we’re dragged along to the new vision. Moreover, the periods of stability between and among changes are only getting shorter. Navigating change is as much a skill for success in times of opportunity as it is a skill for survival in crisis. In either context, if I am able to appreciate the need for change — helping the organization implement and adjust the vision and roadmap forward — I also help to reduce the risk and cost of making that transition for those around me. Thus, it’s more likely we will succeed together.

Other essential skills?
Empathy, curiosity, problem-solving, and navigating change strike me as some of the most critical skills for ourselves and our people to possess during a crisis. Making sure they are available, when crisis hits, requires that we build these skills in anticipation of the next crisis, and to double down on reinforcing and enhancing them even while a crisis is upon us. The good news is that these skills are also invaluable when we are not in crisis; they benefit the individual as well as those around them.

What other skills would you add to this list? For example, where would you put a strong repertoire of communication skills, including the ability to manage difficult conversations or to tell a compelling story? How about building alignment among divergent stakeholders? I invite you to share your thoughts and make the case for skills that are good for us, as well as for those whom we need to help us through the crisis. In other words, what skills would you deem always worthy of investment, in good times or bad?