Nicola: [00:00:00] Hello and welcome to the podcast today. I am your host. I am Nicola Scco. I’m the coach working with organizations in telecoms and tech to help them to recruit, retain, and develop women at the top of their organization and future talent. Close the agenda, pay gap, and create a more. Organization. So today I’m gonna be talking about how to lead in in times of uncertainty, and it feels like we’ve gone through this period of lockdown.

Nicola: We’ve come out the other side to a certain extent, but then we’ve gone into, we’ve had that whole on and off period of working from. Come in back into the office making hybrid working work and everything that goes with it from a leadership perspective of having to lead teams in a different way [00:01:00] and maybe not being physically with them as much.

Nicola: And that’s obviously been a huge period of uncertainty and change, um, through lockdown. We never knew what was coming next. We never knew. What the framework was gonna be until it was there and it was in reality and it was live. So imagine that from a nervous system point of view, from a brain perspective.

Nicola: So, The brain loves the certainty. The brain loves petition and response. The brain loves knowing the same things are gonna happen again and again because in that repetition, the brain feels safe. So that means that from your perspective, you’re gonna be able to think logic reason much more because you have that certainty.

Nicola: So when we are an in uncertainty and uncertain times, you are gonna go back to your animal brain and your animal brain is. You are less rational. It’s where it’s much, much quicker. It responds in a really primal way and it just wants safety. So it just wants to create certainty, uh, for another day. But [00:02:00] that’s, it’s, that’s as effective your self-sabotage as is when there’s too much change at once and the brain goes back to what is known.

Nicola: So if you’re trying to eat really well and be really healthy, but then you just start eating a lot more. and your diet just goes out the window. It might be that you tried too much change at once, so just wanted to share that to start with just really, so from a brain perspective, uncertainty is what pushes you into and will push your team into your animal brain, which will cause that sense of just real anxiety.

Nicola: it will create a real sense of just a lack of trust. It will create worry. It will mean that your teams aren’t as focused, aren’t as focused on delivery because they’re caught in that worry. So when at it’s worse, uncertainty can cause that anxiety, it can cause polarization across different areas and different teams.

Nicola: Um, for you as a leader versus your team, it can also create disconnection and. Really, there’s needs to be [00:03:00] steps taken to keep that sense of being together and keeping connected. But we go into some tips in a minute for how to deal with uncertainty. But if we look at the challenging state of the telco and tech market at the moment, and you know what I’ve seen over the last three or four months again and again, is freezing of budget.

Nicola: Opex spend reduction and headcount freezers. And with that comes the word restructure. Um, and with the word restructure comes redundancies, and they, they come hand in hand. So that makes people very nervous. It makes people feel alienated. It makes people feel worried, anxious, stressed, and they’re not gonna perform in the same way.

Nicola: Yet there’s still that same pressure on employees and teams to really deliver. To really push hard to save, save costs, and increase revenue. So it’s really, really important for you as a leader just to [00:04:00] understand that human process and the the thought process and the brain mechanism behind what the impact of uncertainty is.

Nicola: And how do you then lead your team through periods of uncertainty? How do you lead your division? How do you lead your area of the business and what you are responsible for with certainty to kind of counteract that uncertainty. So I’m just gonna be taking you through some tips. I’m gonna go a bit more into the neuroscience of uncertainty.

Nicola: I’m gonna help you to just start with some simple tips to create more certainty. And then I’m also just gonna share, just share some ideas around how you can bring your team back into certainty as well. And just feeling more confident, feeling more certain. , and I also think this is a really, really important skill of any leader.

Nicola: And if I think about the markets that I work in in telco and tech, they’re already really fast moving. Um, they’re already technology changes day-to-day and week to week. So they’re already really [00:05:00] fast moving. Um, and then add to that even more uncertainty on a world scale with war in Ukraine. With the global recession, that just really, it speeds up even more.

Nicola: That search for a point of difference, that search for a strategic point of difference by an organization, that could be something technology led. So when I worked in the corporate world, the biggest technology launch that I was responsible for, um, was 10 million brand new to the world product launch, a very technical product, and that came about.

Nicola: We needed, the company I worked for needed a point of difference in the market. It was at the point where Apple was really owning the handset market, so four launches of year, new Apple products. There wasn’t a huge amount of difference outside of the app, and Apple controlled their framework for pricing, for marketing, for training, for everything.

Nicola: So it didn’t. An organization, a lot of room to really increase revenue, but they [00:06:00] couldn’t afford to not have that product. So the product that I was responsible for became the point of difference, became the U S P in the market, became something else that was going to help a lot of customers. It became something else that could be shouted about, that they’d, we’d done it to help our customers.

Nicola: We’d put this in place. We’d spent these millions of pounds to create this point of difference that was gonna help. Our customers. So it’s really, it’s just comes back to the leader and just being able to adapt, being able to adapt, being able to develop and to be able to lead your team through periods of uncertainty.

Nicola: And that is a hugely important skill in telco and tech. So let’s just revisit this neuroscience. So the neuroscience from a brain perspective, what’s going on when there’s that uncertainty? So when there’s talk of free structures, redundancies, head camp, freeze, opex cuts, budgets being cut, that creates a lack of certainty.

Nicola: So that creates a lack of [00:07:00] prediction and response. So your brain, A pattern recognition machine at its heart. So it recognizes patterns, it recognizes the same things happening at gang and a gang, and it knows that there’s safety in those because you’ve survived up to this point through those things happening.

Nicola: So that relates to your beliefs, that relates to situations, peoples environments and everything that’s led you to hear you survive. So the brain almost wants to keep to those things because they know, the brain knows that it’s. And when the brain is safe, that’s when you work at your best because you can be in your human part of your brain.

Nicola: If you just touch your forehead, that is your prefrontal cortex. That is a part of the brain where you logic, where you reason, where you think, and where you are yourself. It’s called the seat of humanity as well. It’s being described as. So creating that sense of prediction, response and certainty helps your you as a leader, but also your team to be at their best.

Nicola: To be in that really high functioning part of the brain, that is [00:08:00] logic reason. So when that certainty’s taken away and the environment becomes more uncertain and changes faster and faster, there’s those, the very senior board members going off and having a lot of strategy meetings, but nothing coming out, nothing being said.

Nicola: Um, there isn’t anything being shared, no news. So the brain kind of just assumes that it’s bad news because the brain has a real negative bias. So what that means with that uncertainty is the brain. You then start to lead more with the, an part of your brain. So if you touch. Where your neck and your head joined together and you’ll find a nobby bit.

Nicola: That’s where your animal brain sits. So it’s right at the, um, the base of your brain. It was the earliest part of the brain to develop. It’s when we, from when we were cave men, cave women, and it’s a part responsible that triggers our fight of flight, of freeze response and it’s activated more quickly.

Nicola: It’s instantaneous. We don’t have any control over it. And that part of the brain kicks in until we have safety again. So you will [00:09:00] be in that, that feeling of anxious, that feeling of uncertainty, maybe feeling a bit like you can’t sleep, that you can’t really focus or concentrate, that your heart is racing a bit more, that you feel a bit more easily triggered by things that you wouldn’t normally be.

Nicola: You might overreact to certain things compared to how you normally would do. And that’s all because you are leading more with that animal part of your brain. So the neuroscience here I think is really, really important because it sets that context that this isn’t you being a poor leader. This isn’t your team responding in an inappropriate way or it’s none of those things.

Nicola: It’s purely the human brain. Doing its job, the human brain, following that same pattern and structure that it’s always had. So please just understand for yourself, but also for your team, your peers, even your senior leaders, everyone around you. When there is this uncertainty, people will not be quite themselves.

Nicola: And from a brain perspective, that’s, that’s literally they will be led by more of the animal part of the brain. [00:10:00] And less by that thinking part their brain. So expect people to be more emotional, expect people to be reacting more. Some people might become very introverted and very quiet and almost, if you refer to my previous episode about quiet quitting, some people might step away a little bit more, and all of those reactions are perfectly natural and perfectly normal.

Nicola: So that’s kind of the neuroscience of uncertainty and. What’s going on from a brain perspective, and it’s also important to mention at this point that this is also can be either reduced or heightened by the culture around you. So if it’s a culture of we’re all in this together and that culture of openness and transparency and support, if that’s a culture framework that was there.

Nicola: there is gonna be more TRAs, there is gonna be more. We’re in this together sense of we are in this together and being more open and honest because that’s a framework that was already there. If it’s more of a culture of them and us, [00:11:00] so senior, very senior leaders, and then the rest, all the employees, if there’s a lack of trust, if there’s secrecy, if there’s just not feeling, not respecting and recognizing others, if there’s maybe some sexist behavior.

Nicola: Or racist behavior or just not really seeing and appreciating diverse diversity in the workforce. If that’s already there, it’s already a slightly toxic culture or a toxic culture, then periods of uncertainty are gonna have an even bigger impact. Um, and what we’ve seen again over the last few months is some companies are having huge amounts of really talented people leave because they don’t want to be in that culture anymore.

Nicola: Not only is it not, it’s the uncertainty. and they want to take control back and go and claim that certainty with a new role. It’s also the culture is now unbearable. And actually I will be putting together a separate episode specifically on a toxic culture, but there’s a great review within a Harvard Business Review.

Nicola: I think it is [00:12:00] all around the five areas that create a toxic culture. Um, I’ll pop that in the show show notes, but I’ll be putting together a separate episode on toxic cultures as well. So if you are feeling this at the moment, if you are feeling like there isn’t that certainty. How do you start to create certainty?

Nicola: The easiest way I can describe this is it’s for you to create you creating certainty for yourself and also for your team. . So for yourself, for example, create consistency in your structure. Create consistency in how your week flows, create consistency in how you look after yourself. So what your, what I call feel good foundations.

Nicola: What are your non-negotiables in a week? Get them in place and become challenge yourself to become really consistent with. because as a leader in this uncertain, in these uncertain times, you are going to need resilience. You’re gonna need energy, you’re gonna need that clarity of thinking to lead your team and your area of the business through.[00:13:00]

Nicola: So that’s the first thing. And really take some time and think about when you felt your best, you had the most resilience and the most energy. What are the things that you had in place in your week to give you. What’s really helped you? What are your feelgood foundations? And go back to listen to the separate episode all about feelgood foundations.

Nicola: So creating that certainty. The second thing, then, just building on that, creating certainty is if you have uncertainty, you don’t know. Create certainty by actually sharing that and saying that and owning that. So if there’s very senior level discussions going on about the strategy and restructures all of those sort of things, but you don’t know the detail and you can’t know yet, share that with your team.

Nicola: You’ve still created certainty by sharing the things that you know and the things that you don’t know and sharing when you’ll next update them. For example, I’ll, I’ll share more when I know more. [00:14:00] So it sounds like a strange thing, but when you have that real uncertainty, state it, state it and own it and be really, really clear about it.

Nicola: So if you don’t have view on the restructuring that might be happening, if you don’t have views on how areas of this might be merging together, if you don’t have a view about resiliency and what might be happening and when. Share that with your team and have that real openness and honesty and transparency, because transparency really creates confidence.

Nicola: If you aren’t open with your team, they’re gonna imagine the worst. They’re gonna get stuck in their own minds. They’re gonna be thinking the worst gonna happen, they’re gonna catastrophize. And actually for some team members, that might be enough for them just to find something else, um, and just leave a team.

Nicola: Really own what you can and share what you can, even if it’s you don’t know. So that’s the first thing. So I’d also, with your team, creating that certainty. So create a regular structure of support. So come back to the very basics. So how often are you gonna have your [00:15:00] one-to-ones? And in your one-to-ones, check in with the person as well as on the deliverables.

Nicola: And similarly with your team, how often your team meetings gonna. And get those booked in, in the diary. So again, there’s that, the consistent point of connection. There’s that consistent point of contact. And within those team meetings, just allow some time for your team to share how they’re feeling and what’s going on for them and ask them a questions.

Nicola: And this is, this really leads into consider your style of leadership here because we are moving away from that more old fashioned. I say you do style a leadership. I’m moving more into what Breen Brown would call the daring style leadership. That more servant leadership that where you are open to be asked questions, where you are leading and you are, you’ve defined the strategies being defined as a business, but you are collectively leading the team together and you are open to opinions and views and expertise to help everyone get there, rather than being a know-it-all.

Nicola: It’s about becoming a learn it all and being. Open [00:16:00] to questions and questioning. So create those points of contact, create that consistent structure for your team as well. And some other tips as well, just that transparency. So saying what you do and don’t know, resist perfectionism. So in times of uncertainty, just.

Nicola: Let go of that need for absolute perfectionism and shoot for progress, shoot for failing forward and making mistakes and knowing that it’s okay to course correct. And when there’s a period of uncertainty, it might be that you need to go for a huge transformation, like a restructure, but you are also still delivering in the day to day.

Nicola: And that’s quite difficult to have transformation happen when it’s, it’s also an operational. Deliverable. So just know that mistakes might happen, but learn from those mistakes and, and own them and be honest about them. Build trust and connections. So just really think about how do you create. That trust and connection with your team and keep that.

Nicola: So we’ve talked about that [00:17:00] consistency of structure with your team and that routine of one-to-ones and team meetings, but build trust and connections. So within those team meetings is a way of having some kind of forum for sharing, for example, is there a way of just connecting, having some kind of team social event or something that’s not just focused on work?

Nicola: Where you can just spend time in the team and create that connection so you know more about them, you know more about the person behind. It’s not just about the deliverables. Understand what pressure they’re under at home and at work, and really get to know, create that real connection because connection creates trust.

Nicola: And if you’ve got that openness and transparency that just adds to it. . Another one is just really just think about what you want to role model as a leader during this time. So do you want to role model that kind of anxious behavior or do you want to role model, taking control of what you can, being clear on creating that structure and routine [00:18:00] within your team and for yourself.

Nicola: Um, and also really pushing back, being open, honest about what you do and what you don’t. And really just think about during periods of uncertainty, who, what do you want to role model? When you think of your most senior leaders, what are they? Role modeling? Have they become introverted? Always in meetings?

Nicola: Never available, never seen. That’s leaving people to just make up their own stories and just assume the worst. Or do you want to be someone who’s very visible, who’s sharing what they can? That is. Sharing what’s going on in the business, but also demonstrating that they’re creating a strategy. They’re creating a structure for the business going forward.

Nicola: So think about what you want to role model, and it’s a great model to use as well during times of uncertainty. And I love this model for a number of different reasons. Really help when clients are overwhelmed, for example. But it can also help you to really focus your time and your energy during periods of real uncertainty.

Nicola: And [00:19:00] that’s the the sphere of control model. Or the locus of control is also known as, so it’s a three circle. So the inner circle is what you can control. The next circle out is what you can influence, and then the final circle is what is out of your control. So it’s just a good way, and it might be something to use for your team as well, just to really focus in on what can you as a leader, really control?

Nicola: What can you influence, what do you need to just acknowledge, but let go of that is out of your control. And the same for the team as. So you’ve got that shared, you’ve got that shared understanding and just that letting go of things that yes, they’re worrying, yes, they’re on your mind, but actually it’s not something you can do anything about right now.

Nicola: And the final point that I just wanted to make is just that it’s, it’s okay to not have all the answers. It’s okay to feel worried and be human and just. Don’t be scared of being a little bit vulnerable. Don’t be scared of sharing a little bit this with your team. They’ll look to you to be disability.

Nicola: They’ll look to you [00:20:00] to be the one that is open and transparent, sharing what they can, but also share that you are also worried, but give them the sense of stability. Lead your team in a way where there’s purpose, where structure. Where you have a clear view of your goals and what your sets deliver, and get really, really clear on what you can’t deliver.

Nicola: So if it’s a headcount freeze and you have two people that are off on maternity or one on personal sick leave, for example, you can’t deliver the same amount. It’s just not possible. You can’t deliver the same with less resource. So be really, really clear on that and just push back and just, it’s, it’s a choice.

Nicola: What trade off do we make here? This is what I recommend, but just so you. , this is what I can deliver. This is what I can’t deliver. This is a trade off we need to make. This is my perspective. Do you agree? Cuz that’s what I’m gonna act on. So I would say in summary, the biggest thing is for you as a leader, leading in in certain times, Create that certainty for your team.

Nicola: Be that point of [00:21:00] stability, show empathy, show some vulnerability, and focus on you as well. Create certainty for yourself and think about those two styles of leadership that Brennan Brown talks about. So daring, we’re all in this together versus that armored I’m, I’m leading the way and you are following.

Nicola: So I would love to know what you think and if you are going through this at the moment, this is something that I help organizations. . So I tend help them to identify how to create structures to support their employees in times of change. Um, I help them to really still focus on where they can on learning and development or just skills around resilience, um, and confidence even in these uncertain times.

Nicola: So if that’s something of interest, you drop me a message. All my contact details are in the show notes, but I’d love to know what you thought of today. I’d love to know how you create certainty in times of, uh, there’s just so much change going. And what works for you. Thanks for listening today, and I’ll speak to you soon.

Nicola: Bye.[00:22:00]

Nicola: If you love what I have to say and you’d like to find out more about working with me, easiest way to do that is to book a Get to Know You Call, so there’s a link to that in the show name. I can help you through working with your organization to help close the gender pay gap through women’s leadership programs to help empower your women at the top to be more influential and impactful leaders and really own their leadership identity.

Nicola: Or I can create workshops around confidence, around emotional intelligence, creating a career strategy, or developing your own leadership identity. Or I can work one-to-one or group coach your senior leaders to help them to overcome a very specific problem or just again, really own their own leadership identity.

Nicola: Or I can work with you one-to-one. I do work with a small number of private clients and you can work with me either on my shorter focus coaching program where we pick one specific thing and we just really focus in on it and help [00:23:00] you to move past it. Or my deep dive final fire v i P program. Which really gets the root cause of what’s holding you back and also helps you to create a very, very clear idea of what you want for the future.

Nicola: And within that, your leadership identity. The results that I get from clients are as varied as they are. Brilliant. I’m incredibly proud of them. So some examples. My client being promoted twice within the six months they worked with me. Another client being invited to join the board, another client being offered a brand new role that wasn’t available to anyone else with a big promotion and a big pay rise and a client that was pushed out of an organization to them being offered three dream roles that they could choose from.

Nicola: And finally a client that decided that the corporate world wasn’t for her anymore and helping her to re get really, really clear on what she wanted and sell a new company that she’s absolutely in love with. If you are not quite ready to work me yet, that’s absolutely okay. You can download my Overwhelm to On Fire Guide, which is.

Nicola: Five simple [00:24:00] steps to help you clear your head and help you get back to feeling on fire and take that inspired action and really be that leader that you know you can be. Or you can subscribe to my newsletter, which comes out on a Friday, which has the best bits of the week, and also hints and tips, new stats that have come out.

Nicola: And things that I’m reading or watching. So that’s a great way to keep in touch and a few quotes my clients. I can talk about what I do all day. I absolutely love it. One client said, well, thank you for the transformation. Who I am now at home and at work is who I am meant to be. I can feel it, and that difference is just incredible.

Nicola: Thank you for what you do. Nick, for another client who just stepped into a new exec director, Per quote was, it felt like I was wearing a coat that didn’t fit. It was a coat that was new that didn’t quite fit me, that I didn’t feel that I was good enough for now, I step proudly stand tall and proud who I am wearing that coat of leadership.

Nicola: I am [00:25:00] confident to speak up. I am the right hand woman of the ceo, and I have that coat that just looks great and I feel it fits, and I am just incredibly empowered leader. So thank you so much. So if you are. To get some help just to be that most impactful and influential leader or help women in your organization by closing that gender pay gap.

Nicola: Do book a get to know you, call me. All the details of this are in my show notes. I can’t wait to work with you. Um, and thank you for listening. Hi, I’m Nick and you are listening to my podcast, women at the Top of Telecoms and Tech. This podcast is produced by the podcast boutique. And the podcast boutique have been absolutely invaluable for me in helping take my fuzzy headed concept.

Nicola: Develop the plan of what it was gonna be, what the podcast was gonna be, create a launch plan that then put us in the top 10 charts on launch week, in launch week, and for the [00:26:00] first few months. And then also they just put together the editing. They get it ready to launch. Uh, so it means each week you get to listen to a new, very well edited, put together episode, and they are the experts and they help you to really develop your podcast so that you can have more downloads, you can reach more people, and serve your audience by.

Nicola: Really creating relevant subjects for right now. So I really, really recommend them. It’s great to have someone on your side and they’re absolute experts in this area, so you can contact them at www.thepodcastboutique.com, and that’s also in the show notes. Thanks for listening.