How do we lead when the world around us becomes increasingly turbulent?
At the first ACLOS+ Breakfast Session on 3 September, Professor Harry Garretsen addressed an important question: What happens to our decisions and our leadership when uncertainty increases?
Research shows that turbulent times can make it difficult to make the right decisions. Under pressure, we may fall back on familiar patterns of behaviour and our immediate intuition – even when the situation calls for something different.
Harry Garretsen highlighted the need to:
🔹 think more “just in case” and less “just in time” – strengthening resilience and preparedness
🔹 rebalance resources between short-term results and long-term investments
🔹 develop a clear vision that makes it possible to invest today for benefits that may only materialise later
🔹 build a stronger sense of “we”, helping people stay committed when the way forward is uncertain
But perhaps most importantly: Turbulent times require leaders to change their own behaviour.
Three key takeaways from the session:
1. Turbulent times demand different leadership.
2. Invest in changing your own behaviour, even when it is difficult.
3. Don’t automatically trust your own crisis reflexes.
Thank you to Harry Garretsen for sparking an engaging conversation about leadership, decision-making and organisations in turbulent times – and thank you to everyone who joined us for the first ACLOS+ Breakfast Session.
Want to read more about Leadership in Turbulent Era?
Here the first chapter of the book by prof. Harry Garretsen and prof. Janka Stoker (PDF)
You can find the book here