I think it is an understatement to say that we are living in uncertain times.  Each time I turn on the news, there is more bad news about our economy and turmoil abroad.

So, as a leader, what do you do during these times to keep people inspired and moving in the direction of profitability and sustainability?  These 5 strategies will help to get you started.

1) Challenge your historical models. If you are leading or managing your business using leadership models or measurement tactics used in the past, you are probably missing a huge part of the bigger picture.  Uncertain times show us that we are moving into a new economy/new world.  New times call for new leadership models and new ways of measuring results.

One Step: Get brushed up on how to lead a virtual team.  With virtual teams, you have to assume that the way you lead in a traditional work environment just won’t work.  You must be willing to mega communicate, form allies across borders and learn how to get people who work independently to work as a unified team.

2) Listen to your customers.  Your customers are now living with new problems, asking new questions and are in need of new products and services.  It is critical to listen closely to what they most need and want.

One Step: Open an online forum using a tool like Collective X to get your customers engaged in a conversation about what they most need and want from you.

3) Look closely at your own ability to provide psychological safety. During uncertain times, people are afraid…very afraid.  As a leader, you have to be willing to give the people of your organization a safe environment to open up, share their concerns and provide top decision makers with feedback.

One Step: Go online to http://los.hbs.edu and take the time to fill our the Learning Organization Survey.  Ask 20 people from across your organization to do the same and then come together to discuss how you can increase psychological safety.  When people feel safe, they are much more likely to give more time and intellectual horsepower to your organization.

4) Train your people “up.” We hear this all the time, but during uncertain times, you need people who can quickly jump into a leadership role when needed.

One Step: Open a rotational development program which gives a pool of people in your company the opportunity to move around your company.  The more these employees know about all aspects of your company, the better they will be able to lead when the time comes.

5) Be dedicated to running a lean operation.  This means saving both time and money.

One Step: Lead a “lean movement” inside your company.  Get everyone involved in looking for any and every way possible to save time, money, energy and space.  Offer rewards for creative ideas on this topic.  You will not only find multiple ways to “save”, you will build morale in the process.

If you have not yet picked up a copy of EDGE! A Leadership Story, I encourage you to do so.  The main character of the story is a CEO who learns to shift his leadership during a challenging time in his life.  Leaders who have read the story have walked away with some new ideas about approaching their own leadership during challenging times, and I believe you will benefit greatly from reading the story of our protagonist, Mitchell James.