How to Lead with Courage in Chaotic Times

Turn breakthrough ideas into real results at the virtual HBR Innovation Summit on November 12th with top CEOs and master classes on AI and growth. HBR executive subscribers attend free, with exclusive programming November 13th. Learn more at hbr.org slash innovation summit. I'm Alison Beard. I'm Adi Ignatius and this is the HBR Idea Cast.

Adi, what are some of the most important skills that you think leaders out there need? to be successful right now? Uh, you know, if you'd asked me a couple years ago, I probably would have said empathy is sort of the number one skill that successful leaders need. Now I think things are changing so quickly that the number one skill might be an ability to be strategic, an ability to lead a company through a transformation, which is kind of where we are now. Yeah, I agree.

And I'm going to throw out another word that's related, courage. You know, in periods of deep uncertainty when you do have this rapid technological change, shifting economic conditions, new political pressures, it can feel really hard to be brave, but I think history shows that the best business leaders do find the strength to act even when the path forward is unclear. clear even when it feels scary. I'm thinking of moves like Reed Hastings and Netflix going all in on streaming, or Ed Stack at Dick Sporting Goods, who pulled guns from store shelves after the Parkland School shooting. You know, neither of them knew that what they were planning would be successful, but they had gathered enough information that they were willing to take the leap.

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