3 Components of Chaotic Leadership

Change is a part of life. Chaotic leadership shouldn’t have to be.

Capable leaders guide teams through chaos. Incompetent leaders create it.

In times of change and crisis, strong leaders provide stability by cultivating the three elements of trust: credibility, authenticity, and empathy. With these three traits, others know they can count on you, regardless of the circumstances.

With a rock-solid leader, bring on the bedlam! Okay, maybe that’s over the top. But a healthy leader provides a grounded, unchanging home base in the midst of turmoil. When a leader is missing one, or even two, of the elements of trust, well… that sucks. Yet, the team can often muddle through. When a leader lacks all three, you quickly descend into pandemonium and a toxic work environment. Not only do credibility, authenticity, and empathy build trust, they reduce the drama inherent in miscommunication, micromanagement, passive-aggressive behavior, and chronic strain, i.e., chaos.

Below, are three components of chaotic leadership, their unpleasant results, and their antidotes. In the next article, I’ll address how to cope when you find yourself under a chaotic leader.

1) Uncertainty

The hallmarks of a chaotic administration are confusion and doubt. Incoherent or ambiguous…