How to Lead When You Don’t Know What’s Coming

What can washing the dishes, Tai Chi, Marcus Aurelius and Excel spreadsheets teach us about leadership? In this new episode of the Podržimo održivo podcast, host Nikola Noršić speaks with Lars Sudmann, leadership and innovation expert, former Procter & Gamble executive and lecturer at RWTH Aachen University, about what it really takes to lead effectively in times of uncertainty. Lars shares some of the unexpected lessons he has drawn from everyday life, ancient philosophy and deliberate self-reflection.

We talk about everything from dishwashing strategies to Tai Chi, Stoicism and Marcus Aurelius. How can reviewing our own actions make us better leaders? What can seemingly ordinary habits teach us about leadership? And where do Excel tracking and Venn diagrams fit into all of this?

We also discuss Lars’s approach to leadership in uncertain times and the mindset leaders need when the future is difficult to predict. How do you make decisions when you don’t have all the information? How do you create clarity for others when you don’t have certainty yourself? And what separates effective leadership from simply having a position of authority?