To effectively lead during these uncertain times, sports leaders must first learn to lead themselves. Although each leader faces their own unique circumstances, management researchers and coaches Rebecca Zucker and Darin Rowell have recently provided some very useful advice, which is relevant to leaders of sports organisations.

I believe that the following three points are particularly worth having in mind:

Distinguish between complicated and complex issues

Many people use the terms complex and complicated interchangeably when, in fact, they represent critically different circumstances. For example, postponing a major sports event is complicated and requires a lot of planning, but the task can be broken down into various parts, a project plan can be outlined, and a solution can be found.

Conversely, complex challenges contain many interdependent elements, some of which may be unknown and may change over time in unpredictable ways. In addition, an action or change in one dimension can result in unforeseen outcomes. 

Dealing with the constantly changing television landscape for sports rights with the growing importance of mobile and social media is a very complex challenge. Many people will have opinions to offer to a leader, but the reality is that there is no right answer or clear solution. As a result, solutions to complex challenges typically emerge through trial and error and require the willingness, humility, and ability to learn and adapt.

Embrace the discomfort of not knowing

Throughout their careers, most leaders, in business as well as in sports, have been expected to come up with the answer - as in a single, definitive answer. Our brains are trained to interpret uncertainty as a risk or threat, so we will feel stress when faced with unfamiliar situations and would prefer to avoid these feelings of uncertainty. This is especially true for leaders, who have moved into leadership positions by often knowing or finding the "right" answer. However, in times of uncertainty this approach can create a significant barrier to learning and finding solutions.

Rather than avoiding these feelings, sports leaders must learn to acknowledge and embrace the discomfort as an expected and normal part of the learning process. During uncertain times, leaders must move from a "know it all" to a "learn it all" mindset. A shift in mindset can in fact help ease the pressure of having to know all the answers.

Don't work alone

Leaders of sports organisations - not at least leaders of international sports organisations who lead from the headquarters with all of their other leadership colleagues being based all around the world - can often feel quite isolated as they face continuous change and uncertainty from the challenges they face. Part of this sense of isolation comes from an implicit belief that they need to solve all of the issues themselves. 

As the complexity and volume of the urgent challenges increases, a natural tendency is to focus even more on individual efforts based on the famous ten two-letter words: "if it is to be, it is up to me."

When sports leaders are faced with relatively short-term challenges with known solutions, this can be an effective strategy. However, when facing complex challenges where both issues and solutions are unclear, it can be a disaster. Instead, this is when it’s most important to reach out to other leaders and probably a wider network of advisors and friends – each with their own set of experiences and viewpoints – to gain insight and perspective.

Sports leaders cannot control the degree of change, uncertainty, and complexity they face. However, leadership in sport is in demand these days and drawing analogies from challenges faced in the past might not work now. However, I feel that adopting the approaches listed above can improve their ability to navigate the increasing complexity of the world today more effectively. Good luck to all