When the going gets tough: how we manage in challenging times

When the power went out across the Iberian peninsula recently, it left passengers stuck in trains and lifts, and shoppers unable to use contactless payments or mobile phones. While it must have seemed at first like a temporary blip, several hours passed before the lights slowly came back on. By which point, businesses across the country were forced to switch to their plan Bs – if they had them. 

Ryan Hume CMgr FCMI happened to be in Portugal at the time on a golfing holiday, a break from his day job as a disaster recovery specialist. 

“In terms of resilience, there was none,” he recalls. “They did have backup generators at the hotel, but they weren’t anywhere near enough to power the whole establishment.” 

• Read more: our profile of Ryan Hume CMgr FCMI

The sudden loss of power would be a fraught experience for any manager – few of whom can summon an expert like Ryan to help them navigate every fresh disaster that rears up. 

Leading through uncertainty

As Ryan points out, managers are facing stiff challenges “more and more frequently” these days – whether it’s the fallout from floods, fires or cyber-attacks (note the recent incidents suffered by M&S and Co-op), social media slur campaigns, the rise of AI or broader seismic shifts in politics and the economy. 

That can have a clear impact on the nature of the role – in everything from retail to healthcare, higher education and public transport. 

“The senior managers I deal with are usually relieved I’m involved, because they’ve been doing certain things they’ve never done before too, and they’re not comfortable,” says Ryan. 

Others have taken steps to strengthen their resolve. Lucy McAuliffe CMgr FCMI is director for Network Rail’s Sussex route. She says “rail is no different” to any other sector in the confluence of challenges it now faces: for example, the need to reform its model and modernise its ageing infrastructure at a time of soaring demand, tight budgets and skills shortages, while under intense scrutiny from ministers, the media and passengers. And all while “running over 3,000 trains, 24 hours a day”. 

• Read more: our profile of Lucy McAuliffe CMgr FCMI

For Lucy, who says she thrives on the “dynamic industry, the pressures I face and the variety of stakeholders”, the knack lies in being able to deal with conflicting priorities. 

“In my MBA, I did a lot around how to lead through uncertainty and the public sector having a lot of competing stakeholder demands,” she says. “Lots of incidents happen on the rail network every day, so the risk is that we’re just dealing with the day-to-day. 

“I have a monthly team meeting, but we've also created additional time for a separate strategy day, to look at the next two to three years, where we bring in other people who think more in those terms so we don’t just become reactive.”