Neil Chilson Of Stand Together: Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Turbulent Times
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Don’t try to control what you cannot. Your actions contribute to many larger systems, but usually it’s impossible to draw a straight line from what you do to the outcomes. All but the simplest events have multiple, inextricably integrated causes. Most importantly, what other people choose to do isn’t your fault — and it isn’t to your credit, either. You cannot control what others do, but you can choose how you react. In fact, the only thing you have substantial control over are your actions. Focus there.
As part of our series about the “Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Turbulent Times”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Neil Chilson.
Neil Chilson is the senior research fellow for technology and innovation at Stand Together and the former chief technologist at the Federal Trade Commission. In his current role, he spearheads Stand Together’s efforts to encourage a culture that embraces innovation as well as a regulatory environment that enables it. He holds a law degree from the George Washington University Law School and a master’s degree in computer science from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He received his bachelor’s degree in computer science from Harding University. Chilson is a regular contributor to multiple news outlets, including the Washington Post, USA Today, and Newsweek. His book, “Getting Out of Control: Emergent Leadership in a Complex World” was released in September, 2021 and is available for purchase here.
Thank you so much for your time! I know that you are a very busy person. Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
I have been fascinated with the strange characteristics of complex systems since my early teen years. I read two books in those years which shaped the course of my life. The first was James Gleick’s Chaos. This popular science book explored the then-nascent computer science research into the strange order that underlies seemingly chaotic natural and mathematical systems. From that book I learned about fractals, nonlinear systems, and other messy but still somehow ordered systems. The second book was Metamagical Themas by Douglas Hofstadter, which talked about memes, strange attractors, self-referential systems, and complexity theory (among many other things).
I spent hours and hours with these books. I won a science fair in eighth grade with software I wrote to generate strange attractors. These books are why I studied computer science. However, I never could have predicted how profoundly they would influence my personal and professional life.
Two key ideas from these books permeated into my very core: First, beautifully ordered systems can and regularly do emerge from the independent actions of molecules or cells or people, without anyone being in charge. Second, seemingly small interventions into a complex system could send it spinning out of control and even destroy it.
These concepts were fascinating to me but didn’t seem to have much practical use when, as a computer scientist and software developer I was writing banking software or studying how to classify the earthquake-readiness of government buildings.
But when I became a lawyer, I repeatedly saw very smart people trying to design rules to govern complex systems with little humility about what success they should expect. Laws and regulations often looked like a series of software patches, each applied to correct the unintended consequences of the previous patch — and each applied with full confidence that this time the system was tamed and controlled.
Now, emergent order had something to say. And what it said was that there was a real mismatch between what regulators were trying to control and what they could control.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?
I remember, early in my career as a lawyer, a client asked for us to convert dozens of pages of latitude and longitude coordinates (defining areas of cell coverage) into words; i.e., changing “35.6” to “thirty-five point six.” I’m still not sure why they wanted this. But because I didn’t want to waste my time typing all of that out, I wrote a computer program to do it for me.
The next day when I turned it in, I was surprised by the crestfallen look on the partner’s face. It turns out he had expected to earn significant billable hours out of the project, and my shortcut made that impossible! The client was similarly confused (although presumably delighted) that I had turned the project around so quickly, and I had to write a memo explaining how I had done it.
The key lesson: when taking on a new project, seek to understand the purpose of the work and the incentives of those who have given it to you.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
The standout influence on my career was my former boss and current mentor and friend, Maureen Ohlhausen. Maureen hired me to be her attorney advisor when she was a Commissioner for the Federal Trade Commission. I worked with her for more than four years. During that time she showed me how to stick to one’s principles while being generous and kind to those you disagree with. She showed me how a true leader seeks to influence others rather than control them.
Extensive research suggests that “purpose driven businesses” are more successful in many areas. When your company started, what was its vision, what was its purpose?
When I started writing my book, my goal was to convey to readers a gut-level understanding of emergent order, the idea that order can exist in a complex system even without anyone “in charge.” While this purpose remains — and hopefully I delivered on it — the format changed a lot. In particular, my book didn’t start as a book about leadership. But based on lots of feedback and research, I realized that the best way to get people that gut-level feeling was to offer ideas about how to apply the idea of emergent order to our own lives as a leaders in our society, our community, and even in our families.
One of the particular lessons of emergent order for leaders is exactly the premise of this question. As leaders we are often tempted to centralize control of the execution of a business. But then we become the chokepoint, the gatekeeper for the organization. Purpose-driven businesses can avoid this: the leader helps convey the key values and purposes of the business, and unleashes the contributors within the company to apply those principles in service of that purpose in a decentralized, bottom-up fashion.
Thank you for all that. Let’s now turn to the main focus of our discussion. Can you share with our readers a story from your own experience about how you lead your team during uncertain or difficult times?
Times of transition are always unsettling. When I was at the Federal Trade Commission, my boss (Maureen Ohlhausen) became the acting Chairman of the agency. At any moment the President could announce that she was going to be the permanent Chairman — or that someone else would be. As you can imagine, this was an anxious situation for her and for all of us. The easiest thing to do would have been to ignore the greater purpose of the Commission and focus on our needs, worries, and desires. But my boss knew the importance of the FTC’s mission and knew that it couldn’t wait. Instead, she worked hard to fulfill that purpose while she was in the leadership role.
I found her example inspiring during some recent changes in my current workplace. One of the founders of a key initiative in my organization left to join a different organization. As the senior-most contributor to that initiative, I was charged with leading it while advising higher-up leadership on whether it should remain a separate initiative or join with another initiative. I could have focused entirely on my own desires with no regard for the value of the overall organization. But I learned from Commissioner Ohlhausen that real leadership is continuing to pursue the mission of the organization or the institution even when it might not, in the short term, be the best for the leader as an individual.
Did you ever consider giving up? Where did you get the motivation to continue through your challenges? What sustains your drive?
I never did consider giving up. I was motivated by the clear vision of our organization — to break the barriers that keep people from reaching their full potential — plus my strong admiration for the skills and talents of my colleagues. In that environment difficult challenges aren’t made easy, but they are made feasible. I couldn’t always see the path forward, but I knew that was because we were all forging a new path together.
What would you say is the most critical role of a leader during challenging times?
The most critical role of a leader during challenging times is to serve as an example. Some people try to command-and-control their way through difficult times, reacting to external chaos by centralizing decision-making. Even if that works, it is usually confrontational and unpleasant. Rather than dictate actions, the best leaders share the vision of the organization with employees and nurture their understanding of that vision. One of the best ways to do this is by serving as a good example. Great leaders have a realistic but positive attitude about the future, demonstrate good communication and empathy skills, are humble, and always seek to improve themselves. Your colleagues are watching you — act in a way that is consistent with the vision of the organization and inspires others to improve.
When the future seems so uncertain, what is the best way to boost morale? What can a leader do to inspire, motivate and engage their team?
Much of how an organization acts in uncertain and challenging times depends on how the leaders of that organization prepared in in calmer, more certain times. And the key to flexibility and adaptability is structural. Leaders who operate in their proper role — setting and communicating vision while empowering colleagues to solve the problems they face — these leaders have created a structure that can adapt even under significant pressure because all of the individual contributors share a common vision yet have the freedom to bring their unique talents and resources to bear in the pursuit of that vision.
What is the best way to communicate difficult news to one’s team and customers?
When sharing difficult news, it’s critical to be honest and realistic about the challenge but to also put it in the context of the organization and the processes that the organization has in place. Difficult news is always an opportunity to refine, revise, or even radically reform the processes affected by that news. Sugar-coating difficult news sets bad norms for an organization. Focusing too much on the difficult news and not on the processes that will help move beyond it is similarly unrealistic and harmful.
How can a leader make plans when the future is so unpredictable?
We must make plans, but we need the humility to recognize that no plan is perfect. When reality reveals the flaws in our plans, an arrogant leader will forge ahead with the flawed plan but a humble leader will embrace the opportunity to learn from reality.
Plans that depend on the vagaries of the external world will always go awry. But certain internal investments can be more durable over time, and can thus pay off much better for planning. Your marketing plan will need to react to popular sentiment. But your plan for how the marketing department develops, supports, and evaluates new campaigns can remain relevant and functional in a wide range of external circumstances.
Is there a “number one principle” that can help guide a company through the ups and downs of turbulent times?
The number one principle is to think in terms of processes rather than outcomes. Complex systems like human organizations have habits, routines, and norms. These patterns of behavior last much longer than any one external situation, and thus leaders should always be thinking about how pursuing X outcome is affecting the existing processes of the organization. It is short-sighted to pursue a worthy goal in a way that erodes trust among colleagues or that undermines legal compliance or that permanently reduces the capacity of the organization.
Can you share 3 or 4 of the most common mistakes you have seen other businesses make during difficult times? What should one keep in mind to avoid that?
Here are some common mistakes business leaders make in difficult times:
Trying to control what they cannot. Business leaders’ actions contribute to many larger systems, but usually it’s impossible to directly connect their actions to the outcomes. All but the simplest events have multiple inextricably integrated causes. You cannot control what others do, but you can choose how you react. In fact, the only events you have substantial control over are your actions. Focus there, because trying to control what you cannot is a recipe for stress in personal life and in business. Attempting to exert control isn’t just futile; it can actually destroy the very thing you are trying to preserve, like grasping an eddy in a stream.
Pride. Business leaders — like the rest of us — have limited ability to control the results of their actions in the world. As such, they should be modest in their promises to others and yourself — particularly when making decisions that affect other people’s lives. The bigger the potential effect of their decision, the more humble they ought to be when predicting the likely outcome.
Seizing control of decisions. When faced with uncertainty and difficulty, leaders often want to force things back under their control, by centralizing decision making. Yet emergent systems work best when there are simple rules at the lowest level possible. Rules can be simpler at the local level because the domain is smaller and there is less need to relay reliable information. Rather than centralizing decision making several levels removed from the facts, leaders faced with difficult times should double down on efforts to empower those closest to the relevant facts.
Generating new business, increasing your profits, or at least maintaining your financial stability can be challenging during good times, even more so during turbulent times. Can you share some of the strategies you use to keep forging ahead and not lose growth traction during a difficult economy?
The two key ingredients to success under difficulty are ones I’ve mentioned several times above: clear vision and good processes. Vision is the core principles and reason for the organization to exist. An organization full of contributors who internalize the vision of the organization has the potential to be much more adaptable because each individual contributor can bring their talents to the pursuit of that vision without being commanded to do so. “Good” processes are those that delegate and distribute decision making to the appropriate level of the organization. When a business is made up of contributors who share the vision of the organization and are empowered to contribute in the manner they judge best, the organization has the best chance of thriving in unpredictable times.
Here is the primary question of our discussion. Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things a business leader should do to lead effectively during uncertain and turbulent times? Please share a story or an example for each.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B83Bw1t9rAE
1. Don’t try to control what you cannot.
Your actions contribute to many larger systems, but usually it’s impossible to draw a straight line from what you do to the outcomes. All but the simplest events have multiple, inextricably integrated causes. Most importantly, what other people choose to do isn’t your fault — and it isn’t to your credit, either. You cannot control what others do, but you can choose how you react. In fact, the only thing you have substantial control over are your actions. Focus there.
Trying to control things you ultimately cannot control is a recipe for stress in personal life and a prescription for disaster in public policy. Attempting to exert control isn’t just futile; it can actually destroy the very thing you are trying to preserve — like grasping an eddy in a stream. Leaders can issue commands, but skilled leaders will think of those commands as signals that are inputs to other complex processes — including people. That signal can have a great deal of influence, but it might not achieve what you want. And “what you want” may turn out to have unintended consequences. Growing frustrated when the results from a command differ from what you desired might be a natural impulse, but it is rarely useful.
2. Be humble.
If you cannot control the outcomes of your actions, you should be modest in your promises to others and yourself. Don’t fall for what General Stanley McChrystal calls “The Attribution Myth.” Your successful leadership depends heavily on others, and your efforts might not work. The broader the potential effect of your actions as a leader, the more humble you ought to be about the potential effect and the likely outcome and the more counsel you should seek from those affected. The closer the effect to your own areas of personal experience and knowledge, the more predictable the effect. But as one moves the center of action from yourself to your family to your community to your government, the harder it becomes to predict outcomes of even what seem like simple changes.
3. Push decisions down to the decision makers.
Emergent systems work best when there are simple rules at the lowest level at which the relevant information exists. Rules can be simpler at the local level because the domain is smaller and there is less of a need to relay reliable information. Rather than centralizing decision-making several levels removed from the facts, empower those emergent systems whose boundaries contain the most relevant facts and where the effects will be most directly felt.
4. You can make the world a better place by making yourself better.
You are part of many different dynamic, complex adaptive systems. You have influence, even though you do not have control. But by taking control of what you can — yourself — and no longer grasping for the rest, you can help the various systems which you participate in to become more fitted to their function. An example is Rosa Parks; Parks’ decision on December 11, 1955, to decline to give up her bus seat to white passengers changed her life and helped change the lives of countless others for the better. Her decision was a catalyst for a citywide bus boycott by African Americans that lasted more than a year. It was the catalyst for a legal challenge that was eventually nullified when similar cases forced the city to overturn the segregation ordinance that she was accused of violating. And it turned her into a powerful symbol of the ongoing fight for racial equality.
Consider how little control Rosa Parks had over the bussing situation. She didn’t set the rules. She didn’t have any allies — in fact, three other black people on the bus did get up and move when told to. She couldn’t issue commands to the bus driver or the other passengers. Rosa Parks was arrested and taken from the bus. She also didn’t control the community’s reaction to her arrest (although she certainly contributed to the protest effort). The only thing Rosa Parks did control was her choice to stand and move or to remain seated. But that choice made a real difference because it influenced people.
5. Learn from your constraints and choose them well.
Constraints such as habits or routines are the simple rules that often enable emergent order to produce something complex in our lives or our society. Routines and habits are the result of feedback loops. When you exercise conscious decision-making repeatedly, for example, you push the complex system that is your body and mind toward a new pattern that can maintain its shape in the face of varying conditions. Recognize the wisdom accumulated in habits and routines. But don’t be a slave to them. Be open to revision because conditions will change. Periodically review your habits to see if your unconscious choices are still serving your conscious needs.
Societal institutions, too, are the result of untold individual choices. We can think of them as the habits, routines, and processes of groups. When we participate in an institution, like a church or a social norm, we help shape and perpetuate it. And the institution also shapes us. Just as we should pick our habits carefully and work to develop them, we should also pick our institutions carefully and consciously and seek to strengthen them as well.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress. — James Clear, Atomic Habits
This quote captures the practical application of how we as individuals should act in a world of complexity. At the personal level, the level that James is talking about, the systems are our personal habits. James’s point is that lasting personal progress requires understanding and shaping our habits. But his point is also true for much bigger spheres. Our families, communities, states, and even nations are what social scientists call “institutions.” As individuals, the best way to make big impacts on the problems of the world is to connect with other people in these institutions. Thus, just like shaping our habits is the key to individual change, shaping the norms and rules of these institutions is key to societal change.
How can our readers further follow your work?
You can read more about my work at neilchilson.com, follow me on Twitter at @neil_chilson, or subscribe to my periodic newsletter at outofcontrol.substack.com. You can also learn more about my research into emergent order at standtogether.org.
Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!
Neil Chilson Of Stand Together: Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
