Uncertainty can make us feel anxious. On a more intense level, it can even make us feel despair. But how often do we realize that uncertainty is everywhere? That it exists in almost every decision we make?

We go to sleep without knowing if we are going to wake up. We go to work on our commute without knowing what dangers may lurk ahead. We make a left turn entrusting in our defensive driving, not knowing whether someone else is also safe driving. Whether we like it or not, uncertainty is what composes most of our reality.

I know it sounds like one of those moments where we look around and all we see is how fragile life can be. How one wrong step forward can lead to a fatal fall. Or how one human error can lead to major layoffs. It’s ironic, though, how, nonetheless, we STILL step forward. How we STILL do our jobs.

This goes to show that every decision involving not knowing what’s going to happen after, even though we are conditioned to expect certain outcomes, is evidence to how we face uncertainty every single day. We practically take this ability for granted! But some of us become hysterical or paralyzed as soon as the acknowledgement of uncertainty is made. Why is that?

It’s because we are wired to want to predict what is safe. Therefore if we cannot predict, then we cannot know if something is safe or not, and thus, by default, we deem the inability to predict as NOT SAFE. Better safe than sorry, our brains say.

It doesn’t always have to be the case.

Acknowledging that we may not always know the outcome of some events is the first step in learning to embrace uncertainty. Great leadership leverages the effects that uncertainty brings to the table. For example, by acknowledging that we may not know what the outcome may be, we display a level of transparency that our team can be inspired by, additionally inviting our team to share their ideas or thoughts that can provide insights. These insights can serve as a preview of who our teammates are and the value that can be applied to the circumstances at hand. In other words, uncertainty doesn’t come empty handed; uncertainty provides opportunity for collective thinking and building team morale.

Great leadership practitioners know embracing uncertainty requires the perspective shift from an isolated “i don’t know” to an inclusively inviting “let’s work together”. Not knowing an answer or outcome is absolutely okay as long as we strive to work together and seek out people who don’t necessarily have the answers, but ideas and insights that can help us MAKE IT THROUGH uncertainty.

🔴 Be Empowered, my friends.