A Certain Uncertainty
I recently read about a 66-year-old Romanian woman who gave birth to a baby girl. Sixty-six! She is the world’s oldest mother ever recorded, and it reminded me, as many things do, of the incredible uncertainties we face in life. (I’m uncertain whether the mother or daughter will need the most naps ... or diapers.)
We hear stuff like this in the news every day, things that catch us completely off guard: Ken and Barbie (the dolls) break up after 40 years of dating, Martha Stewart goes to prison, SBC buys AT&T, K-Mart buys Sears ... People say, "These are uncertain times we live in," and they’re right. But people have always said that. There are cave paintings in France that have been translated to read: "These are uncertain times we live in."
There’s no escaping the subtle and profound uncertainties in our lives. And although it’s tempting to try, we really shouldn’t want to escape. Think how boring complete certainty would be, how stagnating: certain what each day would bring at work, certain what we would do every night and every weekend, certain what our path through life would be. Still, leading through uncertainty can be tough and stressful and scary, whether we are leading ourselves or other people.
You’ve probably all seen Deepak Chopra on TV — famous philosopher, self-help guru, and holistic healer. He wisely points out that, ‘The search for security and certainty is actually an attachment to the known. There’s no evolution in that.’
In other words, uncertainty is essential for our personal growth. Hang on to what you know, and you’re not moving forward. The inevitable challenges in our lives often create beneficial paths and opportunities, if we’re prepared to take them.
How about this: "Let Go of What You Know To Grow!" That's a little like: "Use the Force, Luke." Or, "Be the ball, Danny."
Again, I make the argument that nothing is certain. Except for the usual suspect — death, taxes, and the sun rising and setting — certainty is an illusion that you might think you can get your hands around, but more times than not, you are fooled into a false sense of security.
Our path through life is never straight and smooth; we will sometimes need to backtrack, take new paths, and find our way out of the woods (usually when we least expect it). Like it or not, we have little choice but to embrace the unknown to survive and thrive.
What do leaders need to lead themselves and others through uncertain times? Five key needs come to mind:
Clarity - People want their leaders to have a level of certainty in uncertain times. To do this, leaders need a strong core, and they need to help other people have a strong core. This means having self-respect and dignity, solid principles and values, and a clear vision and mission. It allows us to maintain some stability through the uncertainties we encounter as we learn, grow, and progress.
Resiliency - We must be able to bounce back from setbacks and obstacles in our path. Leaders must be willing and prepared to embrace the unknown, which means acting thoughtfully, and with courage, in situations that are new or uncomfortable. To be resilient, effective leaders learn from their mistakes, they don’t wallow too long in self-pity, they don’t walk away from a worthwhile fight or challenge, and they are willing to take risks or even change paths when opportunities arise. (As the turtle knows, we don’t progress without sticking our neck out.)
Perspective - Each of us, obviously, sees the world through a relatively narrow set of experiences, biases, and perspectives. We tend to choose routines we are comfortable with, friends who are of a like mind, points of view that revolve around our circle of interest and influence … and that’s okay. But to deal with an uncertain world, and lead others through uncertainty, we need to be open to new perspectives from a widely diverse group of people.
Continuous Learning - In his 1970 book, Future Shock, Alvin Toffler predicted: "The illiterate of the year 2000 will not be the individual who cannot read and write, but the one who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn." Toffler was not far off the mark. Our ability to accept and adapt to rapid change dominates our lives. Continuous learning throughout adulthood used to be a luxury, now it is a survival tactic. What we consider high performance today may likely be average or even low performance tomorrow. To continuously learn, we need to get in the habit of breaking old habits and routines that stifle our growth. Breaking and forming habits is not easy, and it takes clarity, resiliency, and diverse perspectives to motivate us to make it happen.
Creativity - In past organizations, leadership tended to flow from the top down; decisions were made by a very few, and everybody else followed along in quiet obedience. In these organizations, changes were slow to evolve, and managers were mostly concerned with maintaining the status quo. Improvement was primarily defined as eliminating performance gaps. Today’s organizations need to be more dynamic, nimble, and creative to survive. They need to share leadership to allow people at all levels to challenge the status quo, make decisions, make suggestions, and make profound changes.
What additional personal ways do you lead yourself and others through the uncertainties in your life?
