2025: A Year to Embrace Uncertainty

As I look back on 2024, one thing is clear: the only certainty is uncertainty. And yet, within the unknown lies our greatest opportunity for growth - if we choose to embrace it (despite all the fear and discomfort).

LOOKING BACK

Twelve years ago, I found myself out of a job, uncertain about my future and questioning my value. For years, I had defined myself by promotions, accolades, and titles. Yet, achieving them hadn’t made me happy, and losing them left me wondering: Who am I without the external validation?

Amid that uncertainty, I started the practice of writing—not with a grand plan but as a small step to regain a sense of agency. At first, it was private journaling, but it quickly evolved into a blog, then public reflections on LinkedIn. It became a way to connect with myself and others, and over the years, that practice has transformed me.

Reflecting on this 12-year journey, I’m reminded of something the late Pandurang Shastri Athavale used to say: It takes 12 years—a full cycle of experiences—to truly cultivate a quality. This has certainly felt true for me in writing, leadership, and life.

REFLECTIONS ON 2024

1. Letting Go

One of the most profound lessons I’ve learned this year is the power of letting go—of blame, of the past, and of the need for control. It's been cathartic to forgive others and to forgive myself - I didn't realise how much it was holding me back.

At various low points in my life, I defaulted to a victim mindset, seeking comfort in old patterns of self-protection. I realized this year that clinging to those patterns wasn’t serving me or those around me. Accepting the past, taking responsibility, and focusing on the present is allowing me to step forward with clarity and peace.

At work, I’ve seen similar dynamics play out. Clinging to “how things used to be” can feel safe, but it limits progress. Growth requires us to embrace the discomfort of change and step into the uncertainty of the future.

2. The Uncertain Leader

True leadership is not about certainty or individual brilliance—it’s about accepting the uncertainty, facing into the reality and inspiring collaboration. The best leaders I know are those who admit they don’t have all the answers and invite others to address difficult problems together.

This year, I’ve been experimenting with systems leadership, working more closely with colleagues who think and lead differently from me. It’s required more vulnerability, openness, and trust, but the results are far greater than anything we could achieve alone.

By leveraging multiple intelligences—human and artificial—we can create dynamic systems that are resilient, adaptive, and capable of navigating an uncertain world.

3. Connection

The intention I set for 2024 was “connection,” and I’m proud of the progress I’ve made. From reconnecting with old friends at home and across the globe, to carving out meaningful time for family, this year reminded me that connection isn’t about balancing work and life—it’s about integrating them.

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM 2024

Here are three insights I’m carrying into 2025:

1?? Letting Go Unleashes Creativity

? Accepting the past—at home and at work—frees us to create something new.

2?? True Leadership Emerges from Vulnerability

? Systems leadership requires us to accept our limitations and embrace diverse perspectives to work toward shared purpose.

3?? Connection is the Ultimate Enabler

? Investing in relationships enriches both our personal and professional lives. This was my big take away in last year's blog and from Arthur Brooks' incredible book - From Strength to Strength.

2025 INTENTIONS

As I look ahead to 2025, I’ve started the year by reading The Friction Project by Bob Sutton and Huggy Rao (a gift from my colleague John Porter ) which encourages us to make the right things easier and the wrong things harder. I am really looking forward to experimenting with removing unnecessary friction this year. My first challenge of the year was to try and remove friction from this blog - “to prioritise others’ time"!

My intentions for the year are:

1. Simplify: Focus on what truly matters right now and let go of what doesn’t.
2. Deepen Connections: Continue to nurture meaningful relationships.
3. Recommit to Spiritual Growth: Build sustainable practices to deepen my spirituality.

Transport, technology, and artificial intelligence have been instrumental in making the world smaller and freeing up time for meaningful connection. I believe the potential for AI to amplify human intelligence (AI x HI) will be transformational - we all need to embrace our fears, lean into discomfort and learn how to work with it - one step at a time. I started by working with Chat GPT to critique my writing style, draw out insights, conduct research and summarise (it couldn’t have written the post for me, but I couldn’t have written this without it).

LOOKING FORWARD BEYOND 2025

As I reflect on the next 12 years, I see an opportunity to cultivate creativity—a practice I’ve neglected in the pursuit of results.

I’ve completed two 12 year developmental cycles in my career so far:

• 2000–2012: Building technical skills and financial security.
• 2013–2024: Developing communication and leadership skills.

In Daring Greatly Brenè Brown says “Unused creativity is not benign. It metastasises. It turns into grief, rage, judgement, sorrow and shame.”.

In the next phase of my career-life, 2025–2037, I want to take small steps to cultivate creativity. By integrating a little more creativity into each day, I hope to embrace failure, accept vulnerability, and explore new ways to solve complex problems.

A NOTE OF GRATITUDE

I learnt this year that there can be no joy without without gratitude. More than ever I am finding opportunities to feel grateful, and with that I am able to experience more joy too (even amidst sorrow and adversity).

There are many people I am grateful for this year, but to name just a few:

• To my team at Newton Investment Management and BNY Investments , thank you for your resilience and innovation this year. We have so much to be proud of. I am so excited about the meaningful work we are doing and the diversifying liquid solutions we are building for our clients - at a time of great uncertainty.
• To Roger Urwin , Marisa Hall and the Thinking Ahead Institute , thank you for continuing to raise the bar with your work on systems leadership and joined-up thinking (to name just a couple of the transformative ideas you have shared so generously this year).
• And to my family and friends, thank you for making time for me this year, for accepting and loving me with all my flaws.

FINAL THOUGHTS

As we step into 2025, I invite you to reflect on what's holding you back and join me in embracing uncertainty:

• What are you holding onto that may be keeping you stuck?
• Where can you embrace discomfort to create something new?
• What could be the first step?

?I’d love to hear back from you.

Wishing you a year of courage, connection, and collective growth.

Happy New Year!