The Hidden Cost of Certainty

Welcome to this week's edition of "Elevations."?

I'm traveling this week and had the opportunity to share a partial view of the solar eclipse on Monday with people I had never met before by the shore in South Carolina. Perhaps because we were not on the path of the total eclipse, there wasn't any revelry experienced by the areas that attracted the enormous crowds. Just the same, the shared experience brought people together.?

It may have been all the hype and expectation or that a total eclipse is a rare and novel occurrence. In ancient times, when people were uncertain that the sun would rise each day, the mysterious darkening of the sky during daylight hours undoubtedly further shook people's limited certainty about the world around them.

Like the eclipse, capable leaders create a sense of purpose that attracts people around shared experiences that dissolve the. But, contrary to what many presume,?your job as a leader is not to dispel uncertainty but to help people embrace it.??

This week's essay addresses the cost of certainty and how to find value in the uncertainty that is not only unavoidable but beneficial.

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The Hidden Cost of Certainty

I hear people express their need for certainty as if it were as critically important as the air we breathe or the food that nourishes us. I am reasonably confident that it is not.?

Perhaps most people just prefer certainty, like it is an option on the menu of experiences we choose from to make and measure our lives. The idea that being certain is bold and empowering is a myth. Certainty isn't something you are. It is something you feel.?

The feeling of certainty is formed from expectations based on experience, just as fear is. You may seek certainty as the antidote to the nagging fears that limit your expectations. I am certain I cannot do that! Or, you cannot eat that, or should not listen to that, or believe that.?

Certainty is a product of what you believe. When someone says that they feel certain about something, they explain how they choose to see it, not necessarily how it is. Beliefs can be compelling but not always productive, beneficial, or rooted in facts or truth. You can choose to believe whatever you want. That is why conspiracy theories flourish and why people are gulled by propaganda. Believing you are absolutely certain may feel empowering, but it is a limiting belief.

Watching from the outside, it may seem that seeking certainty is hard work and a noble pursuit, but it is often just a sign of laziness. Certainty cuts off all internal debate and outwardly breeds arrogance.?

Questioning things is empowering. Curiosity demonstrates real strength and courage. I think people don't fear the uncertainty they should embrace; they fear the loss of the certainty they imagine they need. But you can never really have certainty. You may borrow it from circumstances that make sense to you at the moment, but over time, you may replace your certainty with something more compelling. That happens when you learn to seek understanding.?

You might find that people who had you convinced they were smart do surprisingly stupid things. And when explorers were seemingly stupid enough to risk sailing off the flat earth's edge, they discovered it is round, just as we came to understand that we circle the sun and are not the center of the universe. We only learn and understand things when we give up our certainty.

In my work with business leaders, I have come to understand that certainty amounts to intellectual laziness. Those who lack intellectual humility and curiosity are rigid in their thinking and uncoachable. They fail to accomplish their aims because they do not adapt to change.?

The price of certainty is failure. Innovation, exploration, and confronting the status quo all require curiosity. You will not find the bold leadership we need in those who are dead certain but in those who possess the courage to admit what they don't know, embrace the ever-present uncertainty, and, as a result, discover ways to change the world for the better.

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You can find over 150 other pieces on business leadership and related topics at the ALPS BLOG at ALPSLeadership.com.

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Have an outstanding week!

Philip R. Liebman, CEO ALPS Leadership

Cultivating Joy in the World

by Increasing the Effectiveness of Leaders and Enhancing Lives