Uncertainty is Freaking Us Out – Here’s What We Can Do

Uncertainty has been the #1 challenge for every audience I’ve polled this year. As humans, we don’t deal with it well. Research shows that not knowing something could happen, can be more stressful than knowing something bad will definitely happen.

For example, a study found that a 50% chance of getting an electric shock was more stressful than a 100% or 0% chance. Stress and anxiety pull us away from the present moment, making it harder to maintain our mental health.

In today’s workplace, uncertainty has never been greater. After COVID-19, we are dealing with changes like hybrid working and the rise of AI. The pace of change will only speed up, and we need to become better at handling this.

In her book, Uncertain: The Wisdom and Wonder of Being Unsure, Maggie Jackson explores uncertainty and how trying to get rid of it can hold us back. She suggests that instead of resisting uncertainty, we should embrace it, as it can lead to creativity, better decision-making, and more resilience.

Understanding Uncertainty

Humans are wired to look for patterns and predictability—this helped our ancestors survive. But in today’s world, where everything is constantly changing, our desire for control creates anxiety. The future is more unclear than ever, and this makes us uncomfortable.

Jackson explains that being overly certain can be a problem. When we insist on being sure about everything, we close ourselves off to other possibilities and become rigid in our thinking. This limits our creativity.

Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, believes we only need to be 70% certain before making a decision. If we wait for 100% certainty, we’ll miss opportunities. He’s done okay with that approach!

The Benefits of Embracing Uncertainty

Embracing uncertainty helps people and businesses become more adaptable and creative. Jackson’s research shows that when we stop trying to control everything, we open up new ways of thinking and seeing the world. This doesn’t just help with problem-solving but can also reduce stress. Stress often comes from trying to control things that are beyond our reach. Learning to accept uncertainty can help us stay calm and reduce anxiety.

Practical Ways to Respond to Uncertainty

There are several strategies you can use to handle uncertainty and reduce stress:

1. Adopt a Learning Mindset Instead of seeing uncertainty as a threat, view it as a chance to learn and grow. Professor Amy Edmondson, an expert on psychological safety, once said that she wished her younger self had focused more on asking, “What can I learn?” rather than stressing over the unknown.
2. Let Go of What You Can’t Control Ben Crowe, Ash Barty’s mindset coach, told her to let go of things she couldn’t control, like what others thought of her or the outcome of her matches. This allowed her to set big goals and work hard without being weighed down by worries. By letting go of uncontrollable factors, she focused on what mattered most.
3. Break Decisions into Small Steps Maggie Jackson suggests making decisions in smaller, manageable steps rather than trying to get everything right from the start. Taking incremental steps reduces pressure and gives you the flexibility to adapt as new information becomes available.
4. Build Psychological Safety In the workplace, fostering an environment where people feel safe to share ideas, make mistakes, and express concerns can help them handle uncertainty better. Leaders can encourage a culture of experimentation, where small risks are taken, and learning from failure is seen as a positive step forward.
5. Use Scenario Planning Scenario planning is a useful tool for handling uncertainty. For example, my financial planner encourages me to model different financial scenarios to help me make decisions without being overwhelmed by uncertainty. You can apply the same approach to your own life or work situations by considering different outcomes and how you might respond to them.
6. Practice Mindfulness Mindfulness helps by bringing your attention back to the present. With meditation, for example, I am reminded that thoughts are just thoughts, not reality. This can provide a sense of calm and help you manage uncertainty with greater clarity and perspective.

Conclusion

Maggie Jackson’s Uncertain reminds us that uncertainty is a natural part of life and work. Instead of trying to fight it, we should embrace it with curiosity and openness. By shifting our mindset, we can reduce the stress and anxiety that come with the unknown. Uncertainty becomes less of a burden and more of an opportunity for growth, innovation, and connection.

About Graeme Cowan

Graeme Cowan helps leaders and teams to be more caring and resilient - and enjoy growing together.? He is a Founding Board Director of R U OK? and host of The Caring CEO podcast, where interviews CEO’s who champion a culture of care AND high performance. In his earlier career he worked in senior leadership positions with Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and the management consulting company, Kearney.

In 2000 he went through a 5 year episode of depression that his psychiatrist described as the worst he had ever treated. He emerged from this crisis with a different view about how we can increase our resilience, mood, and performance.

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