Uncertainty Principles

What to do when faced with so much uncertainty?

This is from Timeless & Timely, where we find the past in the present and the present in the past, as we learn together about character strengths that matter. Sign up here for the complete experience (you might even say the Full Monty), including additional essays, podcast, Q&A advisory chats, and other exclusive offerings for our community.

“When troubles come, they come not single spies

But in battalions.” — William Shakespeare, 1601

The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, proposed by physicist Werner Heisenberg in 1927, is a fundamental concept in quantum mechanics.

It states that there is a limit to how precisely certain pairs of physical properties of a particle can be known simultaneously — things like position and momentum. That is, we might know exactly where a certain particle is at any given moment, but at that same time, we can’t be sure of its quantity of motion.

And as frustrating as that fact might be, it is a healthy reminder that uncertainty is a part of life.

Behind the paywall in the original edition of the newsletter, I have some suggestions for how to focus on things you can control and find further reflections on uncertainty.

Executive Uncertainty

Think about the kinds of challenges CEOs face every single day — challenges that go beyond the internal workings of their companies. They face things like economic volatility, rapid technological advancements, shifting consumer demands, regulatory and compliance complexities, talent acquisition and retention, geopolitical instability, cybersecurity threats, disruption from agile startups, public trust and reputation management, and more.

That is an extensive and incredibly complex array of topics and it seems overwhelming for one person to address. Such a mélange requires character traits like resilience, agility, decisiveness, and the ability to balance long-term needs with short-term challenges.

Frankly, it’s simply too much for one person. Executives aren’t on the front line executing; they manage other leaders. And good leaders rely on the advice and counsel of others in their orbit.

In my executive coaching practice, I work with leaders and teams in flux, because of that need for perspective. I like using flux rather than uncertainty as a term, because it is time-bound. Flux indicates that the challenges are temporary, and it gives us hope as we dig out way out of them, together.

Working Together

Togetherness and collaboration are essential to overcoming uncertainty. No single one of us has all of the answers or can determine what the future may hold. But when we create a vision and a plan, share our values, include all stakeholders, execute consistently, and communicate relentlessly, we create trust in each other and a way forward.

This is the system that forms the basis of what I do through my Timeless Leadership coaching and consulting practice. I saw this work firsthand at Ford, and I have lots of stories and examples of putting these concepts to work at companies of all sizes.

Principles First

One of the core concepts of the “Working Together”? Leadership & Management System — the one that comes before all others — is: People first… Love 'em up.

This is important, because it is at the basis of the idea that we’re all connected, that and only by working together can we overcome our greatest challenges.

No one ever accomplished anything great alone.

When we make our values and principles known, it helps our people understand what our priorities are and creates more certainty to help keep us steady in times of flux. Principles and values remain constant and are (or ought to be) a rudder that helps us navigate the roughest storms.

I recently watched the Oscar-nominated film Conclave and was struck by this excerpt from the homily that Cardinal Lawrence gave as the session began, the gathering of church officials amid the uncertainty of who would be the next pope:

“Over the course of many years…let me tell you, there is one sin which I have come to fear above all others. Certainty. Certainty is the great enemy of unity. Certainty is the deadly enemy of tolerance. Even Christ was not certain of the end. “My god, my god, why have you forsaken me?” he cried out in his agony the ninth hour on the cross. Our faith is a living thing precisely because it walks hand in hand with doubt. If there was only certainty and no doubt there would be no mystery. And no need for faith.”

As we make our values and principles known, they provide a sense of faith in the system and in each other.

And that’s something we can be certain of.

There's so much to learn,

Don't miss the full version of this piece.