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The #1 Thing You Need to Know about Uncertainty

There’s lots to be uncertain about at the moment. Our post pandemic world is grappling with a recession and a cost of living crisis. It's exacerbated by the situation in the Ukraine and weather events across the globe. AI has taken a massive leap forward and social media continues to put a spin on reality. More significantly, there are challenges facing our planet beyond economic difficulties. 

Maybe you're feeling uncertain about:
  • Your job 
  • Your relationships
  • Your financial future
  • Disrupted schooling
  • Committing to a holiday
  • The direction of your organisation or business

Uncertainty remains the constant - but wasn't it always so? In the 10 years I've been leadership consulting, I can't think of an organisation I've worked with that hasn't been in a constant state of change. And in my career within organisations before that, it was the same.

Understanding this one thing about uncertainty can help you navigate it more effectively.

Safety and certainty are not the same thing.

We often confuse safety with certainty thinking they are the same thing. When we assume they are the same thing, we try to find certainty to feel safe. The truth is (and you know this already), nobody can ever really be certain of anything. Oh how we love to pretend otherwise!

As you become aware that safety and certainty are not the same thing, you can focus on what keeps you safe, and at the same time navigate the unknown more successfully. You can move towards safer uncertainty.

Try these 3 things to help:


  1. Separate safety and certainty 

  • Understand the difference between your genuine need for safety, and your false need for certainty


     2. Build safety

  • Identify the areas of your life where you have safety and can build safety. E.g: 

    • I have friends 

    • I have family

    • I have people I can talk to

    • I can get food

    • I can do exercise

    • I can contribute at work

    • I can help somebody else


    3. Embrace uncertainty

  • Choose to engage with uncertainty. Be curious. Be open to growth. E.g: 

    • What is the experience teaching me? 

    • What new direction might be possible?

    • What conversations could I have? 

    • What new things could I learn? 

    • What new direction might I/we take?

This approach works equally well in leadership and life. Read more in this related article: How Uncertainty Underpins Next Tier Leadership

Want to Know More?



Email me and I’ll send you an article I had published in The Learning Scientist Magazine. It includes:
  • The key principles of TSU
  • A framework for practice
  • 7 Mindsets of TSU
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