Over the past few years, and especially during the COVID-19 era, we all heard so much about every “new normal,” terms such as “transformation,” “re-invention,” “rapid change,” “disruption,” “turbulence,” and the like. And, of course, the lack of new technology adoption by many companies.

My travels as a consultant allow me to witness the response to all that has been. The bottom line: it’s been yes and no. Most of the inaction has been with middle-market companies that still seem to be frozen in time.

So, as I began to write this column for The Wholesaler, the country was dealing with freezing temperatures, prominent and multiple court cases, ongoing wars in Gaza and Ukraine, and the lingering questions around COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses hitting the population (again). These issues seemed to overwhelm us, foreshadowing elements of uncertainty. 

Those were only some of the stories I considered while sitting in front of my computer. Some of these are surely outside what we must deal with as consultants, although I may have personal feelings on these subjects. Some may be the general “fear of the unknown.” 

Each of these has its own questions that don’t necessarily have clear answers. Of course, the rest of the year surely will present more questions, but of different types — more uncertainty in store for us. Some may fade, but to be sure, other uncertainties will replace them.

It’s probably not comforting for us to read, whether it be uncertainties regarding the potential impacts on our businesses — or personal lives. 

However, I think there is a strong case for why uncertainty should not be something we run from but embrace and then use as a tool to better understand what’s happening around us. We can make positive changes to our situations, maybe even increasing creativity and innovation because tolerance of uncertainty allows us to learn and adapt.

Building Resilience

Life is filled with uncertainty and worries about the future. While many things remain outside your control, your mindset is key to coping with difficult circumstances and confidently facing the unknown.

In a recent guest essay for The New York Times opinion page, the author, Maggie Jackson, makes a strong argument for why uncertainty in all aspects of our life should not be something we flee from and to make positive changes in all our life pursuits — including business competitiveness. Jackson is the author of “Uncertain: The Wisdom and Wonder of Being Unsure.”

Uncertainty is challenging, not a threat! Why? Because our instincts tell us to either find answers or cope with it; that is, find a way to put it out of our minds. It’s about coming to grips with not knowing something or accepting what feels especially out of place for us — regardless of whether those inner voices we sometimes hear beckon us to resolve the uneasy feeling as quickly and as thoroughly as possible. 

Uncertainty allows our personal and business lives to go in a different direction. Accepting the possibilities makes us more sensitive to those different directions. A whole realm of possibilities may open. Now, that’s exciting!

I find the idea of embracing uncertainty to be especially interesting as a consultant (see, I’m not immune). Why? Well, my entire career has been built on the habits I’ve sown, nurtured, grown and incorporated into my portfolio: to ask direct questions and to use the tools I’ve developed or learned to get to the bottom of something. I then share what I’ve found with my clients.

Jackson contends that a wave of discoveries, seemingly since the days of the COVID-19 epidemic, reveals that “learning to lean into uncertainty in times of rapid change … is a promising antidote to mental distress, not a royal road to angst. A growing body of evidence … suggest[s] that skillfully managing uncertainty in the face of what’s murky, new or unexpected is an effective treatment for anxiety, a likely path to building resilience and a mark of astute problem-solving ability.”

Uncertainty isn’t about simply sitting in the dark. Rather, the possibility of more “certainty as a beacon” can be a path forward to help us find the information and the answers we seek. It can help shake off the biases and assumptions we all have and then find new starting points to seek knowledge. It’s a valuable tool not only for consultants but for us all. It’s a good way to thrive!

Uncertainty, being unsure, demands an admission on our part; “the world is unpredictable, dynamic and flawed — and so are we,” Jackson notes. So, our lives include a lot of unpredictability and, of course, it spills over to our business pursuits. 

“Learning to contend with uncertainty won’t completely fix the problems of our day,” Jackson concludes. “However, at the start of a new year, rife with high-stakes unknowns [whatever the ‘new normal’ of the day is], we should rethink our outdated notions of not knowing as weakness, and instead discover this mindset as a strength. The implications … are vast.”

We’re all different in how much uncertainty we can tolerate in life. Some people seem to enjoy taking risks and living unpredictable roles, while others find the randomness disturbing. 

You can take steps to better deal with uncontrollable circumstances, alleviate that angst and face the unknown with more confidence.

It’s a real challenge in today’s world — and our business environment. 

What do you say?