My most popular keynote speech is Embrace Uncertainty. Yes, it has emotional appeal because people like to be reassured that everything will be ok. Yes, it has great stories of everything turning out good after a traumatic event or two. Yes, the good guys in the white hats win in the end. Yes, my job is to inspire people to keep churning when the going gets tough. Yes, my task is to impact people to be a better and more confident version of themselves. But why, I am wondering is it the most popular? Why has it become one of the most sought-after topics that people are willing to spend their hard-earned dollars on this topic?
Well, uncertainty certainly exists and people are generally uncomfortable with that angst that runs alongside and through it. According to Cedric Chin, three factors that go into dealing with uncertainty: the source of the uncertainty, the tactics available for dealing with the uncertainty, and the decision-maker’s own personal tolerance of uncertainty.
According to Chin. the sources of uncertainty are missing information, unreliable information, conflicting information, noisy information, and confusing information. The tactics he maintains that are available to battle uncertainty are quite clear: delaying, information seeking, increasing attention, filling the gaps with assumptions, building an interpretation, pressing on, shaking the tree, designing decision scenarios, simplifying the plan, preparing for the worst, using incremental decisions, and embracing uncertainty.
In my experience, all the great responses have action associated with them. Like any great leader, you have to be ready to pivot based on the latest information. Even Mike Tyson knows that, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.” Leadership always needs every above tactic so we can craft the appropriate responses to new information. If we do not embrace the concept of pivoting to the next best solution our feet get fixed while someone, we should have been ready for, hits us in the face.
According to Charles Black, MD studies indicate that 85% of all the things we worry about never happen and 79% of the stuff we fret over ends up better than we expected. Here comes the big take away from me on what to do: Press on while remaining ready to alter course and consistently revising your contingency plan. Yes, press on with assurance that you can overcome most obstacles that others might hesitate at. Drive forward and let your team see the confidence of knowing you embrace uncertainty, because it is certain to occupy your world. Use all your tools and information, but press on!
The scary aviation photo shows terrible storms ahead! My passengers were very concerned when I showed them the color radar in front of us. The information they lacked was that our altitude was more than a mile above the storms. No pivot required, press on!
September 26, 2024
