UNCERTAINTY – WHEN UNPREDICTABILITY CALLS

The upcoming product launch of a competitor not only casts a dark cloud over the future of your company, but also the market. Rumours about a merger at one of your top clients make precise planning almost impossible. And then just last week, one of the key people in your team collapsed due to illness, which will inevitably cause delays to current projects and potentially cost you a lot of money. For this reason, uncertainty is the second factor in our VUCA world. No doubt you have experienced similar situations. So, how do you best deal with them?

Transforming information overload into knowledge
These days, we receive more information on a single day than our business partners a generation ago got in a year. “Information overload” has become a part of daily life. But how in the world are we meant to make sense of it?

There is only one way of really getting to grips with it: Find a way to understand the mound of data and turn it into knowledge. In this blog, I aim to provide you with guardrails that will enable you to deal with this growing uncertainty.

Be a curious cat!
Curiosity motivates us to explore and search for new knowledge. If you do not understand something:
• Find out about it!
• Ask!

Learn to consider matters from various angles. Open your mind to new knowledge with every opportunity that presents itself.

Focus on strengths!
Sure you can learn a tremendous amount from mistakes. However, you will get a lot more back from your invested energy, if you focus on your strengths and do everything in your power to continuously boost them. A weakness-based focus is not the right approach. Remember: top companies are only successful because they are the best at what they do. If you only align yourself with mediocrity, you will never be anything other than mediocre.

Surpass yourself – by doing what you love!
Never before have you had such a massive opportunity to push beyond the boundaries of your abilities and talents. In order to feel a sense of fulfilment in life, you absolutely need to find out how and where you can put your strengths to best use. By continuously focusing on “enjoying what you do”, “doing it more often” and “ongoing learning to improve your skills”, you will succeed in gaining genuine pleasure from your daily activities.

Nurture a creative mindset
If you consciously make time for research, you will learn all you need to know about developments in your industry. Don’t forget to integrate political, economic, social and environmental events in your investigations and consider how you can apply this knowledge beneficially to your own situation.

You will notice how this opens your mind to new opportunities, which in turn makes you both curious and resilient to the challenges of change. Remember: personal fulfilment from doing what you do is the one thing you should never compromise!

3 things that will give you a sense of fulfilment and ensure improved performance:
Independence – the desire to act autonomously.
Ability – the incentive to improve everything that is important to you.
Purpose – the sense that you are creating meaningfulness through what you do

Seek out collaborative opportunities!
Why not maximise your potential by sharing your expertise with others instead of keeping it to yourself? Form a powerful network of like-minded individuals who will benefit mutually from pooling their knowledge. Seek out other companies that would complement your business, and at the same time, help them to achieve the same themselves. Join business networks that support entrepreneurial collaboration and generate new business. And remember to create a physical workspace that inspires both interaction and innovation.

Last but not least: Look ahead!
Reflecting and looking back on what we have done is absolutely key to the development of a VUCA-oriented mindset. By the same token, it is just as important to look ahead. In other words: a healthy balance is required. Schedule in time with yourself! Stop and check whether you are heading down the right path. And remember to create a long-term time frame for your “success strategy”. Otherwise you run the risk of spending too much time on trivial matters.

Wishing you every success and increasing fulfilment in your business life.