Embracing or Rejecting Uncertainty

If you are like most, the last months have “felt” very uncomfortable. Some would say that uncertain economic times have changed everything. I would agree.
Uncertainty changes everything.

Uncertainty will mean change. Some change will be good and some will be bad, but things change in uncertain times. Innovation will occur, skills will be refined, and boundaries will be pushed. Methods will become outdated, resources will be stretched, and risks will be increased. Uncertainty will mean change.

Here are a few questions about your business and how it approaches uncertainty.
· Does your organization draw from a long history or is your story a recent one?
· Are your advisory board members all from the same graduating class and zip code or diverse in age and geography?
· Are business risks seen as threats to your equity or opportunities for future differentiation?
· Are new ideas and concepts a noise you can’t keep out of your head or music to your ears?

Organizational history, diversity of perspective, risk tolerance and willingness to innovate all affect how your organization approaches change. I am not looking to judge you on your answers. It is very understandable that different organizations will fall into different categories. My point here is to reveal a bias you might have and to help you identify a reluctance or a willingness to take on risk and deal with uncertainty.
Uncertainty in business is increasing right now. This statement should make you feel something. The word I used earlier was uncomfortable. Maybe motivated is the right word or maybe it is something else. Right now, action is required to deal with change. Today, more than ever, action is needed. Doing things the old way at the old pace will not cut it.
It is our job to react to this change in the business environment. Some will embrace the added uncertainty and some will reject it. If you are planning to grow you need to figure out how to
embrace the uncertainty ahead.

ron@marshallag,com