Prepare For Uncertainty By Operating Inclusion In Your Business: The 5-Step Roadmap

This is part six of a six-part series.

“Not even God himself could sink this ship.” —Employee of the White Star Line, at the launch of the Titanic, May 31, 1911

We all know how that turned out.

This is the final article in a six-part series on navigating uncertainty in business, healthcare and higher education. It seemed fitting to end this series with a quote from someone who refused to even consider the possible dangers ahead. This employee represented many of the opinions of the day: the Titanic’s owners, the press and others claimed the ship was “practically unsinkable.”

But what does this have to do with uncertainty or inclusion? Everything.

This series has been about navigating uncertainty, and the only way to do that is to free ourselves from the limited thinking of the past. But it can feel impossible to free ourselves when we’re surrounded by those who refuse to see the iceberg we’re trying to avoid. Our organizations are filled with people whose false sense of certainty – “I’ve been here longer than you, I know what I’m doing” – keep them from acknowledging and preparing for a future of uncertainty.

The articles in this series feature a blend of written content and short videos of individuals from across industries:

In this article, I’ll explore a way to methodically remove the deeply embedded barriers that make it challenging to create a culture that not only acknowledges uncertainty but prepares for it through inclusion and individuality.

These are insights from the closing session of the fourth annual Leadership in the Age of Personalization Summit, which took place in October at Clemson University’s Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business.

We Need an Inclusive Mindset that can Handle Uncertainty

First I want to revisit a quote I used in part one of this series: “The ultimate form of preparation is not planning for a specific scenario, but a mindset that can handle uncertainty.” — James Clear, author and entrepreneur, from his 3-2-1 Newsletter

The consensus at the end of the summit was that there are specific things we can do to build that kind of a mindset. When there’s uncertainty, we need to be nimble and open to new ideas, willing to act even when we don’t know the outcome, and ready to pivot when those actions aren’t getting us the outcomes we want.

That kind of flexibility can be learned if we identify what it looks like, name some behaviors and actions that make it a reality, and then purposefully put those behaviors and actions into practice.

Watch this short video to learn the five goals we can actively pursue in order to help ourselves and those we lead be prepared to navigate the uncertainty that is in our future.

Our Environments Often Work Against Diversity & Inclusion

Navigating uncertainty requires freeing people to be all they can be – unleashing people to achieve at their fullest capacity, to be seen in their full humanity and dignity. And to do that within and throughout large organizations.

People need this. You need this, if you want your own team or organization to succeed. This is not just a feel-good vision: it’s crucial.

But here’s why it’s so hard to achieve: because we’ve created working and learning environments that work against this level of unleashed potential. We’re still using a status quo that was designed decades ago when literally everything was different.

Consider this: the Titanic met the standards of its day. Much is made of the fact that the ship didn’t have nearly enough lifeboats aboard to accommodate the 2,228 passengers and crew. But the Titanic actually carried more boats than required for a ship of its tonnage. It exceeded the standard. But the standard itself fell short.

The playbook for navigating uncertainty is about shifting our organizations to loosen the standards that have become irrelevant and to honor the individuality of people so they can have and pursue new ideas. Rigid standards don’t allow for experimentation, innovation and personalized methods for achieving our shared goals. Rigid standards hold people back and, as a result, hold our organizations back. Rigid standards don’t allow us to navigate – they keep us on a path, even when all the signs are telling us the path is wrong and won’t get us to our desired destination.

This article series has been about two things:

1. Opening people’s eyes to this need for unleashed individuality and the obstacles in our way.
2. Giving you tools to overcome these obstacles.

We need a systematic approach to dismantle standards that don’t work anymore, and create room for people to unleash themselves and those they lead and work with. That’s the only way to prepare ourselves and our organizations to navigate the uncertainty that is certain to come.