Hello and welcome to another episode of the Work in Conversations podcast where we talk all things leadership, business, communication, and the future of work. I'm your host, Dr. Janel Anderson.

Have you ever felt like the ground beneath you at work is shifting and you have no idea where it's going to settle? Maybe it's a big restructuring that's being rumored. Leadership is maybe vague about future plans or budgets are in flux and no one seems to have a straight answer. It's unsettling to be sure. That's because uncertainty is hardwired into our brains as a threat. We crave clarity, and when we don't have it, our mind starts filling in the blanks, often imagining the worst.

And in today's workplace, and let's be honest, uncertainty is practically part of the job description. But here's the good news. Uncertainty doesn't have to derail you. In this episode, I'm going to share tactical research backed strategies to help you stay focused, make good decisions, and keep moving forward, even when the future feels murky. So let's dive in.

Now, let's start with why uncertainty feels so uncomfortable. Neuroscientists have found that the human brain is wired to predict the future. It's constantly scanning for patterns, trying to anticipate what's coming next.

And when things are stable and predictable, well, our brains are happy. But when we face ambiguity, it triggers the amygdala, the part of the brain that's responsible for fear and anxiety. Study published in Nature Communications found that uncertainty activates the same stress responses as an actual feature physical threat. That's why a vague email from leadership or an unclear project scope can send your mind spiraling. So if you've ever felt like workplace ambiguity is physically draining, well, you're not imagining it. Your brain is literally treating that uncertainty and ambiguity as a situation that requires you to use your basic human survival skills. It's as if your brain thinks that you are in the workplace of the equivalent of a reality show like Survivor, and your very existence, let alone your livelihood, depends on your next move. Now, I wish I could wave a magic wand and make that uncertainty disappear for you.

But hey, while I do have a lot of great skills, that one is outside of my ability. So while we can't necessarily eliminate uncertainty, we can manage our response to it. So let's talk about how I'm going to give you a handful of strategies for navigating that uncertainty. These are practical tools and techniques that you can use every single day.

The first one is focusing on what you can Control. Now, uncertainty feels overwhelming because we tend to focus on all of the things that we can't control and all of the things that could go wrong. Instead, try this simple exercise. Make two lists. One, what's inside of my control, how I show up, the skills I already have, the effort I put forward, my mindset, who I talk to on a given day, and so forth. Now, list number two, what's outside of my control. It could be company policies. It could be economic shifts, leadership decisions within my company, what's happening on the national political stage. Those are all things that are outside of your control. When you list them out explicitly and see what's in your control and what's outside of your control, it's much easier to then focus on what's inside of your control and let that second list, well, let it go. And if you can't entirely let it go, at least acknowledge that the items on that list are outside of your control and then double down on that first list, because that is where your power is, my friends.

Now, the Harvard Business Review suggests in an article that when faced with uncertainty, high performers tend to focus on that first list and take micro actions, that is, small steps that are absolutely within their control, rather than waiting for perfect clarity. Because if we're being straight with ourselves, perfect, perfect clarity is never coming, and we always have to take some forward action in the face of at least some uncertainty in order to get anything done. So double down on that first list and take some small actions. The second thing that you can do is to build your adaptability muscle. Yes, my friends, it is a muscle just like anything else. The more you use it, the stronger it gets. So think of uncertainty like a workout. The more you practice adapting to change, the stronger and better you get at it. So reframe uncertainty as an opportunity instead of seeing changes as a threat.

Think to yourself, what skill or connection or insight can I gain from this? What can I learn from this that will make me better in the future? And a really powerful technique you can use is the if then technique. If this project gets delayed, then I'll use the time to strengthen my skills and take a class on LinkedIn learning. If my team gets restructured, then I'll proactively build relationships with new colleagues on the new team. Now, I personally do this all the time. When I look at open capacity on my calendar. Instead of freaking out, I tell myself, if I'm not booked for a keynote speech, then I'll get ahead on research for the podcast or if a client reschedules their pre event zoom call to or if a client reschedules their pre event zoom call that we were going to use to prep for their upcoming speaking engagement, or if a client reschedules their pre event zoom call with me that we were going to use to prep for an upcoming speaking engagement of mine, then I'll get caught up on back office tasks like tidying up my physical and digital clutter or and this one's real, my friends. If I or if I decide not to go to that professional development conference to brush up on my own skills and see my speaker friends, then I'll stay back and get ahead on podcast episodes. Which is exactly what I'm doing today as I record this episode.

So again, I use these all the time. Reframing like this shifts you from feeling reactive to feeling prepared and sometimes getting ahead on your work. All right, number three Strengthen your information filters. Now, in uncertain times, not all information is helpful and not all information is equal. A constant stream of speculation and office gossip can increase your stress without giving you any actionable insights. So limit your inputs. Be selective about what sources you trust and what sources you're exposing yourself to, whether that's leadership updates, industry news, or that inevitable workplace gossip. Your brain's proclivity is to look anywhere and everywhere for information that helps clear up perceived threat and fill in the gaps and give you some certainty.

But my friends, be very careful about the inputs that you take in and be sure to be using your critical thinking skills as you evaluate those inputs and the information that you're getting through those inputs. To do that, you can ask clarifying questions. If you're getting vague leadership communication, don't assume the worst. Just ask for specifics. For example, what does this change mean for our for example, what does this change mean for our team in the short term? Or how should we be prioritizing our work differently right now in light of this? And is this hearsay or speculation, or is this truth that I can base some decision making on?

Step number four or technique number four Anchor yourself with routines when external factors are shifting, Having a solid personal routine can absolutely be a stabilizer. Now, I was a huge proponent of this of personal routines early in the COVID 19 pandemic, urging people to still do their basic hygiene routines, to get ready for work, including getting dressed instead of working in their pajamas, and to do something as a substitute for their morning and evening commute, like taking a simple quick walk around the block. Now, times of course, have changed and we don't have that uncertainty in Our space. We have different uncertainties in our space.

So here are some pointers for right now. Number one, start your day with a planning session, even just five minutes, to scope out what you're going to work on today, even when the landscape is shifting. That can help anchor you and get you centered for your workday. Second, end your workday with a shutdown ritual so that you're not taking uncertainty home with you, and that for those of you who are working from home, that you don't still hear the pings and dings coming from your laptop over the course of the evening. And then take some time, ideally on a Friday afternoon, to check in with yourself on a weekly basis. Ask yourself what's working really well? What questions do I still have, and what do I need to adjust? Psychologists tell us that routines create a sense of stability even in a highly chaotic environment. It helps so much. All right.

And technique number five, strengthen relationships and your communication. So uncertainty often makes people withdraw, but that's the opposite of doing what helps. If you're feeling uncertain, talk to someone, a mentor, a colleague, a trusted friend, and have a productive conversation. Now, you might disclose that you're feeling uncertain or you're feeling a little untethered or unmoored, and let them know that you're seeking a confided, trusted friend in which to share that and share that uncertainty and not to have them help you spin and cause even more uncertainty in your world. So let them know how you want them to listen. Now, if you're a leader, communicate often, even when you don't have all the answers, people appreciate that honesty much more than false certainty. And as I have said, in so many different capacities, in different ways, communicate even when you don't know what the update is. Giving updates in the face of uncertainty.

Again, even if that update is, hey, folks, I don't have an update now, but I just wanted to check in with you and let you know that as soon as I know something, I will tell you. Because again, nature abhors a vacuum. And when that vacuum is left to persist, people are going to fill in the blanks, often in a way that does not serve them. Uncertainty is easier to handle when you're not handling it alone. And this is so congruent with the work that I do from the big stage, encouraging audiences to reconnect and stay connected in this disconnected world. I have a keynote that addresses that exact thing. It is one of my most popular keynotes. And if you've been listening to the podcast these past few weeks, it is the one that I recently dismantled and put back together with the latest research and some of the very, very best strategies for handling the uncertainty of our world and finding those ways to reconnect and stay grounded in this uncertain time.

Now, for those of you who are in leadership roles, and if you know my work, you know I say we lead from any place on the organizational chart, even as an individual contributor. So again, as a leader, uncertainty presents an extra challenge. How do you guide a team when you don't have all the answers? Well, I've got three key principles for you. And again, you can implement these to a certain extent even when you are leading from the side. But for those of you who are leading from a different place, a little higher up in the organizational chart, or maybe way at the top of the organizational chart, I really want you to take these three key principles to heart. The first one is be transparent, but don't over promise. It's okay to say I don't know yet, but here's what I do know. Again, I want to underscore that idea that I just shared.

Giving updates, even when there are no updates, especially if you're part of the leadership team, it bridges the gap of no information that's hanging out in people's heads. And again, people do abhor that vacuum. And so saying we don't know is still saying something to help fill the void so that people don't jump to that worst case scenario, which is again where the brain will absolutely go because it will perceive the worst in the face of that ambiguity and uncertainty.

The second thing you should do as a leader is create some psychological safety, encourage that open dialogue where people can question and share their fears without retribution that lets people share those concerns, share their anxieties, share their worries without a fear of judgment and in a place that there isn't going to be some backlash against doing that. And then the third thing to do is to frame change and frame that uncertainty as a shared experience. Saying things like, hey, this is new for all of us, but we'll figure it out together. That helps people know that you are in that space as well. Now again, I do want to caution here in framing change as a shared experience.

You as a leader need to make sure you have metabolized your own fear of uncertainty, your own fear of ambiguity, before you have that conversation with your staff or with those who report to you. Because the last thing that you want to do is be actively processing your own fear and your own uncertainty about the ambiguity and uncertainty in the space right in front of them or right with them. So find your own trusted sources to do that with before you create the space for your staff to do that and for you to share that. This is a shared space where you're going through some of those things yourself. And then again, ideally in that shared space to let them know how you've processed and how you're doing sense making in the face of uncertainty. Again, you have to have metabolized it at least a bit before you're sharing it directly with them. Okay, so let me give you some conclusions, some final takeaways, and some actionable steps. So let's just wrap this up with three things we've talked about today that you can do to better navigate uncertainty.

The first thing, write down what's in your control. Make that first list and what's out of your control, and then you're going to double down on that first list. Those are the things that you can actually do. The second thing, reach out to someone. A colleague, a mentor, a team member, maybe even a friend outside of work. An executive coach, a life coach, a personal coach. Someone that you can connect with because connection makes uncertainty easier to handle. Connect with them in a way that supports you rather than having the sky is kind of conversation or gripe session with them.

And then, number three, take one small action. Progress, even if it's tiny, helps build confidence in uncertain time, in uncertain times and helps you keep moving forward. So a final thought here. Uncertainty isn't the enemy. Uncertainty is unavoidable. The real challenge is how you respond to it. And you, my friend, get to choose. You can let uncertainty paralyze you and derail you, or you can use uncertainty to build resilience, adaptability, and even new opportunities.

The future will always be uncertain, but your ability to navigate it well, that is in your hands now. As we wrap here, I'd love to hear your thoughts. What's one strategy that maybe you've used in Uncertainty in the past? Or perhaps a strategy from this episode that you're going to try? Send me a message and let me know how it goes. I'd love to hear what's working for you now.

If you found this episode helpful, please share it with somebody else who might be experiencing uncertainty and ambiguity and could really benefit from this themselves. Until next week, keep working on what matters most and keep reframing your circumstances. And keep taking small actions in the face of uncertainty. As always, stay curious, stay informed, and stay ahead of the curve.

Tune in next week for another insightful exploration of the trends that are shaping our professional world. Now, if you learned something from this episode or you simply enjoy the content, please subscribe to my channel on YouTube, subscribe to the podcast on your podcast platform of choice, and follow me on social media. These are all excellent no cost ways for you to support me and my work and you'll find the links to my social media over on the show notes page at janelanderson.com 208 for episode 208 until next time, keep thriving and keep working towards a future that we all want. Stay connected, stay curious and I will catch you next week, my friends. Be well.