Wait … how can uncertainty be my friend?
I also hear clients and past students saying “… but you said uncertainty was our enemy!”
Both are true.
The difference is where the uncertainty lies.
Knowledge work enemy
In knowledge work, uncertainty is an enemy during planning and execution of initiatives, projects, and so on. We often can’t say for certain how much something will cost, how long it will take, or even that we know exactly what we (or the market) want.
All we know for sure is that we are likely to be wrong – not exactly correct – a lot on the journey.
That causes problems. Our internal business budgeting systems aren’t geared for any uncertainty. People can have a hard time with not being right all the time. And so on.
We can compensate with feedback-based approaches and keep adjusting until we hit the target (see prior posts about this – here’s an example – or the book).
Strategy friend
Uncertainty in the market, however, can spell opportunity.
And the more uncertainty, the more potential opportunity.
People and businesses often either “freeze up” or retreat in the face of uncertainty.
We saw this during the pandemic and for some time afterward. As I noted then, fear and a strong desire to “go back to normal” reigned when the focus could have been on innovating forward.
When competitors are standing still, you can move forward and gain advantage.
When competitors are retrenching and moving backward you can gain advantage by just maintaining your position … or really gain advantage by moving forward.
It’s much easier to “win the game” when no one else if playing!
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