You have two choices…uncertainty…or…uncertainty

“The unknown is where possibility glitters.” – Michelle Obama

Recently more than 50% of my clients, especially senior ones, seem to be running for cover, shifting their own convictions of saving our planet to saving their jobs. A few too many have reflected that it seems the role of the CSO will become obsolete. Others have said they are moving back to core business and operations roles, away from sustainability in their title so that they have more job security.

I understand. This is fight, flight or freeze. Our human survival instincts are at a heightened state right now. The media is preying on creating this uncertainty. It breaks us down and causes us to lose our mo-jo for the fight, the cause.

But this is how “he” wins. This is how they break us down. This scares me more than my own personal job loss, revenue loss, and recession – all of which I am feeling personally each day as I move to a country that costs 50% more in net living expenses than in the UK.

One thing I know is true is that nothing in life is certain. Nothing! And if we can embrace the uncertainty with grace and will and resilience, then we win.

When things get rough or scary or unclear, do you lean in with resilience? Or do you run for cover?

For more than 25 years I have committed my life’s work to the impact agenda, shaping change through empowering change leaders on issues including sustainability, responsible business, corporate citizenship, DEI, social impact and ESG. When I started out back in 1998 launching the first employee volunteering program for Barclays Global Investors, now BlackRock, it wasn’t even yet called CSR.

In these two decades, we, as a movement of changemakers, have been through a lot of pushing two boulders up a hill only to have one come back down on us. But we didn’t give up. We saw the setbacks and uncertainty as fuel for our cause. The more resistance we received from Boards and C-Suites, the more we were driven to build a stronger business case, to be resilient in the face of adversity. Where has this energy gone? Why now are we shying away right when it is more important than ever?

I find myself today - especially as I am 22 days into repatriating back to the, now somewhat broken and divided, US of A - reflecting on how I am feeling amidst this uncertainty that I have returned to.

I go back to the spiritual teachings of the Buddha and what he taught us about uncertainty. Rather than resisting the unknown, the Buddha encouraged cultivating an attitude of acceptance and adaptability. This involves letting go of rigid views and expectations about how things "should" be. He identified suffering as arising from our clinging to things that are impermanent, including the desire for certainty and control. By embracing uncertainty, we can actually find greater peace in the present moment.

But this doesn't mean to let ourselves become complacent, to feel unempowered. We, as a collective movement, can still make a difference. I believe this deeply.

A few grounding questions I’m sitting with as I get in touch with my own discomfort with uncertainty. I invite you to join me in exploring these too:

• Where am I letting fear lead the way?
• What truth do I know, even now?
• What’s one small way I can show up for the cause this week?
• Who do I need to talk to so I don’t feel so alone in this?
• What would “leading through the unknown” look like for me right now?

One of my clients, Lindsay Hooper, framed it all perfectly in her recent article for Reuters.

"With wars, political assassinations, attacks on science and rising inequality and authoritarianism, global instability is escalating.…this is not a distraction from our work. It is our work."

Lindsay goes on to say,

"sustainability has never only been about goals, metrics or technologies. It’s about people – about protecting lives, livelihoods, rights and opportunity on a finite, fragile planet. If we ignore rising threats to life, freedom and justice, we are part of the problem.”

Her words are a powerful reminder that the work we do - however uncertain, however messy - is more vital than ever.

"Nothing in life is certain. Except for death. And we don't even know that for sure." – my grandfather, Charles Parrott

Uncertainty doesn’t have to mean retreat. It can mean the opportunity to dive in, to start something more challenging, more powerful, more earned. Every setback is an opportunity! It just depends how you will look at and approach it.

What will you do differently this week to push through uncertainty in your life?

This month, I’m offering 25% off a trial session—just for subscribers. Use code SAVE25 at checkout. If you’re ready to re-centre and move forward with clarity, this is your nudge.