Have you ever counted the number of studies that say that a majority of French/Europeans/Americans/etc. are worried and say that uncertainty is damaging their performance and well-being at work? Uncertainty means wondering whether you'll be hired for the job you're aiming for, whether you'll get the annual increase you want, whether your audience will really like your presentation... Because it engenders fear, uncertainty is responsible for a lot of dysfunction in companies. So how can you regain confidence in the face of professional uncertainty?
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What is the difference between doubt and uncertainty?
First of all, I'd like to make sure we're talking about the same thing.
Uncertainty means not knowing what will happen in the future (= danger), and not knowing how to deal with it (= feeling powerless). Faced with an open field of possibilities, uncertainty is a contemporary 'evil' in Western culture, which offers all kinds of insurance against risk.
Doubt is something else. To doubt is to be able to question the obvious, assertions and dogmas. Since Descartes, doubt has meant refusing appearances, it's a freedom of thought. Doubt is not powerlessness, but the ability to question.
How does uncertainty limit your effectiveness at work?
We are biologically constructed to overestimate threats and underestimate our ability to manage them. And since uncertainty = danger, the uncertainties of professional life often provoke a defensive or paralysis reaction:
- I prefer to think ahead to avoid unpleasant surprises. all the ways in which 'it' could go wrong
- I don't dare make a decision because I don't know if it will be the right one
Nature is not stingy, and these two attitudes - over-preparation and indecision - can also coexist in a manager or on a board of directors!
Why do we do this? Because our brains are used to devising all sorts of scenarios throughout the day, without us necessarily realising it. If a colleague doesn't reply to an email, you immediately conclude that they're angry with you... If your boss raises an eyebrow strangely in a meeting, it's because she disapproves of your proposal... If your application is rejected, it's because you didn't know... Your brain often imagines the worst-case scenario, and above all, you immediately think that it's your fault. you who is at fault.
Preparing a few scenarios, having a plan A and a plan B, is a pretty good idea. But if you prepare 7 scenarios with all possible outcomes in mind, and if you have a variation of plans A to X, counting variations and combinations of factors, that's a lot of time spent building and deconstructing imaginary sandcastles.
Another limitation is that when faced with uncertainty, we all logically seek greater certainty. So you probably sometimes ask others to reassure you. How many people have you asked to reassure you about your decision to launch product X on market Y at the price of Z? Ironically, this has the effect of reinforcing the belief that you cannot face uncertainty alone. Asking "everyone else" for their opinion before making a decision reinforces your lack of confidence in your ability to decide for yourself.
Trying to eliminate uncertainty by multiplying scenarios and opinions is a tiring, stressful and frustrating process, because it's doomed to failure. There will always be things that cannot be predicted. Uncertainty is an inescapable reality. Without even mentioning global upheavals like Covid, I'm simply thinking of a redundancy plan that is decided overnight, the threat of budget cuts during the year, or the effects of generative artificial intelligence in your sector.
4 ways of coping better with uncertainty
Here are a few ideas to help you avoid spending too much time and energy fighting uncertainty, and to boost your self-confidence:
1. Above all, protect yourself against simplistic injunctions
And yes, this formula is an injunction, but you'll understand!
You've probably already come across articles full of advice like "Stop brooding" or "Take care of yourself". Basically, these ideas aren't bad. But if it were easy to do, you'd already be doing it, wouldn't you? It's not as if you've forgotten: "Oh, but I'm thinking, what if I stopped thinking about the uncertainty of my professional life after lunch?
These injunctions, which are easier said than done, will not lead you in the right direction when it comes to reducing anxiety in the face of uncertainty.
2. Tolerating uncertainty
So where do you start? A first step could be to accept the idea that uncertainty can be "tolerable", and that you can develop your tolerance of it.
Otherwise, the alternative is to try to avoid the uncertainty that frightens you as much as possible. That may work... for the moment. But adopting an avoidance strategy means adopting the anxiety that goes with it, because this strategy prevents you from experiencing that working life is not as risky as you think.
Accepting that uncertainty can be tolerated means moving towards a possible cohabitation.
3. Identify what you can control
Let's take a diversion into emotions: fear linked to uncertainty is an emotion. By definition, there's nothing we can do about it: it's our body telling us to "be careful, there's a threat". So there's no point in imagining that one day you won't be afraid at all.
But you can learn to control your reaction to this fear. Because even in situations of uncertainty and the unknown, there are things you know and feel that can give you back control.
Let's take an example: you're looking for a new job, and you can't know whether you'll succeed in getting recruited by the company that interests you most. You can't read the future, but you do have control over other things in the present: the quality of your CV, the way you approach your network, the selection of ads you apply to, and so on.
4. Varying perspectives
Another idea is to remind yourself that the unknown is not all bad news. Remind yourself that in the face of uncertainty, there are many possible outcomes, both positive and negative. Accepting this shift in focus helps to increase your tolerance of uncertainty, because it nurtures your ability to anticipate both positive and negative outcomes in a more balanced way.
This effort puts your brain to work. In a predictable environment, it can be lazier, remaining "intolerant" of change and uncertainty. Whereas in an unfamiliar setting, it needs to absorb more new information, to learn new parameters. This is how it feeds your capacity to adapt, and therefore your confidence in your ability to act in uncertain contexts.
In conclusion, in the face of uncertainty, your objective is to concentrate on what you can be reasonably sure of, and to have confidence in the fact that you have the ability to bounce back. The road to confidence goes from an allergy to uncertainty to a stage of intolerance to a stage of tolerance. It's not a question of imagining one day love uncertainty, but to be able to live with it, just like with your neighbours, who may be a pain but they're not mean.
So keep an eye out for companies that create jobs. psychological safety for their teams: they know how to transform the fear of uncertainty into opportunities to learn.
