The Gift of Uncertainty

In life, the only certainty we have is uncertainty. And that’s not a bad thing . . .

For the past three months, we’ve been reminded of the uncertainty of our times every hour on the hour. The accompanying news, jam-packed with depressing data, is designed to inform us, but it typically leaves us wishing we could transport ourselves to a better time and place.

I’d like to push back and argue that it’s the very uncertainty of our times that’s creating an environment for accelerating positive change. Think about it: If necessity is the mother of invention, when have we ever needed our industries’ collective creativity more than right now?

But we need more than that. To get through 2020 and beyond — and to get through it well — we need creative solutions from everyone . . . at work, at home, at school, within ourselves, in life.

We’re living in unprecedented times, and these times dictate that we work together — both organizations and the people who power them. That’s amazing. That’s empowering. 

What will come out of this unprecedented but very necessary creative collaboration? Here’s an educated guess: Increased decentralization that could lead to a cleaner environment, more family time, localized manufacturing (PPE, anyone?), a reimagining of the workplace, and a wellspring of new ideas that deviate from the centralized norm.

Positive change is no longer a choice — of that I’m certain.