Paradox of navigating uncertainty: ancient ‘soft stuff’ makes us tough

Abstract

All leaders are impacted by uncertainty and the accompanying stress. What is often missing is a framework for leaders to cope with and ideally thrive in circumstances beyond our control. Without a framework, uncertainty can cause us to become fearful, disoriented and uprooted. We cling to a life that may no longer be available, and consequently, we may struggle to adapt. The central thesis of this perspective, which is supported by time-honoured concepts from great thinkers and current empiric evidence,1 is that humans’ ability to navigate uncertainty and stress and leaders’ ability to lead through tough challenges is enhanced when their character—their identity—is anchored by what is often considered ‘soft stuff’—the seven classic virtues of trust, compassion, courage, justice, wisdom, temperance and hope. As evidence of the robustness of this thesis, these virtues have been espoused as the way to live by great thinkers over millenia—Aristotle, Plutarch, Heraclitus, Confucius, Lao Tse.1 Extending the concept that a virtue-based character is key to navigating uncertainty, we propose that our identity informs other important assets that build resilience—our purpose and our relationships. Taken together, these three elements—identity, relationships and purpose—have been espoused as tools to navigate transitions2 and help leaders lead through the inevitable uncertainty that defines the human journey. We begin by framing the current state of stress in the world—dubbed the ‘polycrisis’3—and then develop the thesis. On the one hand, it is curious to think that we need research to prove that a person, team or organisation governed by trust, compassion, courage, justice, wisdom, temperance and hope would have higher levels of engagement despite uncertainty than a dysfunctional person, team or organisation defined by distrust, callousness, cowardice and despair. On the other hand, there is ample evidence that makes the case for virtue as a resilience …