What does uncertainty about the future mean to you?

Uncertainty about the future is very much a part of everyday life for every single one of us these days. Artificial intelligence is developing at an incredible pace, political crises are not just ”things happening far away”, and even whilst Finland is experiencing some degree of economic growth, companies are pushing through change negotiations.

This is the world we live in, whether we like it or not. But what does that mean for us as individuals?

Uncertainty about the future means constant change

Even some time before I started my own career, there was talk of how the pace of change in the world was accelerating, and that change has still shown no signs of slowing down. On the contrary – there are more and more changes, and they are on a greater scale than ever before. And change means that we cannot know anything about the future with absolute certainty.

Of course, some things are more likely than others, but constant uncertainty is part of everyday life in the future. Sure – we might not be driving flying cars through wormholes within the next few years, but shop shelves could well be stocked by robots. Both of these were just as much the stuff of sci-fi back in the 1960s – seemingly impossible theoretical ideas that were unlikely ever to become reality.

So how can you tell now what will be sci-fi in, say, 10 years’ time, and what won’t? What makes one thing – which currently seems absurd – likely to happen within 20 years, whilst another becomes completely unnecessary once the whole problem has been eradicated?

Nowhere. At least not for sure. That is why you must be prepared to change.

What does uncertainty about the future mean for the individual?

Constant change and the uncertainty of the future place new demands on us as individuals. Yuval Noah Harari noted a few years ago that the idea of a single job that an individual does for their entire life is hopelessly outdated. My parents’ generation were still able to stay in the same job, doing more or less the same work throughout their working lives, but my half-brothers, who are more than 10 years older than me, for example, have not.

According to Harari, the most critical skill for individuals in the workplace of the future is a flexible mindset. This means the ability to develop one’s own resilience and adaptability in order to respond to the ever-accelerating pace of global change. A flexible mindset enables people to learn new ways of working, technologies and even new professions, meaning that the uncertainty of the future is no longer a threat, but rather an opportunity, for example, to advance one’s career and do something new and more meaningful.

However, mental flexibility does not come entirely naturally to all of us. For me, for example, it would be much more natural to learn something thoroughly and focus on it, say, for my entire working life. It’s just a shame the world doesn’t work like that. If I’d decided not to practise resilience myself and had actively sought to keep learning something new all the time, I’d probably be an extremely good catering chef right now – and out of work within a couple of years.

How can we ensure success in an uncertain future?

As Sherlock Holmes said – It’s elementary, my dear Watson.

Success requires constant practice and a beginner’s mindset, where, rather than being content, the aim is to seek out new ways of doing things develop one’s own skills. This, in turn, requires a curiosity about new things and a belief in the possibilities of the future, rather than constant fear.

Whatever your role, it is your responsibility to ensure that you, at the very least, are well prepared to face the uncertainties of the future and, for your part, enable those around you to do the same. This will likely also involve making investments change management.

• Front page of You are also responsible for ensuring that your team is ready to cope when changes come.
• As a manager You are responsible for ensuring that your entire organisation is in top form, both in the short and long term.
• On the Board and as a shareholder Once again, your task is to ensure that the company’s overall strategy remains aligned with an ever-changing world.

Through your role, you have one or more responsibilities on this path, which you are tasked with carrying out. Not a single link must fail.

If you fail, you’ll settle for the status quo. In that case, an uncertain future is a threat that leads to unemployment, debt enforcement and whatever other fears you might have.

When you succeed, you focus on growth and hard work. In this way, the uncertainty of the future paves the way for growth and new sources of income, which in turn create intergenerational prosperity and peace of mind.

So put in the effort and succeed. If it doesn’t happen quite naturally, you don’t have to face this change in your state of mind on your own. Send a message or book an appointment with me, so let’s have a chat about the future and what it has to offer!