Certain Uncertainty

Improve your ability to adapt to an increasingly unpredictable world

In Certain Uncertainty, renowned management theorist Des Dearlove delivers an exciting and illuminating discussion of how to build resilience and agility into our lives and businesses. As rapid and foundational change becomes ever more constant, a state of constant disruption increasingly becomes our new normal. Certain Uncertainty collects advice and fresh thinking from accomplished business leaders to help managers and executives navigate contemporary markets.

In the book, you’ll find:

• Ways to structure your business to better respond to constant fluidity and change
• Discussions of why the concepts of economic and social certainty were always largely illusory
• Strategies for embracing forward-looking humility that acknowledges uncertainty about what lies around the next corner
• Thought-provoking insights from leading business experts including Sheree Atcheson, Ori Brafman, Rom Brafman, Paul R. Carlile, Julie Carrier, Kirstin Ferguson, Nathan Furr, Susannah Harmon Furr, Amy Gallo, Matt Gitsham, Ruth Gotian, Mehran Gul, Diane Hamilton, Maja Korica, Marianne W. Lewis, David Liddle, Terence Mauri, Jennifer Moss, Gorick Ng, David Nour, Simone T.A. Phipps, Leon C. Prieto, Ben Pring, Megan Reitz, Wendy K. Smith, Lisa Kay Solomon, Modupe Taylor-Pearce, Tamsen Webster, Ben Whitter, Andrew Winston, and Kai D. Wright

An engaging and insightful exploration of a dynamic and ambiguous world that’s increasingly full of surprises, Certain Uncertainty will earn a place on the bookshelves of business leaders, entrepreneurs, and visionaries seeking ways to adapt to a world in which sameness and certainty are relics of the past.

Foreword by Amy Edmondson xi

Introduction by Des Dearlove 1

I Future Thinking 5

1 Resilient, Net Positive Leadership 7
Andrew Winston

2 Leading Like a Futurist 15
Lisa Kay Solomon

3 The Privilege of Leadership: A Constant in an Uncertain World 23
Sheree Atcheson

4 Leading from the Future (Not the Past) 31
Terence Mauri

5 Toward Uncertainty Ability: Leading Self and Others to Possibility Beyond the Unknown 41
Nathan Furr and Susannah Harmon Furr

II Transformational Leadership 49

6 Leading with the Head and Heart: The Modern Leader Our World Needs Today 51
Kirstin Ferguson

7 The Nine Derailers of Strategy 59
Ben Pring

8 Radical Empathy: How to Craft Effective Communications About Change 71
Tamsen Webster

9 Leading Sustainability Transitions 77
Matt Gitsham

10 Navigating Paradoxes 85
Wendy K. Smith and Marianne W. Lewis

11 The WHY, WHAT, and HOW of Leadership 95
Paul R. Carlile

III Organizational Culture 101

12 Developing a Curious Culture at Work 103
Diane Hamilton

13 Is Your Company Alive? 109
Mehran Gul

14 Staying in the Know in Extraordinary Times 115
Maja Korica

15 Stop Quiet Quitting Your Life 123
Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman

16 Policy: The Path to Prevent Burnout 131
Jennifer Moss

IV Voices of Difference 139

17 Voices of Difference at Work 141
Megan Reitz

18 Want More Female Leaders? Develop Leadership When It Matters Most 149
Julie Carrier

19 Servant Leadership, Cooperative Advantage, and Social Sustainability 159
Leon C. Prieto and Simone T.A. Phipps

20 Leaders Talk Less and Speak Last 167
Modupe Taylor- Pearce

V Talent Magnets 175

21 Deciding Whom to Promote: Beware of “DEIB Debt” 177
Gorick Ng

22 Justice at Work 183
David Liddle

23 Personal Branding in a Creator Economy 191
Kai D. Wright

24 The Need for High Achievers in the Era of Uncertainty 207
Ruth Gotian

VI Relationships@work 215

25 Curve Benders: Quality vs. Quantity of Strategic Relationships in the Future of Work 217
David Nour

26 Navigating Ambivalence in Our Professional Relationships 225
Amy Gallo

27 How Leaders Can Help Employees Face Uncertainty 233
Ben Whitter

About the Editor 241

Acknowledgments 243

Index 245

DES DEARLOVE is a British business journalist and management theorist known for his expertise in the evolution of management ideas and thought leadership. He is Co-founder of Thinkers50, the influential global ranking of management thinkers.

From global financial crises to natural disasters, and political upheavals to wars and pandemics, major disruptions to “business as usual” are becoming ever more common. With them, a state of constant, transformative change has begun to define our economic and personal lives, and we need a way to deal with that new reality as business leaders.

In Certain Uncertainty, management commentator and theorist Des Dearlove delivers a timely and insightful discussion of how to build resilience and agility into our lives and businesses to deal with the increasingly volatile conditions in which we all live. In the book, you’ll find advice and fresh, new thinking from accomplished business experts to help you navigate through the new era of ambiguity.

The author explains how to structure your business to better respond to constant fluidity and change and why the concepts of economic and social certainty were always largely illusory. He also sets out strategies for embracing a forward-looking humility that acknowledges uncertainty about what lies around the next corner.

Certain Uncertainty is a necessary and urgent call to stop pretending we are in control of the environments in which we do business and to start focusing on where we can really make a difference: in our responses to the next disruptive and unexpected event. It offers practical, hands-on strategies from leading business personalities who demonstrate how to respond adaptively and effectively to myriad threats, distractions, opportunities, changes, and even Black Swan events.

Perfect for managers, executives, board members, and entrepreneurs, Certain Uncertainty will also earn a place on the bookshelves of business students, aspiring business leaders, and anyone with an interest in how to navigate the increasingly complex challenges facing modern organizations.

Structure your business for maximum resilience and agility in an increasingly volatile world

Certain Uncertainty is an urgent call to business leaders around the world. Its message is clear and simple: stop trying to control what can’t be controlled. Instead, learn to respond effectively and adapt quickly to the disruptions and transformative changes that are appearing ever more frequently and suddenly.

Renowned management expert Des Dearlove offers advice and reflections from dozens of today’s leading voices in business and leadership that will show you how to structure your business for maximum resilience and agility and navigate through uncertainty. You’ll learn why concepts of economic and social certainty were always largely illusory and how to embrace a mindset that includes forward-looking humility about our ability to see what lies around the corner.

An essential resource for executives, managers, board members, and entrepreneurs, Certain Uncertainty is also an invaluable roadmap for aspiring business leaders and students of business and management seeking guidance in a world that is increasingly volatile and unpredictable.