You only have to consider what used to be the ‘normal’ way of things for so many of us.

• Work hard at school.  Leave and go to University, get a degree and then you’re set up for a job-for-life.
• Meet someone you want to settle down with.  Buy a home and have children, make your life together.  Grow old together and ‘til death us do part’ is part of the story.
• Offer your services, get paid regularly, and incrementally.  Collect your pension because you’ve paid your dues.

Now I know these 3 examples are very simplistic and general.  And yet, they were part of so many of our ‘stories’.  They were certainly part of my story growing up with parents who did all three.

With information spinning around the world in seconds now and combining that with the technology which makes it possible and ever-changing, you just have to accept that the feeling of uncertainty and chaos is the new ‘situation normal’.

Just consider these ‘facts’ these days:

• Traditional industries are in flux with the ‘job-for-life’ deal being as redundant as the people who often receive those letters.  No longer trusting ‘the good old firm’ more people are starting up their own businesses.
• Unemployment is on the increase.  Economies, which traditionally set the bar, are struggling and teetering and others are emerging, fast and competitively.
• People who didn’t used to, now have a voice.  Social media sites make it possible to complain, influence and speak up when before it was a ‘take it or leave it’ attitude.  We quickly get to hear about how companies, industries and Governments behave and it shakes things up.

So what can you rely on and count on?

Well, as ever, change.  Except the speed of change is just so much faster.  And what I believe and know to be what you can count on now, is your own personal savvy, your own value and how you position it for other people as the change continues.  The ostrich-head-in-the-sand position just invites a quick, surprising kick in the rear.  It always did but now, with so much more uncertainty, it’s asking for trouble.

The only way to navigate your way with the rate and speed of change and the uncertainty surrounding it now is to embrace it and go with it.  Out of chaos comes opportunity.  Here are a few ‘quick and dirty’ savvy, open-ended questions.  Have them on the tip of your tongue to help you move with the times we’re all now in.

Ask yourself

• ‘Who’s driving the bus?’ and then look for ways when you can take the steering wheel in either a situation or a new direction.  Even if it’s just how you behave, you have control over that and it calms you.
• ‘What’s the opportunity in this situation?’ – for the industry, for the business, for the team, for my clients, for me?  Come up with at least 3 for each, even if you have to force yourself….
• ‘What would I advise someone to do about this?’ – it’s always easier when it’s not you so ‘pretend’ it isn’t and listen to what you’d say.
• ‘With what I know and what I’m good at, how can I help others adapt to this?’ – de-personalising and then becoming a leader in the situation adds to your value and peace of mind.
• ‘What would my favourite super-hero do in this situation?” – finding inspiration and sometimes humour can unlock you when you’re in ‘startled deer’ mode.  It’s also a great way to wake other people up by asking them the same question. 

If you think about Batman – one of my favourite superheroes (nothing to do with all the fast vehicles and black leather, of course ;o) he doesn’t have any superpowers as such.  He relies on his own scientific knowledge, detective skills and athletic prowess. His gizmos are created, designed and developed to deal with the new ‘baddies’ and situations he’s faced with and ultimately, he’s human too.

As Ursula K le Guin, the Sci-Fi writer and children’s author said “The only thing that makes life possible is permanent, intolerable uncertainty; not knowing what comes next.”  Or, as Batman says “Remember Robin, always look both ways”.

What’s your best way to handle the uncertainty? We’re all in it together, like it or not,  so share away with what it’s like for you at the moment?