mountain range
I recently spoke with Nathan and Susannah Furr about their book, The Upside of Uncertainty. Nathan earned his Ph.D. from Stanford's Technology Ventures Program and is an Associate Professor of Strategy at INSEAD, a global business school located in France. Susannah, a designer and art historian with a research focus on the Dutch Baroque period, founded a women's clothing line inspired by her research of the intricate embroidery of Dutch women.
Nathan and Susannah currently live in Paris. However, before they decided to leave Stanford University and relocate so that Nathan could teach at INSEAD, the couple had a host of challenges stacked against them: debt, the needs of four young children, and Nathan’s unfinished Ph.D. dissertation. Ultimately, Nathan and Susannah decided the experience would be enriching for themselves and for their children—so they made the move anyway. But once the Furrs moved to France in the middle of a long, dreary winter, the challenges piled on: their children were bullied in school, the family car was stolen, and the papers Nathan submitted for publication were rejected. Then COVID happened, and the couple’s speaking engagements (and the revenue that came with them) disappeared. The Furrs were in dire circumstances. However, the couple had learned—through research and in conversation with other entrepreneurs and leaders—to look through the lens of possibility in times of uncertainty. This tumultuous time in their family life gave the Furrs a new sense of what is possible.
The Upside of Uncertainty provides many ideas and practical exercises to help readers expand their sense of possibilityby embracing uncertainty in both the personal and professional realms.
Give up the illusion of control.
As a leader, it's easy to get caught up thinking that you must know the answers and direct with perfection. But as the Furrs shared with me, it's more important to have the right questions. They said leaders must shed the illusion that they have control over everything.
In The Upside of Uncertainty, the Furrs shared about one company founder who felt frustrated as COVID restrictions were lifted. Employees asked the leader what a return of workers to the office would look like and if they needed to return full-time. The employees wanted answers from the founder; however, he had no idea how to proceed. The founder posited ideas but was met with pushback and grumbling. Finally, he asked the senior leadership team: "What does coming back into the office look like for you?"
The leadership team shared that they also didn't know. The founder shared with the Furrs that he could have faked being in control and knowing all the answers in an uncertain moment; yet by admitting that he was human and didn't have the answers, the team could work together and move back to the office in the way that was best for most. In The Upside of Uncertainty, Nathan and Susannah write that leaders can drop the illusion of having control in moments of uncertainty; instead, they can look to and be guided by the company's mission and values. From this stance, leaders can help to create new possibilities for the future.
Use tools to move through uncertainty.
Often, leaders become more obsessed with controlling risks than creating conditions for positive change. Leaders who focus only on controlling risks can become obsessive and anxiety-ridden. Their rigid thinking halts forward momentum. The Furrs write that the innovation space has many models for managing uncertainty in difficult times. However, those models don't account for possibility-seeking. Nathan and Susannah created a toolkit of thoughts and exercises leaders can use to propel forward when they find themselves mired in uncertainty.
One such model, called “Dumbo Feathers,” involves looking for and appreciating your positive assets. In the movie Dumbo, the elephant gains confidence and is able to fly because he holds what he believes to be a magic feather. Later, Dumbo learns that the feather is not magic and that he could fly all along. As the Furrs write, we are affected by our surroundings and the people in our lives: friends, family, and co-workers. We gain confidence with the encouragement of those around us. People can prop us up and help us believe we can do great things, as Dumbo’s feather gave him this sense of belief. Other people or experiences are “destroyers” which tank our sense of self-efficacy. In the exercise “Dumbo Feathers,” the Furrs suggest combating a destroyer by creating a list of memories and insights that are meaningful and evoke a strong positive response. When faced with uncertainty and self-doubt, leaders can return to that list and regain a sense of their power.
In addition to the tools they present in the book, The Furrs are creating an asynchronous class for further learning with the UP School, or “Uncertainty Possibilities” school. Through this platform they will teach classes and workshops which help leaders incorporate the lessons of the book into their lives.
There’s no way to bypass uncertainty.
The Furrs created their book so that leaders can go back to it on any occasion they have need. As the Furrs write, it's very easy to get caught up in the stress of uncertainty, such as debt, illness, or trauma. There is no way to bypass this stress—life is inherently uncertain. In an attempt to do so, some people try to avoid uncertainty by sticking to trite routines and giving up on big dreams too soon. Yet this attempt at risk mitigation results in living a smaller life and accomplishing less than what you are capable of.
Living in uncertainty can be daunting, but as the Furrs write in The Upside of Uncertainty, tenuous times are rife with possibility. As Nathan and Susannah shared with me, leaders shouldn't try to navigate uncertainty alone. Instead, push forward with your team and be guided by your values as you aim to determine where you want to go next.
