Wow, it has been a long time since I posted here. A lot has happened since my last post, some of it good, some of it deeply concerning. I have been deeply involved in work at my new job, one of my kids has graduated from college, and there have been many changes in the world, both at work and outside it.
One thing that seems to have increased significantly for a lot of people is uncertainty about our work and personal futures. As I write this, roads around Ireland are blocked for the fifth day by fuel protestors, expressing deep concern about their ability to continue generating a viable livelihood. They, in turn, are creating uncertainty and hazard for others – people who are unable to get fuel and food, or make it to a long-awaited hospital appointment, or get to the airport on time for a flight. In a much more impactful way, several regional conflicts have been started or continue, with mass loss of life and existential uncertainty for those directly involved.
In the world of work, AI has caused both excitement and fear, among other, less extreme emotional responses. Those who profess excitement envision a future in which humans are enabled by AI to become “superintelligent.” Those who are afraid are concerned primarily about massive job losses. While neither camp is likely to be completely right, job losses are occurring, particularly among junior software developers and graduates entering the workforce.
Personally, I don’t know what will happen with any of these things. I’m not a futurist, nor do I play one on the Internet. On the subject of AI, I hope our future will be like the one laid out by Max Tegmark and others, where AI gives us more free time while still allowing us to choose to work. In my opinion, we need to work and struggle to become the best versions of ourselves. We have seen what happens to humans when we have abundant food and insufficient physical exertion – we become overweight, unhealthy and incapable. Without sufficient mental challenge, I am concerned that we will have equivalent cognitive impacts and become less capable of independent, critical, creative thought.
As leaders, we need to help others in a way which is new but familiar. While in the past, part of my role was to reduce uncertainty for my staff, I believe this is no longer possible. In this new world, we need to demonstrate comfort with uncertainty as the pace of change accelerates. We have to model an approach that focuses on curiosity, building new skills and maintaining human connection. We have to acknowledge that the uncertainty can be scary, but that it is likely to be the norm for the foreseeable future (again, see my note above on futurism). Instead of trying to reduce uncertainty, we have to support our teams to dial down their psychological and emotional responses to it. This approach will allow people to focus on building skills, developing new understanding of emerging roles and delivering more value for the organisations we work for.
I’ve said I don’t have all the answers, and I suspect, as is often the case at times of significant upheaval, no one does. I think the leaders who support their teams through the uncertainty we are all feeling, while modelling curiosity and calm, will be the ones who best serve their staff and organisations. If you are dealing with this as a leader and have found an approach that works for you, I’d love to hear from you. Onward!