Why Uncertainty is the Signature of High Value Work

Kicking off a new topic! We had a great internal discussion recently about leaning into #Uncertainty… and we were reminded of so many of you, our fearless #Intrapreneurs and #InsideInnovators, who eat uncertainty for breakfast. 🥣 🚀

A few thoughts that may be helpful from our team chat…

Innovators, like anyone else, may feel a natural pull toward new #Efficiency and predictability—simply finding the next small win, rather than finding a true #Breakthrough. 💥

We’re all for incremental wins and #ProgressiveImprovement. But we also realize that we can’t create game-changing value by always playing it safe, or doing only what we’re told by the marketplace. 🛑

If you are driving #Change from the inside and things feel a little unwieldy from time to time, be encouraged! 🛠️ You may find your biggest impact inside of the messy, uncertain world of innovation. ✨

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In our team chat, we discussed the difference between “procedure" work and “brain" work. 🧠

Procedure work feels comfortable, predictable, easy. 📋 It’s like watching a recorded sports game where you already know the final score—safe, but the outcome is already written. 📺

True innovation falls into the “brain" category. It involves solving problems that haven’t been solved this way before. 🧩

If the solution were certain and predictable, your organization wouldn't need an innovator like you to lead it; they would just need a manual. 📖

💡 The #Takeaway:

When you feel the discomfort of uncertainty this week, don’t view it as a sign of a bad process. You can’t project manage all uncertainty out of your innovation cycle. 🏗️

You may not need to resolve that gap—it may simply be the name of the beast that you wrestle with! 🦁

View #Uncertainty as the signature of high-value work. We earn our keep not by knowing the future, but by being the people willing to navigate "un-manualed" territory to find the answers! 🗺️🧭

Blaze on! 🔥

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Our internal conversation continued on to talking about lowering our #SelfOrientation, being a #TrustedAdvisor and #EatingTheElephant. 🐘 More posts to come on this topic…

Thank you Cedric Bankaso for the slides and video!