Defining Moments are Born from Uncertainty

This is a great piece by Tsun-yan Hsieh is Director Emeritus at McKinsey & Company about how to let yourself be vulnerable and embrace uncertainty to acheive breakthroughs.

Are You Prepared for Your Next Defining Moment?

These critical moments are often characterized as “moments of truth,” but in real-time, they’re usually a moment of uncertainty, not clarity. So how do we make the most of the defining moments coming at us in the near future?

The advice above is somewhat geared to eliminate uncertainty. But uncertainty actually can help you achieve breakthrough results in your upcoming important meetings. To be sure, uncertainties drive all of us crazy. They paralyze most of us because our plans often become invalid; we feel exposed and vulnerable as we lose control and fear for the worst. This is the same whether we are talking about a situation broadly or a meeting specifically. Uncertain moments become frozen moments.

The guidelines are simple: embrace the uncertainty, make a conscious choice to act on it through mental preparation, and, most importantly, stand by your principles when you make your choice.

Reference:

• Are You Prepared for Your Next Defining Moment? | Harvard Business Review Blogs | Tsun-yan Hsieh | 1 April 2010