Confronting the Unknown

When Matt Barnes and I launched The Education Game a few years ago, we quickly noticed most parents we worked with were fearful of the unknown when they considered withdrawing their children from the traditional public school system. These parents knew their public school was not the right place for their children, but still they kept their kids in what amounted to be a toxic situation when it came to learning. They wouldn’t offer their children a better chance to become smarter and stronger learners because, as adults, they were unwilling to confront the unknown.

Last fall, Harvard Business Review shared an article written by Nathan and Susannah Harmon Furr. The Furr’s coauthored The Upside of Uncertainty, from which their HBR article came from.

The Furr’s write,

“Humans are wired to fear the unknown. That’s why uncertainty – whether at the macro level of a global economic, health, or geopolitical crisis or at the micro level (Will I get that job? Will this venture be successful? Am I on the right career path?) – can feel nerve-racking, exhausting, and even debilitating. However, that gut reaction leads people to miss a crucial fact: Uncertainty and possibility are two sides of the same coin.”

“Consider the achievements you’re most proud of, the moments that transformed your life, the relationships that make your life worth living. We’ll bet that they all happened after a period of uncertainty – one that probably felt stressful but that you nevertheless pushed through to accomplish something great. When we moved abroad, for example, we faced uncertainty about making less money, paying higher taxes, doing more-challenging work, and introducing our children to new schools, a new language, and a new culture. But seven years later we are so grateful for all the possibilities the move opened up.”

“Uncertainty doesn’t have to paralyze any of us. Over the past decade we have studied innovators and changemakers who’ve learned to navigate it well, and we’ve reviewed the research on topics like resilience and tolerance for ambiguity. The findings are clear: We all can become adept at managing uncertainty and empower ourselves to step confidently into the unknown and seize the opportunity it presents. Applying the following four principles will help you do that.”

“Reframe Your Situation – Most people are loss-averse. Multiple studies demonstrate that the way you frame things affects how you make decisions. The research shows, for instance, that if one treatment for a new disease is described as 95% effective and another as 5% ineffective, people prefer the former even though the two are statistically identical. Every innovation, every change, every transformation – personal or professional – comes with potential upsides and downsides. And though most of us instinctively focus on the latter, it’s possible to shift that mindset and decrease our fear.”

“Prime Yourself for New Risks – Although innovators often talk about eating uncertainty for breakfast, if you dig deeper, you discover some curious habits. When Paul Smith – a designer known for daring color combinations – travels, he always stays in the same hotel, often in the same room. Others we’ve studied book the same airplane seat for every flight, follow the same morning routine, or wear the same clothes. Steve Jobs had a lifetime supply of black turtlenecks.”

“All those habits provide balance. By reducing uncertainty in one part of your life, they prime you to tolerate more of it in other parts. Some people ground themselves with steady, long-term relationships, for instance.”

“All those habits provide balance. By reducing uncertainty in one part of your life, they prime you to tolerate more of it in other parts.”

“You can also prime yourself for uncertainty by getting to know the kinds of risk you have a natural aversion to or an affinity with…The important lesson is that knowing which risks you tolerate well can help you see where to push more boldly into the frontier, while knowing which you don’t will help you prepare so that you can approach them with more confidence.”

“Just as important, you can increase your risk tolerance by taking smaller risks, even in unrelated fields.”

“Do Something – Taking action is one of the most important parts of facing uncertainty, since you learn with each step you take. Research by Timothy Ott and Kathleen Eisenhardt demonstrates that most successful breakthroughs are produced by a series of small steps, not giant bet-the-farm efforts. Starting modestly can be more effective and less anxiety-provoking than trying to do everything at once.”

“…as you make your way forward, focus on values rather than on goals.”

“Sustain Yourself – According to Ben Feringa, who won a Nobel Prize in chemistry for work on molecular machines that could one day power nanobots that repair the pipes in your house or keep diseases out of your blood, scientific discovery happens only after facing uncertainty. That means, he says, you have to ‘get resilient at handling the frustration that comes with it.’ His approach includes both emotional hygiene (attending to emotions – much as you would a physical wound – so that they don’t turn into paralyzing self-doubt or unproductive rumination) and reality checks (in which you recognize that failure is just part of the process).”

“Resilience – being able to take a blow and stay standing – is important. But we argue for something more: learning to transform uncertainty into opportunity. The only way for any of us to tap into new possibilities is through the gateway of the unknown. And it doesn’t have to be a painful process if you believe in your ability to navigate it. Our hope is that you can use our advice to transform your relationship with change and inspire others to do the same.”

Parents! More of you have walked away from traditional public school over the past 3 years than at any time in our country’s history. If your kid is in a sucky school, think about the Furr’s four principles to turn uncertainty into opportunity – reframe your situation, get ready for new risks, and do something while remaining resilient.

Til tomorrow. SVB