Navigating Uncertainty
At Impact Shakers, each month we dive into a topic near to our hearts. This first month we chose ‘Navigating Uncertainty’ as a red thread, because, well because :) In the upcoming weeks, you’ll find a variety of content revolving around the topic.
How different has this phrase been only a couple of weeks back?
We were navigating through a sea of questions how the global pandemic would alter our daily lives as we knew it. Wondering whether it had triggered a turning point towards a more sustainable future. We are still wondering what will be next.
But how much has changed exactly?
Can we say the time of uncertainty is over?
With the ongoing events in the United States, it is definitely not over. The unfolding crisis is sending shockwaves to the pillars of our current broken system by resurfacing long-overdue systemic errors.
The escalating unrest may feel far away outside the US, yet it hits very close to home. There is no society which isn’t wrestling with inequality. Racism, xenophobia, antisemitism are alive and well despite the progress made in the last decades.
We feel it is a time for reflection. It is time to come to terms with the lived reality our current system means for many. It is time to speak up and act.
We are looking for anchors to hold on to in these weird times while we are absorbing what has been happening. Call it methods, frames or data at least to rely on.
Did you know that there is even an index for uncertainty?
Researchers found methodologies to measure the level of uncertainty in the global economy. It is the World Uncertainty Index and it has been recorded for over 60 years. The most recent numbers are on this graph below.
Reference: Ahir, H, N Bloom, and D Furceri (2018), “World Uncertainty Index”, Stanford mimeo.
The pendulum has swung in times like Black Friday, the Iraq War or the sovereign debt crisis in 2008. Yet it has never been as high as it is now due to the novel Coronavirus. It says quite a lot about the volume of uncertainty we all have had to and still have to deal with on a macro level.
This fear of the unknown can be paralyzing. Uncertainty can leave us feeling anxious over the direction of our life, while it can also keep us from trying to create new services, products or building new relationships.
Not trying, though, is the worst choice we can make in any uncertain time.
As difficult as it may seem, craft a plan, prepare for the worst and act. Now. Have a vision of what you would like to find on the other side of the paralysis. Be kind. Rebuilding starts with us, human beings, drawing a picture of the future we collectively imagine. As Yuval Noah Harari observed:
“In fact, humans have always lived in the age of post-truth. Homo sapiens is a post-truth species, whose power depends on creating and believing fictions. Ever since the stone age, self-reinforcing myths have served to unite human collectives. Indeed, Homo sapiens conquered this planet thanks above all to the unique human ability to create and spread fictions. We are the only mammals that can cooperate with numerous strangers because only we can invent fictional stories, spread them around, and convince millions of others to believe in them. As long as everybody believes in the same fictions, we all obey the same laws, and can thereby cooperate effectively.”
As we are moving forward in a disquieting world, we will have to try our best and create a new narrative for ourselves. A narrative for a more diverse and inclusive future where no one feels left behind or threatened by the status quo.
Our goal is to make entrepreneurship more diverse by betting on the unlikely heroes of tomorrow, by resurfacing new models of collaboration and ownership and by speaking up for what is right, not for what is comfortable.
To follow our work at Impact Shakers, in the coming weeks you can:
- Join Impact Shakers Talks on goal-setting strategies in uncertain times, on how to pivot from an in-person event to a virtual programme and learn how to design circular business models
- Sign up for our upcoming 5-week online courses on Alternative Fundraising, Impact Business Models, Society-centered Design or Innovation Through Startup Collaboration with the Third Sector
Would you like to be part of our online community?
Apply here to join in the next wave of admissions this Summer! (click on “Apply to join the community”)
