In his 2012 Bafta speech Sacha Baron Cohen, as his alter ego Ali G, said:

‘There are things you can’t even have dreamed of. The iPhone. The iPhone 2. The iPhone 3. The iPhone 4. The iPhone 5. Who can even imagine what is coming next?’

While everyone laughed – myself included – the joke was somehow on us as humans. In one moment Ali G both honoured our capacity to innovate and our natural inclination towards linear thinking. What he was saying is that we are creative, in a non-creative way. And in fact if we look at most big disruptions, they are generally the result of a series of incremental steps.

So this is us. We plot and plan; we organise and strategize. We talk about ‘managing change’ (surely this is an oxymoron?) and we love toolkits and methodologies. We prime ourselves for the future with a foot still planted firmly in the past. innovation is fine, as long as we understand how it links to what has gone before. These associations help us sell ideas. Think of the screen-writers who pitched the movie Alien as ‘Jaws in Space’!

The human brain, quite simply, likes to know what it is getting. In order for us to respond effectively to the world we are dropped into, the brain builds a bank of data that it then uses to issue us with a range of responses. In other words it is reliant on what it thinks it knows. Not knowing is not good, menacing even. Studies have shown how much we would rather know that something bad is coming than not know at all. Here is what is coming next in this blog:

• Why Uncertainty Feels Threatening
• The Neuroscience Behind Habit and Resistance
• Building Resilience During The Unknown

Why Uncertainty Feels Threatening

A world of uncertainty sends us careering in all directions trying to get answers – any answers, even really flaky answers. It doesn’t matter as long as we have something to hold onto and base a decision on. But it’s not just BIG uncertainty. It’s the small stuff too. A friend doesn’t get back to us; the boss looks upset; a client cancels a meeting with no explanation; no one ‘likes’ a social media post. Social uncertainty is one of the biggest threats of all.

And so we call, we text, we refresh. And we often make bad decisions in the moment.

Most of us are facing some sort of change today. This is playing havoc with the brain because of the uncertainty associated with the change. Simply put, the brain is not set up to embrace new ways of working or living. Even when we are faced with life-or-death choices, such as being told to change our lifestyle or we will die, the majority of us opt to continue as we were. It is no wonder that many change initiatives do not succeed in their aims.

The Neuroscience Behind Habit and Resistance

Looking inside the brain gives us some answers. At a neurological level the brain is always trying to conserve energy, to free up its resources to deal with new demands. When we practise a skill or behaviour often enough, we push our ability to perform this skill or behaviour into a cluster of structures called the basal ganglia which houses, reinforces and rewards our habits or automatic processes. The basal ganglia ensure that we respond efficiently to our world whilst expending minimal cognitive energy. From an evolutionary perspective this has helped us enormously as a species. But when we are asked to deviate from our tried and tested routines or areas of expertise, alarm bells are sounded in the brain, signalling that something doesn’t feel right and sending a chain reaction throughout our system to protect us from a potential threat. So the brain actively works to block any move that challenges what we think we know and how we behave.

The forces for change may be entirely logical. But we are not logical creatures, and we become more illogical during times of change. There is note of hope amongst all of this. Paradoxically it is when we are reeling from yet another change or unexpected twist and turn, that we find out what we are made of. If anyone had told us what we would expect to get from the Covid 19 pandemic many of us would a) not have believed it or b) gone into a spiralling panic. But once it was upon us, we dealt with it. We learned how to adjust and adapt. This is what the brain is remarkably good at.

Uncertainty – the very thing we do everything to avoid or control – is the very thing that will push us into new relationship  with our environment. It is when we know that we don’t know that the brain realises that it needs to learn. So our neurons reorganise and rewire themselves to meet this new challenge. The brain effectively becomes more robust. We never build resilience during the easy times. Think of this like going to the gym and having to rip a muscle before strengthening it.

Building Resilience during the Unknown

But let’s face it. We do everything to avoid not knowing. We talk a good talk about change but when it comes to it, we still make sure we aren’t put in a position where we may fail or look stupid. When people take risks that don’t pay off, we are quick to criticise them and then pat ourselves on the back for being more astute.

Getting the brain used to the tough stuff on a regular basis will bolster us through challenging times and build a be[er tolerance for uncertainty. This requires us to change habits and routines, learn a new skill, talk to someone with an opposing point of view and even live with disappointment.

For leaders this means setting tasks that force their people to learn by doing on a regular basis, creating environments which are constantly changing and testing received wisdom (even when everything is going well), communicating with greater clarity and frequency, forming teams that allow for genuine risk-taking and debate and forging cultures where differences of opinion are openly aired and discussed. Most importantly leaders need to show that they are willing for people to question up, that they can and will change their minds and that they are learning alongside everyone else.

None of us can possibly know exactly what is coming next. Human behaviour is extremely unpredictable. What we do know is that all expertise, even if it is the bedrock of our success today, has a sell-by-date.

We may not be able to change our linear thinking overnight but we can help the brain become be[er at adapting to a world of constant unknowns. And while Apple prepares to launch the iPhone 17, we can rest easy in the knowledge that this is at least one certainty we don’t need to worry about!

Learn More From Helena Boschi

Helena Boschi, World Renowned Applied Neuroscience Psychologist, brings a unique scientific lens to leadership, mental health, peak performance and business strategy. Often speaking to corporate clients, she engages audiences with amusing anecdotes and interactive moments in her keynotes creating a fun learning environment. The takeaways from her presentations stick with audiences well after the event and give them new pathways to expressing themselves and managing teams. 

Reach out today to learn more about Helena's fees, availability, and book her for your next speaking engagement.  

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