Uncertainty Drives Anxiety

An intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is not only a trait of those who suffer from Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), by nature, humans prefer certainty to uncertainty. We prefer to know where our next meal is coming from, that we have a roof to sleep under, and most importantly, if we are going to be able to get back home if we embark on an overseas adventure.

Akin to believing that Uluru will always be there for us to see (when we get there), a pie needs tomato sauce, and being dumped by a wave at the beach is a rite of passage. When what we know to be certain, is taken away from us, it makes us uneasy, the effects of the pandemic are still with us - I see it in organisations everywhere we did not get a chance to stop and breathe in 2023 we just carried on and the push to bring people back into the office is not being received well, there is resentment and trauma from the pandemic experience and we cannot underestimate the effect that this is having on our mental health.

Anxiety is increased by uncertainty. This is as logical, as anxiety is at, its essence, fear and the fear of the unknown is the greatest fear of all.  As leaders of remote, hybrid or in-office teams, we acknowledge that there is much that is uncertain, but there is also a lot of certainty in our lives, jobs, teams, roles, and organisations.  Those of us with an anxiety disorder are prone to thinking the worse, imagining people think we are not doing a good job, questioning if we remembered to send that email, and replaying conversations in our heads to analyse if the other party was annoyed with us.  Because of this tendency towards slight paranoia in the face of uncertainty, we need to reassure our teams in any way that we can, about what we know for sure.  A worker who is living with anxiety is at risk of this contributing to burnout.

What I know for sure is that there is a project milestone at the end of the month and we all need to contribute to ensure that we meet it.  What I know for sure is we will need to closely monitor progress so we will be having a weekly meeting with mandatory attendance (same time each week and do not change it).  What I know for sure is we are the right team to be on this project and I have every faith that we will meet the deadline.  What I know for sure is that we will encounter obstacles but if we all call them out early, we will all support each other to overcome them. 

Communication is the enemy of uncertainty. Our teams do not expect us to know everything, but they expect us to show the way, be transparent, and offer support.  When our teams are worrying, their focus is deviated from what we need them to do.  Communicate as much as you can to reduce uncertainty and keep the attention on being productive.  A state of anxiety hamstrings a focused mind, anticipate that which may be worrying your team, communicate what you know for sure, and reassure your team they have support. You may not be able to predict every eventuality but you are not expected to, communicate what you know and that will go a long way to gaining the respect of your team.  Reducing the levels of uncertainty in your team provides psychological safety and reduces the risk of burnout.