𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒆𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒖𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒚?

Neuroscience shows that our brain reacts to uncertainty in two ways—excitement or avoidance (doubt and anxiety). This can lead us to either rush decisions or freeze, unable to act.

A study by UCL’s David Tuckett and HSBC, covering over 17,000 individuals, including 3,000 business leaders, identified two foundations for effective decision-making in uncertainty:

𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭 & 𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐝

Both must work together. Without the right mindset, even the best methods won’t build the grounded confidence needed to make tough decisions.

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒔𝒆𝒕 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕?

1️⃣ 𝐕𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲 – Going beyond coping with change to truly embracing it.

2️⃣ 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐞 – Seeing setbacks as opportunities for growth.

3️⃣ 𝐔𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 – Making decisions despite incomplete information, treating them as experiments rather than bets.

4️⃣ 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 – Seeing unexpected changes as possibilities to explore, not just problems to fix.

5️⃣ 𝐎𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐦 – Believing that even if plans don’t go as expected, the eventual outcome will be positive.

𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒅𝒔 𝒅𝒐 𝒆𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒖𝒔𝒆?

They integrate three elements:

🧠 Head – Using past experience, knowledge, and evidence while staying adaptable.

🌐 Network – Seeking diverse perspectives from colleagues, experts, and the wider community.

❤️ Heart – Staying aware of values, leveraging intuition, and thinking through different outcomes.

Sources: HSBC ‘Seizing Uncertainty’ (2024); MIT Sloan Management Review (2025)