{"id":2431,"date":"2021-09-14T19:01:35","date_gmt":"2021-09-15T01:01:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost:10043\/?p=2431"},"modified":"2024-01-29T11:21:53","modified_gmt":"2024-01-29T17:21:53","slug":"embrace-the-lack-of-certainty-in-business-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.atiba.com\/embrace-the-lack-of-certainty-in-business-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Embrace the lack of certainty in business, life"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article originally appeared in\u00a0The Tennessean<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve hit a global gray area, and it\u2019s uncomfortable.<\/p>\n

Last September, life was weird. With the pandemic in full swing, everyone was working from home, kids were Zooming their classes, restaurants were take-out only, and it was OK to watch Netflix every single day.<\/p>\n

The situation wasn\u2019t good, but at least we knew where things stood.<\/p>\n

With the initial rollout of the vaccine, life slowly started down a path to normalcy. \u00a0Traffic began to pick up as offices re-opened, the airport began to buzz with people resuming their traditional summer vacations, and it was OK to meet a colleague out for coffee.\u00a0It felt as if the coronavirus were\u00a0on its last legs \u2014 there was a feeling of celebration that the pandemic would soon be over.<\/p>\n

But as summer has wound down, things have gotten more confusing. With rising counts, variants\u00a0and breakthrough infections, nothing is clear. It feels as though we are all stuck in the middle between pre-pandemic and post-pandemic routines.<\/p>\n

Living in a gray area is never easy.<\/p>\n

As a techie, I am used to bits and bytes being either on or off. When a software application or computer system fails, there is always a rational reason and logical remedy.\u00a0It\u2019s not always easy to fix a tech issue, but through the process of troubleshooting, the day-to-day life of a techie can be well-defined.<\/p>\n

But in business, it\u2019s the exact opposite. Nothing is black or white.<\/p>\n

Even in non-pandemic times, most business decisions are clouded with subjectivity.\u00a0 Rarely if ever does anyone know for sure whether an idea will succeed or fail, whether sales will shrink or grow, or whether factors completely beyond their control will help or hurt their company.<\/p>\n

This is what makes business so hard.<\/p>\n

And with all of us stuck in pandemic-best-practice limbo, the few decisions that used to be easy are now cloudier than ever.<\/p>\n

Work from home or work from the office?\u00a0Meet for lunch or do a Zoom?\u00a0Shake hands or bump elbows?\u00a0Expand now or cut expenses?\u00a0No one quite knows.<\/p>\n

When we first started our IT consulting firm years ago, as pure techies with no business experience, this \u201cdon\u2019t know what you don\u2019t know\u201d factor would drive me crazy.<\/p>\n

Will we grow if we spend more money on advertising?\u00a0No one was quite sure.\u00a0What is the best benefits package for our employees?\u00a0It just depends.\u00a0Should we outsource our accounting?\u00a0There are pros and cons.<\/p>\n

But over time, I not only got used to it, but also began to embrace the lack of certainty in business as a challenge that made life interesting.\u00a0In the gray world of managing a company, I learned a few things along the way to reduce my stress:<\/p>\n