On uncertainty and coaching

Photo by Javier Allegue Barros on Unsplash

I have been thinking a lot about uncertainty recently. Working in the area of online safety, technology moves so fast that impermanence and change are a constant. Ironic, I know! A lot of the work we do is steeped in uncertainty also because it has never been done before – there are no How Tos or roadmaps on navigating the difficult challenges around online harms. Throw into the mix innovation too and uncertainty magnifies even further.

I have been reflecting on how this uncertainty impacts on me, and on people around me facing it. I remember Tony Robbins saying that as humans we have both the need for certainly and the need for uncertainty. My own take on that is to agree but also to point out that some people have a greater capacity and need for certainty than uncertainty and vice versa.

Then just as it always seems to happen, I happened to tune into an episode of the Curiosity Shop podcast with Brene Brown and Adam Grant on uncertainty. They talked about how much uncertainty there is in the world right now. This state of flux is felt everywhere and not specific to certain industries or parts of society.

Some of the key takeaways were about creating psychological safety in working environments for people to manage times of high uncertainty. Bridging the gap between enabling people to identify risk and empowering them to feel safe enough to voice them out loud. Uncertainly is not the enemy, the podcasters argued, because it helps drive growth, learning, innovation, challenge and ideas. So how do we foster a sense of safety and even excitement about uncertainty in the workplace? And what role can coaching have in this?

Our brains, wired for survival, treat uncertainty like danger. It is biology but it can be managed. When we experience uncertainty we cling to certainty, even false certainty, we tend to follow overconfident people or simplify complex issues. The shift the conversation focused on is not how to remove uncertainty but on how to stay curious and grounded in it. When reframing uncertainty as something that is not only inevitable but also necessary for our own growth and learning, we can begin to find ways to feel less threatened, safer around it.

So here are 4 ways that coaching can help manage uncertainty for people and organisations:

1. Build tolerance for not knowing, or for feeling uncertain

Coaching helps people notice their reflex to rush to certainty (over-planning, control, avoidance) and replace it with pause and perspective. This way people learn to sit with ambiguity without spiralling and leaders get better at saying “we don’t know yet” without losing credibility.

2. Shift from control to curiosity

A coach will support people out of the ‘fix it’ mode into “what can we explore?”. This reframes uncertainty into something we can learn from and opens up to options and innovation.

3. Strengthen psychological safety (especially in organisations)

Coaching—especially at leadership level—helps create environments where people can admit risks or concerns early, and speak honestly without fear.

4. Anchor in what’s actually controllable

Instead of vague anxiety, coaching grounds people in values (how do we want to show up right now), in identifying small actionable steps, and short-term priorities. This helps build momentum without false certainty.

Uncertainty isn’t going anywhere. If anything, it’s becoming the backdrop to how we live and work, especially with the advance of AI. So the question isn’t how do we remove uncertainty—but how do we build our capacity to lead, think and act within it?

Coaching offers a space to think, to challenge assumptions, and to find steadiness even     

If you’re navigating uncertainty in your work or leadership and want space to explore it more deeply, I’d love to have a conversation at Rise Again Coaching.

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