Leading Through Uncertainty: How Umpqua Bank Emerged from the Great Recession Better and Stronger than Ever

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Control and Uncertainty

I do not want to foresee the future. I am concerned with taking care of the present. God has given me no control over the moment following.

—Mahatma Gandhi

Leaders often face a dilemma: How can they be responsible for things that are beyond their direct control and outcomes that may not be entirely predictable in uncertain times? The simple truth is that they can't. But despite that fact, many leaders feel responsible anyway and make every effort to control the uncontrollable and try to create certainty out of uncertain situations. I believe this is a mistake. As leaders, we must first take responsibility for those areas we can control and then prepare for uncertainty while recognizing its inherent unpredictability. ...