One of the things all my expeditions have in common — whether through ice, desert, mountains, jungles, or even warzones — is that they are full of uncontrollables.
On a long bicycle ride across Siberia, the wind may suddenly shift and you’ll have head winds on top of -40C. In the Taklamakan Desert, a sudden sandstorm can close in without warning. In conflict zones, situations can change by the hour.
These are variables you never signed up for. They don’t ask your opinion. They don’t wait for consensus. They just happen.
And right now — it hardly needs to be said — the world is full of uncontrollables too. Economic volatility, geopolitical disruption, rapidly shifting markets, hybrid work arrangements, talent churn, new technology forks, regulatory change… the list feels unending.
Many of these will affect our lives, our teams, our organisations.
So how do we respond when the uncontrollables stack up?
The Natural Human Reactions
When something happens that we can’t control, it’s tempting — and natural — to respond in one of three ways:
Anxiety.
“What if this keeps happening? What if it gets worse?”
Anger.
“Why can’t things just behave the way I want?”
Paralysis.
“I don’t even know where to start — maybe I should wait?”
All three are familiar. They’re human. But they’re not very helpful.
On an expedition, none of these responses gets you anywhere. If your gear breaks, panic won’t fix it. If you get sick or the weather turns against you, anger won’t speed your recovery. Paralysis will only let the conditions worsen.
After years of expeditions in extreme environments, I’ve learned a clearer alternative.
Control the Controllables
When an uncontrollable thing happens — in the field or in business — the most important first move isn’t obsessing about what happened.
It’s this:
Focus on what you can control.
Then keep moving steadily forward.
On the trail, that might mean:
- assess what still works
- stabilise what you can fix
- reorient your route
- ration your resources
- take small, deliberate steps
What this actually does — strangely and beautifully — is open up new possibilities.
When you stop spinning your energy on the uncontrollable, you often discover ways through, around, or beyond the problem that weren’t visible before.
And before long (hopefully), things get easier again.
This is the essence of what resilience and agility really mean in practice:
not denying the uncontrollable, but responding with agency where you do have it.
A Moment of Reflection — 14 Days, 6 Keynotes, 4 Countries
Over the past 14 days, I’ve had the privilege of speaking to organisations across four countries and five sectors about exactly this dynamic — how to engage with the uncontrollable without being overwhelmed by it.
It was a rich mix of human insight and corporate context, and a powerful reminder that this idea resonates broadly:
- To the APAC supply chain leaders at The HEINEKEN Company in Ho Chi Minh — navigating complexity and volatility is literally part of the job.
- To Boston Scientific’s APAC leadership forum in Seoul — advancing with clarity amid changing healthcare landscapes requires both steadiness and adaptability.
- To the students at Hong Kong University’s Lead for Life award ceremony — leadership begins with self-leadership even before titles.
- To senior leaders across Cereal Partners Worldwide via virtual keynote — shared uncertainty calls for grounded confidence.
- To high achievers at Experian’s global event in Kuala Lumpur — excellence doesn’t mean certainty; it means moving with purpose despite uncertainty.
I’m grateful to every organisation and event partner for the invitation to explore these themes together.
What This Means for You
Whether you’re a leader with a team to steward, an individual contributor navigating competing demands, or someone plotting growth in an uncertain environment, the same truth applies:
You won’t control everything — but you can control how you respond.
That response starts with:
- recognising what is controllable
- letting go of what isn’t
- and building momentum one deliberate step at a time
Uncontrollables may be outside your reach, but your resilience is not.