Navigating Unpredictability: How to keep an open mindset during unpredictable times

Right now, it seems like every industry is feeling the unpredictability of our time. I've spent my career jumping into unknown territory and forging a path.

Here are the techniques I've used to keep an open mindset during unpredictable times:

• Understand that everything evolves, and view your job as an experiment for learning. Maintaining curiosity in the face of uncertainty allows you to not be ruled by fear, but by endless possibilities. It's kinda like you're in front of a line of roller coasters. Some go fast while others go slower, some have steep hills and drops, some take you in a vertical circle. When you choose an approach, you're just picking a roller coaster, and you don't know how it will go, until you're on it.

• Be an information sponge. It's statistically impossible for any one person to know everything. Understanding that everyone around you has a unique perspective and valuable knowledge you can access allows you to soak up information you could never learn alone. Sharing information is how humans have survived for so long, and it's how people come together.

• Trust the people on your team. We've all had those projects (especially in school) where others didn't complete their portion of work, Many of us have allowed that to cloud our approach to group work. Are there going to be people that let you down? Of course! That's just a part of life. But more often than not, when you support others and treat them like adults, they'll act like adults. Micro-managing only creates an environment of distrust and fear, instead of confidence, leadership, and collaboration.

• Dare to dream. With my teams, especially when working on creative, I would always ask for one version sticking closely to what was asked, and then another version as if there were no rules at all. Go wild, get crazy, have fun. The end result was always a mixture of the two. Sure, legal might take away some of the crazier bits, but when you let your imagination go wild, there's always some usable nuggets there that end up being the heart of the project.

Maybe it's the entrepreneur in me, but I love it when there's no clear path to success. Finding out how to get the best of situations is what drives and excites me. If anything can happen, how can we create the best case scenario?