In this interview, Jennifer shares her advice for how to navigate the complexities of work today.

‍

Trickle down complexity. 

Complex problems used to be the purview of senior leaders. Yet as complexity increases, complex problems are being pushed further down through organizations. Leaders need to better equip their workforce to manage complexity.

Personal complexity.

In the past, people more or less knew what the future looked like; it would be reasonably similar to their parents’ lives. That no longer holds true. People's journeys are now marked by entirely new and unfamiliar experiences, and all too often, they find themselves unprepared.

‘Work out’ your unpredictability muscle. 

Humans are wired to love predictability. We need to consciously develop our capacity to handle the unexpected. This is ever-fluid, and requires ongoing efforts that people often push back on.

Shame and failure. 

Failure is such an important learning tool. Unfortunately, the shame we often feel when we fail obstructs our ability to learn in these moments. Instead we should work toward taking responsibility for our failures without shame.

Criticality of curiosity.

It’s easy to be too lazy to be curious about what’s shaping our interactions with others. We tell ourselves simple stories to explain those interactions and forget to question underlying feelings and motivations, ultimately limiting our ability to connect in a productive way.

‍