During our Managerial Excellence Masterclass, we had the honor of welcoming Philippe Silberzahn, professor and expert in strategy and innovation, to discuss charting one’s course through uncertainty and the 8 rules for staying on track without betraying oneself. In a volatile world, leaders must learn to move forward without controlling everything. Here are the key takeaways from this session.
Uncertainty as a frame of reference
Philippe Silberzahn reminded us that uncertainty is not the exception but the norm. “The world changes but your beliefs and your model do not”: the real danger is being unable to update your beliefs.
Rigid strategies and long-term plans have shown their limits; what distinguishes high-performing organizations and leaders is the ability to adapt while maintaining a clear direction.
Uncertainty is the hallmark of the unprecedented—when faced with something new, there is necessarily an element of creativity in the response. The 8 rules he proposes aim to reconcile self-alignment with agility in the face of the unexpected.
Avoiding the double: not betraying yourself by protecting yourself
Faced with uncertainty, a common reflex is to protect oneself by relying on “external signals”—managerial fads or the obvious trends of the moment. We then build a double: a representation for the outside world that is not us.
Philippe Silberzahn illustrated this trap with the concept of purpose: many companies fall into a logic of justification—”see, we have a business, but we aren’t bad”—denying their own value to defend themselves. “This logic is totally suicidal.”
The key is to start from who you are—every organization and every leader must consciously decide on their foundation, without pretending that everyone must do as they do. The example of Coinbase shows that it is sometimes necessary to draw boundaries to maintain efficiency and alignment.
Aiming without exhausting yourself to achieve
A central idea returns: aiming for a goal is not the same as wanting to achieve it at all costs. Imposing a date or a result that is out of one’s control generates stress and counterproductive behavior.
The best outcomes often happen when they are least expected—provided you put in every effort and then let go. For managers, this involves defining a course, getting teams on board, and then accepting that the path may diverge.
“If the future cannot be predicted, it can be created. By whom? By us”—this is a positive message: in uncertainty, we try, rather than trying to predict everything.
Creativity in the face of the unprecedented: the lesson of the Cuban Missile Crisis
Philippe Silberzahn recalled the episode of October 1962: the Americans discovered that the Russians had installed missiles in Cuba. Caught between unacceptable options, Kennedy organized the emergence of a third solution: the blockade.
A key technique: absenting oneself from meetings to let original ideas emerge. In management, it is not just about choosing between existing options, but about creating an original option—charting a path that did not exist before.
Regaining control of your narrative
The control Philippe Silberzahn speaks of is not process-KPI control, but a more human form: regaining control of your narrative.
Example: Madame Tao in China sells bowls of rice despite difficult conditions. This small gesture gives her a degree of control over her life. The art of strategy consists of identifying and developing degrees of control, rather than being a victim of everything.
The 8 rules for staying on track without betraying yourself
- Clarify your why—The link between your life project and your professional project.
- Define your red lines—Non-negotiables, what you will not do.
- Define your green lines—Zones of freedom to experiment and adapt.
- Stay aligned with your values while revising your tactics—Values remain the course, but the means can evolve.
- Surround yourself with the right people—People who challenge and support you.
- Document your choices and concessions—Keep a record of commitments.
- Examine and update your models—Test and make your beliefs visible; indicators alone are not enough.
- Avoid the double and recreate yourself—Do not build an image for the outside world that is not you; “create yourself” (Nietzsche).
Creative tension and joy
The organization is a place of tensions (centralization/decentralization, protection/progress, performance/robustness). A well-managed tension is a source of energy.
Joy, according to Spinoza, “increases our power to act.” Being true to oneself and charting one’s own path provides influence and satisfaction.
In a nutshell…
- Uncertainty: normal framework; performance = clarity of direction + adaptability; update your beliefs.
- Avoid the double: decisions anchored in who you are, not in an external image.
- Aim vs. achieve: put in every effort, then let go; create the future.
- Creativity: create original options when faced with the unprecedented.
- Control: regain your narrative and identify levers of influence.
- Tension and joy: manage tensions as a source of energy; joy comes from action aligned with reality.
Don’t miss the next Masterclass!