This week, I teamed up with Alyson Meister, Dean of Degree programs at IMD business school in Switzerland (my alma mater), to write an article about the intersection of biology and creativity.
Our thesis is that in an era of machine-led everything, tapping into our humanity helps us navigate an uncertain world with more confidence and creativity.
Nerd alert: It was a bucket list item to write for HBR, and this is my third byline. I'm as excited as a kid at Christmas every single time.
Underlying all our points is this truth: if we lean into how people (including ourselves) actually work, we can move forward with greater ease. Because we're working with — not fighting against — our biology.
For instance, when initiatives get too big (e.g., "incorporate AI into all your processes") or too risky (e.g., "decide how big an order to place before you know the tariff you'll pay"), people pause.
That's both strategic (we don't want to get a big bet wrong) and biological (uncertainty can trigger a sympathetic nervous system response, aka fight, flight, or freeze).
But the answer in high ambiguity isn't not to move. It's to take light actions that help you and the team learn and give you confidence in next steps. These light moves trigger an opposite biological response from big leaps: they tap into our creativity and curiosity brains, not our survival ones.
Yet taking small steps isn't actually how we've structured our companies. As leaders, we feel compelled to act boldly and decisively. As Alyson and I note in the article:
"Shareholders don’t want to hear that we don’t know what’s next. Employees want answers. They—and the market—demand confidence and certainty, even when conditions are murky."
How do we lighten things up when we're in environments that encourage big moves? We reframe from needing answers to seeking insight (not through analyzing but through light actions). Many little insights pull us in the direction of the right answer.
You know who loves this? Chief Financial Officers and CEOs at the companies I've collaborated with. Because light actions take little time and money but provide more confidence in where to go next.
Take this example from the article:
"When working with Old Navy on reinventing their plus-size offering, Amy [that's me!] and her team didn’t start with store layout or marketing campaigns. They first went to karaoke bars. Why? Because the team realized that for many women wearing size 16+, the experience of shopping in segregated “plus sections” felt like being put on stage—seen, judged, exposed. Karaoke became an analogy for that emotional state. That unexpected parallel led the team to shift from a design of separateness to integration on the shop floor and in brand storytelling."
That's a pretty small step (albeit a terrifying one if you sing like I do!). But in all seriousness, recognizing that core need (integration) helped us take more steps, eventually redesigning the end-to-end experience.
While I've spent many years helping organizations like Old Navy to take light actions by immersing as a consultant or in-house leader, my mission now is different: I want to empower leaders everywhere with all they need to move with ease through ambiguity.
Alyson and I packed the article with a rich array of light actions, so have a read. And if you want to explore further, I'm running a free workshop later this month. RSVP here and feel free to forward this to any leader immersed in uncertainty (so, probably your whole contacts list 😂):
It will be recorded and shared with all who RSVP, so sign up even if the time doesn't work. I hope to see you there!
Amy
I’m so glad you’re here! Thank you for joining me in this corner of the world where we’re committed to light actions bringing us clarity. Together, we’ll lighten things right up until we’re exactly where we hoped to be. Subscribe here:
Thoughtful insights, easy experiments and smart light actions delivered (most) Fridays. I’m Amy Bonsall—ambiguity architect. I help leaders lead better through uncertainty. I’m a former IDEO and Old Navy exec, Harvard Business Review author, and secret-back-pocket resource for leaders wanting to feel more confident in ambiguity.
