Uncertainty Creates Work of Its Own
When conditions are predictable, we can draw on experience, make plans, and move forward with a reasonable sense of what comes next.
Uncertainty changes that.
Decisions still need to be made, but the information may be incomplete. Plans need to move forward even though conditions could change. Leaders are expected to provide direction while managing questions they may not be able to answer yet.
All of that requires capacity.
The work itself may not have become more difficult, but navigating the unknown can require more attention, mental effort, and energy than we recognize.
That matters because our response to uncertainty can affect how clearly we think, how effectively we make decisions, and how we show up for the people relying on us.
Recognizing that impact gives us an opportunity to respond intentionally rather than allowing uncertainty to consume resources we need for everything else.
The Keynote
Navigating Uncertainty
Uncertainty creates work. We spend time and energy trying to interpret incomplete information, anticipate what might happen, reconsider decisions, prepare for multiple possibilities, and answer questions that may not have answers yet.
Meanwhile, the rest of the work hasn’t gone away.
In this engaging and interactive keynote, Eliz Greene gives audiences a practical way to recognize what uncertainty is requiring from them and which of their responses are actually useful.
Through relatable stories, research, humor, and interactive exercises, participants learn to recognize how uncertainty changes the way they think, decide, react, and recover. Eliz gives them practical ways to interrupt stress reactions that aren’t serving them and create enough space to choose a more intentional response.
But responding well to uncertainty doesn’t require knowing what happens next.
Eliz shows participants how to create a way forward by focusing on what they know, what they can control, the resources they already have, and what they can do next.
The goal isn’t to eliminate uncertainty. It is to protect the resources we need to make good decisions and keep moving while uncertainty remains.
Audience Takeaways:
Participants will:
- Recognize when uncertainty is consuming valuable capacity by noticing changes in how they think, decide, react, and recover.
- Interrupt unproductive reactions to uncertainty using practical strategies that protect decision quality and create space for a more intentional response.
- Create a way forward without waiting for certainty by focusing on what they know, what they can control, the resources available to them, and what they can do next.
Why Eliz Greene?
For more than two decades, Eliz Greene has studied stress, its physical impact, and what people need to perform under pressure.
Her work began after surviving a heart attack at 35 while seven months pregnant with twins, an experience that made the physical impact of stress impossible to ignore. What began as a personal question became a professional pursuit, including original research into job stress and years of work with leaders and organizations facing sustained demands, change, and uncertainty.
As an avid sailor and sailboat racer on Lake Michigan, Eliz also spends a fair amount of time in an environment where conditions rarely care about the plan. Changing wind, weather, and water provide some of the most memorable stories and practical lessons in Navigating Uncertainty.
Eliz doesn’t ask people to embrace uncertainty, become comfortable with it, or pretend it isn’t stressful. She gives audiences practical ways to recognize what uncertainty is requiring from them, interrupt reactions that aren’t useful, and focus on what they know, what they can control, and what they can do next.
Eliz has brought her research, stories, humor, and practical tools to audiences at organizations including NASA, CVS Health, and the American Heart Association.
See Eliz In Action
What Clients Say:
“A special thank you to Eliz Greene for an impactful and authentic presentation. Your message resonated deeply and sparked meaningful conversations well beyond the room. I loved your storytelling and humor. You kept me fully engaged. Your book signing was also very generous.”
Gabriele Niederauer, PhD
“Just what the doctor ordered for our group of high-level decision makers in Retail & Hospitality.” Scott Stolz, Vice President, TTI Logistics
“Finally! Something tangible to take action on to fight stress in my team.”
Jill Holder, Colgate Palmolive, Director, North America Consumer Care & Experience
Strong Fit For:
- Leadership meetings and retreats
- Corporate events and conferences
- Association conferences
- Healthcare organizations and professional groups
- Professional services organizations
- Leadership development programs
- Teams navigating significant change
Program Formats:
Navigating Uncertainty can be tailored to the audience, event goals, and time available.
Keynote
An engaging, interactive program that gives audiences practical ways to recognize how uncertainty is affecting them, interrupt unproductive reactions, and create a way forward.
Extended Keynote or Workshop
Additional time allows participants to explore their own responses to uncertainty, practice the tools, and apply the concepts to the conditions they are navigating.
Let's Talk About Your Event
Every audience is different. Let’s talk about what your participants are navigating and how Navigating Uncertainty could fit your event
