Annabelle White

We are not built to face uncertainty alone. Years ago, I moved to Bahrain with my husband and children. It was a big leap: a new country, new culture, new climate. And yet I remember it feeling less frightening than it probably could have. There was something about doing it together, as a family, that made the uncertainty feel almost welcome. Amongst all the unfamiliarity, there were people around me who were safe and who I trusted - and that changed everything about how the uncertainty felt....

When did you last feel anxious, irritable, or suddenly certain you weren't good enough for the job you've been doing for years? Now, did you connect any of that to uncertainty? I'm willing to bet you didn't. I'm writing a book on this topic, and I've been interviewing leaders about their experiences of uncertainty. Not one of them recognised it as the thing shaping their reactions while it was happening. Not one. Leaders from very different worlds, different industries, different countries,...

If you have ever lived in the Gulf, or if you have colleagues, friends or family there right now, the last few days have probably felt like something more than just following a news story. We lived in Bahrain, Abu Dhabi and Oman over a period of ten years. Our youngest child was born in Bahrain. I'll be honest with you, I spent most of the weekend refreshing news sources, looking for something reliable, something that would help me make sense of what was happening to places I still carry...