Facing the void, living in uncertainty

When I got out of my first corporate job, one main thing I wanted to change with my environment was autonomy. I hated that I and other young people like me had no autonomy to do what we thought were impactful. It seemed like we had to play politics or wait 5-10 years to convince people to do things differently. I saw a lot of things that I thought was done the wrong way. A lack of employee autonomy often signals that you have no trust in your employees and when you have no trust in your employees, you are signaling that you have no trust in your hiring process, no trust in your own abilities to set a good culture around the people in your company. Of course, defaulting to ultimate trust in all of your new employees isn't scalable for a company with thousands of people, but that is another problem in its self.

Some of these things, were clear drivers in seeking a startup like environment where everybody had a say, were trusted, .

I am extremely lucky that the company I work for currently, defaults to trust. They give autonomy and allow debate from all "levels" (we have a flat heirarchy).

However, autonomy doesn't come without its challenges. Autonomy, is an experience that hurts — a state of uncertainty where you have no clear path, no defined direction, and you are faced with a constant discomfort of setting your own priorities.

We call this staring into the void.

Facing the void demands a certain level of resilience. You're in uncharted territory, forced to do your own research and make decisions that may feel like shots in the dark. This period of idle time, where the next steps are unclear, becomes a normal part of the journey. There are days that you feel that you have done nothing. 'Thinking' isn't a normal thing you would say in a daily standup or work report. It often feels like you are not doing any work at all. To you and to the people around you. Doubting thought work as progress has definitely been a topic of conversation around the company.

It's a double-edged sword where the absence of a predefined roadmap demands you to create your own, embracing the uncertainties that come with it.

However, the discomfort of facing the void can be a crucible for personal and professional growth. Stress-testing yourself as a human, pushing the boundaries of your comfort zone, and confronting the unknown can be a profound avenue for learning. In these moments of uncertainty, you unearth your latent capabilities, discover innovative problem-solving skills and even perhaps help your long-term vision of the product you are trying to create.