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How to lead teams—and yourself—through ambiguity
What you’ll learn in this article: Use an iterative framework to turn unknowns into action, and move toward clarity. Communicate through transparency, ownership, action, and follow up. By doing these things, we turn the unknown into discovery, and turn fear into creative possibility.
Most of us experience some level of fear or anxiety about the unknown. Cultures weave mythologies around “what lurks in the unknown”—the forest, the sea, underground, the stars, the human heart. What’s common in such stories is that the unknown is a place of vast and powerful darkness. It’s a place to be avoided, or if necessary, a place to get through as quickly as possible. It’s often associated with chaos and evil.
As many remind us, we live in a VUCA world. We’re surrounded by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. If these are “normal” aspects of reality, should we be looking to avoid them or get past them, or are there other attitudes we can take toward this reality? Could we surf ambiguity, for example? Could we ride the waves of it? Could we be a “leaf on the wind”, or find other ways of navigating it successfully and continually?
At an early age I experienced a lot of unknowns about fundamental things, like frequent moves and the separation of my parents. I also sought to grab hold of anything that seemed stable and rooted—even if I couldn’t literally see it. A kind of faith arose deep within me, and grew into intense creativity. I built worlds in my imagination and began to see possibility and hope in the unknown. I discovered ways of bringing light to the dark places so they weren’t as terrifying.
Eventually, I learned to recognize opportunity for discovery and innovation in situations otherwise described as ambiguous.
Flashlights (and other tools) to transform ambiguity
Navigating ambiguity is a little like mapping terrain with a flashlight. We need to see it, ideally feel and experience it, to really understand what’s there. We must equip ourselves like explorers. Setting out on an expedition into the unknown takes courage—but courage is not a lack of reasonable fear. Such journeys involve risk, to be sure, and the courageous are the ones who move forward despite their fears.
