Christopher Global

There will always exist some degree of uncertainty and lack of clarity in the direction you are heading because, in most cases, it is too time-consuming to plan for every potential surprise (risk). Therefore as leaders, we should not be concerned if and when ambiguity will happen, but we should spend time driving teams forward with structure.

As a leader, always have a plan for how to respond to change. Does change give you anxiety? If so, evaluate why you’re unprepared for change. Again, ambiguity is to be expected. Do you have a plan to respond? If not, have you adapted your management approach well enough to understand what people (tribal knowledge) and tools are available to help you navigate change? Understanding this is critical to any planning efforts from project to portfolio level. You must understand how the culture helps or hinder your next steps. Can you articulate your steps well enough to write them down? If not, you have some work (planning) to do. If yes, record those actions and set a timeline to help you track and manage your steps. After your steps (or new plan) are written, you can add extra steps to help you pivot when necessary.

We give power to ambiguity when we are not prepared; or when we are too stubborn in the way things are. We can power ourselves when we understand what we can influence and how to drive that influence into producing positive results.