Living With Uncertainty

What to do when experiencing uncertainty and ambiguity is a conundrum all leaders face at various times in their careers. A recent article ‘Flourishing in Ambiguity’ in the online Deloitte Insights Magazine 31 (read it here) notes that in “such circumstances there may be insufficient data to see an obvious course of action, or worse, using such data may result in the worst possible option being taken.” Even still, it is necessary for leaders to find ways to flourish amidst ambiguity.

The authors propose an alternative to just deciding to act, suggesting considering acting to decide. That is, instead of going “all in” on one option, investing in many small actions “that help improve our understanding of the current situation and foster the discovery and development of all options and possibilities available to us.” During this process, some options may well prove to be unworkable or inappropriate, while others may become the “logical next step for the organisation.”

This ambiguity can be problematic for managers and leaders who prefer a decisive single course of action based on solid data (which may be unavailable). Instead, engaging with the ambiguity and learning from it, and exploring smaller actions can reveal a best way forward. This acting to decide requires managers and leaders to “sense and understand the landscape, sensing possibilities, and pivoting towards opportunities and around challenges as they arise.”

Exploring and learning within uncertainty rather than prematurely committing to a decisive (and potentially disastrous) action can mean the different between thriving, just surviving, or even failing.