Dealing With Ambiguity

As a business leader, every year, I set clear goals of what I want to achieve, create detailed plans, devise strategies, and set up milestones to track. Unfortunately, things often times don’t go as per my best-laid plans.  

I have realized that Leadership is ambiguous and paradoxical.  

People default, conflicts happen, prospects renege, clients change their requirements, customers default, execution slips, delays happen, difficult questions arise, and contrasting viewpoints arise.

Leonardo da Vinci is supposed to have said, “That painter who has no doubts will achieve little.” 

We live in a VUCA world. Ambiguity is all-pervasive, and certainty is an illusion we chase every day. Therefore, I count being able to deal with uncertainty and ambiguity as one of the hallmarks of good leaders and professionals.  

Those comfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity tend to be flexible and creative, problem-solving on the go. They uncover fresh perspectives and new insights as they move through the fog of uncertainty.

In contrast, leaders can also be a source of ambiguity when they operate without clarity and clear purpose- all because they don’t know how to manage external uncertainties. A leader’s job is to provide clarity to their team, which means being good at dealing with ambiguity and uncertainty !!