Think Like a Leader
Ambiguity affects how we think as leaders – less in certainties and more in options and possibilities. The dictionary defines ambiguity as ‘the quality of being open to more than one interpretation; inexactness’. In fact, it is the ‘stock in trade’ of most leaders. The great leaders learn to not just live with ambiguity but how to thrive on it.
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Feel Like a Leader
While understanding ambiguity in the theoretical sense, the psychological impact can still be considerable. It can really make us feel confused and torn. We may struggle with strong feelings of indecision as we grapple with ambiguity – and often there are no shortcuts to clarity and 20/20 vision.
Tolerance for ambiguity has been described as the degree to which an individual feels comfortable with uncertainty, unpredictability, conflicting directions, and multiple demands.
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Act Like a Leader
Acting like a leader means understanding that some of your colleagues will struggle with ambiguity. So being a leader means translating and interpreting many of your actions so that they have more clarity. ‘Being completely honest’ about your uncertainty may not be a clever move! Great consideration and tact remain the hallmark of a respected leader. With the barrage of news and views from social media this is no easy task.
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EconTalk is the long running podcast from The Library of Economics and Liberty. Presented by Russ Roberts, it covers a wide range of topics, in depth, with guests from many backgrounds and sectors. This guest is David Deppner, who is the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of Psyberware. He had contacted Roberts after listening to him talk about ‘Leadership, Confidence and Humility’. Roberts had been commenting on his growing interest in the idea that human beings need to know things stemming from a recent book ‘Being Certain’ by Robert Burton. This discussion ranges over many of the challenges leaders have with ambiguity. A gem of a listen.
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Leading Through Ambiguity
Ambiguity is the norm in any complex organisation, but clarity is still possible. It is about purpose, long-term direction and values.
At its simplest, ambiguity is a lack of clarity. While physician and writer Deepak Chopra suggests ambiguity is the womb of creativity, and should therefore be embraced, the reality is that people generally aren’t comfortable with it. This leads to frustration and, in the organisational context, heightened anxiety for leaders and employees. Our challenge as leaders, given this reality, is determining what we can be clear about in order to enable agile organisational responses.
To lead others through ambiguity it is important to first understand ambiguity and its many challenges. Only when a leader is able to manage his or her response to ambiguity, will they be able to empathise with the concerns and fears of others and inspire them. This requires that a leader is confident, and avoids conveying anxiety to others – since stress and anxiety are contagious.
A leader must acknowledge that whilst it is not possible to give people clarity about everything, giving no clarity at all is not an option. So, in ambiguous times, how and where can a leader provide clarity?
Global research into organisational climate shows that of 10,000 respondents in Australia, over 60% feel they need greater clarity in what their organisation stands for and its strategic direction. In New Zealand, over 50% of 1,500 respondents feel the same. If people are to continue to deliver effective outcomes during ambiguous times, they need to know the purpose of the organisation (why it exists) and the organisational values (what’s important).
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Our video clips usually come from business leaders, but this short introduction to ambiguity comes from a psychologist, Dr Bill Crawford. Here he outlines what ambiguity is, the effect it can have on us and what to do about it. For some leaders ambiguity can take a high personal toll, particularly when they are under pressure to be assured and know all the answers. A useful little introduction.
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Most leaders would like to believe that they are in control and that they constantly make rational decisions based on carefully scrutinised information. But this only happens in their dreams!
Walking through Edinburgh during the August Festival I was reminded of the ‘organised chaos’ that goes to make up the annual Festival Fringe. With over 3 million tickets sold for over 3,800 events that really does need a high tolerance of ambiguity.
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The Ambiguity Advantage What Leaders are Great at’ by David Wilkinson is published by Palgrave Macmillan and is available from Waterstones.
This book shows that a key factor for great leadership is the ability to recognise, explore and profit from ambiguous situations. In effect it demonstrates how not just tolerating, but actively working with ambiguity, can propel a leader and their business forward. Wilkinson shows how today's leadership role model is the “generative” leader, an intrepid innovator who embraces uncertainty, craves chaos and invites dissent.
Such leaders realise that the world is messy, and that they have little choice but to accept that reality and adapt to it. Great leaders, those who turn uncertainty and ambiguity into opportunity, are visionaries who inspire others. Ambiguity is linked with complexity and the world of work shows little sign of becoming a simpler and easier place to navigate. Train your brain to thrive on ambiguity.
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Communities, Castles and Chocolate#29
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...without a little reflection, there is no Insight Added.
"Take advantage of the ambiguity in the world. Look at something and think what else it might be."
Roger von Oech
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Lead well
Graham and Lesley
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