The ability to thrive in ambiguity and uncertainty is one of the skills needed to work in a complex, modern environment.
But it’s not just a skill—it’s a whole new mindset.
It’s about acknowledging that finding a solution to a complex problem requires a journey through the unknown.
Since there are no “answers” to complex challenges we must develop a process to approach them, and that process needs to be grounded in exploration and curiosity.
When we can shift from needing to understand to being comfortable with exploration, it relieves us of the pressure to know the unknowable. And that unlocks our creativity and our ability to explore. We get to let go of our need for clarity and certainty, and instead see our work as the journey to find it.
As leaders, our job is to embrace the not knowing that is at the heart of many worthy endeavors—and to support our team so they can do the same.
In this video, I share some strategies I use with leaders and organizations to make this mindset shift and lead with curiosity instead of expertise. I invite you to watch if you feel pressure to know the answers in your work and want to learn how to have a greater leadership impact when facing complex problems that lack simple solutions.
What about you? How much of your work requires you to move forward without knowing an answer?