Navigating Ambiguity

July 13, 2020

Our next discovery along the EQ spectrum is navigating ambiguity.

Communications of intent (plans, aims, objectives) are often inexact and require significant processing and inquiry to establish adequate clarity. Our brains desire certainty and are wired to anticipate what will happen next. When what happens next is unclear, we process the event as a threat. When what happens next is predictable, we process the event as a reward.

High-performing leaders are comfortable with the unknown and commit to processes that clarify objectives and the roles required to meet them. This develops patterns of predictability and rewarding outcomes. 

“Words are not only a clumsy and ambiguous means of communication, they are extraordinarily slow.” – John Holt

 

What do We Mean by Navigating Ambiguity?

Ambiguity exists when intent or meaning can be interpreted more than one way. It can fuel uncertainty, doubt and instability. The presence of ambiguity also offers great opportunity to leaders willing to accept personal responsibility for the outcomes they achieve. Leaders who embrace accountability for their own outcomes develop the high-value skill of developing shared understanding. This ability to consistently lead teams to “stack hands” and “rally” around a singular objective strengthens interpersonal relationships and coalitions that sustain movements   

Chris shares strategies for dealing with ambiguity.

According to studies, 90% of the challenges faced by middle managers and above are ambiguous. The problems and solutions are both unknown and the higher you go, the more ambiguous things become (perhaps this is what has created the need for consultants). Most people, if given 100% of the information and enough time can make accurate decisions. Exemplary leaders make more good decisions than bad with less than all of the information, in less time, with little or no precedent on how similar issues have been solved before.

Effectively navigating ambiguity requires us to accept the role of learner and educator. We must be curious about how the current state came to be and remain relentless about inspiring a shared vision of the future.  

“The enemy of accountability is ambiguity.” – Patrick Lencioni

 

Benefits of Navigating Ambiguity

Leaders who are under-skilled with this discovery struggle to emerge clear solutions from incomplete information, move slower and less efficiently due to the need for certainty and are often too quick to close the matter at hand. 

Leaders who can effectively deal with ambiguity are flexible and adaptable to a variety of challenges and situations. This creates enormous value for their teams and organizations because they: 

  • Shift gears comfortably
  • Can act without ALL the information
  • Remain confident in times of uncertainty 
  • Don’t have to finish things before moving on
  • Comfortably handle high-risk / high-visibility projects

 

The Bottom Line

Every journey is fraught with ambiguity. Our ability to clearly identify obstacles, accurately frame the challenges and plot the route to success eliminates unnecessary suffering for ourselves and the people we are charged to lead.

Tactics to Navigate Ambiguity

  • Identify THE CUSTOMER : when “we” need to do something or “they” have a request, stay with the discovery until it is clear who is making the request and who determines when the conditions of satisfaction are met. 
  • Identify THE PERFORMER: Who is the intended performer? Does this person have the capacity to do what is being asked? If not, the request should be directed at someone who does. Additionally, it is important to make sure it is clear to everyone who has been identified as the intended performer. A statement like, “We need to do a study of this…” is usually spoken as a request by the person making it, and may also be heard as a request by some people. But without identifying an intended performer it is simply a statement of need. 
  • Understand THE DIRECT REQUEST (ACTION) : A request is the customer order to fulfill a need. The customer is the one who identifies what this is. It may be a tangible item or an action of some kind. It may be simple or complex. Whatever it is, the key question for project leaders and performers to ask is, “will the intended item or action produce what is needed?”
  • “Stack hands” on THE CONDITIONS OF SATISFACTION : Unless the customer makes it absolutely clear exactly what the conditions are that will satisfy the need, the performer is left to fill in the specifics. Leaving conditions of satisfaction up to the performer often results in the customer not getting what they really want. What form should the deliverable take, to whom should it be delivered, etc.? 
  • Ask THE RIGHT QUESTIONS: Ask the right questions to define the right problems. Direct requests have a much better chance of being fulfilled than those that are indirect. Human nature is to “soften” direct requests, usually because we assess that direct requests are “impolite”, or sound “too harsh”. Our work must focus on making unclear requests explicit. A helpful approach is to say, “What is your ask?” Or from the other side, say, “my ask is…”
  • Develop THE TIMEFRAME: Without this information it is again left up to the performer to decide when he/she does it. By the way, “ASAP” is not a timeframe. It may mean by the end of the day to the customers and the end of the month to a performer.
  • Practice APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY: Projects and organizations evolve in the direction of the questions most persistently and passionately asked. Asking questions from a position of care and respect increases trust, accelerates community development, inspires innovation and enhances effectiveness of work teams.

 

Challenge Question

Going forward, what are the actions you can take to reduce ambiguity within your roles, projects or understandings between yourself and another person?

Resources

For further reading, see the following resources:

Magic in the Room #200: How to Lead through Polarities

By Sarah Whitfield • May 5, 2026
In this episode of Magic in the Room, Luke and Hannah explore the concept of polarities. Tensions like purpose and performance, stability and change, or accountability and grace that are often mistaken for problems to solve rather than dynamics to manage. Drawing on insights from Barry Johnson’s work, they explain how these opposing forces are interdependent and must be balanced over time to achieve sustained success. Through practical examples and personal reflections, they show how over-relying on one side of a polarity leads to predictable “shadow sides” such as stagnation, chaos, inefficiency, or burnout, while effective leadership requires recognizing where you are on the cycle and intentionally recalibrating. The episode emphasizes that many recurring organizational frustrations are not failures, but signals of imbalance, and offers a more nuanced approach to leadership. One that replaces rigid either/or thinking with flexible both/and awareness to improve decision-making, team dynamics, and long-term performance.

Magic in the Room #199: The Power of Mattering

By Sarah Whitfield • April 7, 2026
In this episode of Magic in the Room, Luke Freeman, Hannah Bratterud, and Chris Province dive into the concept of “mattering,” inspired by Zach Mercurio’s work, and explore why it is a foundational driver of engagement, performance, and culture in organizations. They challenge leaders to move beyond assuming people matter to actively ensuring individuals feel that they matter by being valued and by contributing value to a shared purpose. The conversation highlights how mattering differs from belonging, why it cannot be replaced by perks or efficiency, and how leadership behaviors like attention, recognition, and presence directly shape whether people feel seen, heard, and understood. Through examples ranging from workplace dynamics to broader societal trends like social disconnection, they argue that disengagement, conflict, and even poor performance are symptoms of a mattering deficit. Ultimately, they position mattering not as a soft concept, but as a measurable, actionable leadership responsibility that underpins trust, resilience, and long-term success.
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