As a leader in these situations, you’re required to manage an anxious team while also managing your own stress. You’re often leading with incomplete information, and it can feel like you’re flying by the seat of your pants. This poses challenges, both in keeping people engaged and productive, but also in maintaining your own mental health. Flex HR has highlighted some strategies for successfully managing uncertainty as a leader today.

Five Leadership Strategies for Navigating Ambiguity at Work

1. Understand – and accept – what you can (and can’t!) control. As a leader managing through change, it’s important to understand the realities of your work environment. You’re likely dealing with a lot of information, and even more questions, at any given moment. Take some time to understand where you can exert influence, and where you need to pull back and let things play out. In some cases, this might feel unnatural, especially for those leaders who are used to having control. As Henman Performance Group shares, “Uncertain situations confuse us. They tend to create mental mazes that cause [us] to see the future as a scary place where we fear we will fail. The more ambiguous the situation, the more likely we will be to catastrophize outcomes.” Rather than catastrophize outcomes, influence where you can, accept when you can’t, and focus on operating in the present.

 

2. Don’t participate in the rumor mill. During times of stress and uncertainty, the rumor mill is typically on fire. You may find colleagues trying to decipher both things that have been said, and even things that have NOT been said, allowing for countless interpretations of events. Try to remove yourself from conversations that are speculative and especially be sure that you’re not perpetuating untruths within your team.

 

3. Normalize transparency within your team. One way of minimizing the rumor mill is by committing to transparency within your team. And sometimes transparency means saying “I don’t know” – and that’s ok. You may not always have all of the answers, and rather than speculating on something, admitting you don’t know can actually build trust between you and your team. This will be especially true if you commit to finding the answers and reporting them back to the team. Or better yet, tell your team you can “investigate the answer together.” Transparency will also stimulate productivity, as people will spend less time wondering what’s going on, and more time on their deliverables.

 

4. Recognize and acknowledge overwhelm, both in yourself and in others. When things are getting particularly stressful, pull a card from the sports deck and call a time out. Whether it’s just for yourself, or for your entire team, knowing when things are hitting a fever pitch and addressing it will prevent things from getting out of hand. For example, if your company has shared there may be layoffs, and your team has hit the panic button, call everyone together and talk it out. If you’re in person, you might even consider taking your team to lunch or for a walking meeting to remove yourselves from the environment creating the stress. No matter where you are, let the team ask questions and provide as much transparency as possible.If you are feeling overwhelmed, seek support. This might look like speaking to your own manager, or perhaps utilizing a company offered EAP (Employee Assistance Plan). It might be as simple as taking some time off or even taking a break while at work. Remaining in tune with your own emotions will help you from passing along that stress to your team.

 

5. Celebrate the small stuff. If there’s ever a time for recognition, no matter how small, it’s during times of ambiguity. In most cases, no matter how challenging things get, the work still needs to get done, and your teams still need to press forward. It can be difficult to find positivity during times of uncertainty, and as a leader, there’s a real opportunity to change that. Make it a point to continue your normal recognition practices – or start one if you haven’t developed one yet. Congratulate team members when something goes well, share positive feedback about your team in public settings or with other leaders, and make it known that you appreciate them. Feeling supported by your manager goes a long way, no matter the circumstances.

 

In times of ambiguity at work, true leadership is demonstrated not by having all the answers, but by courageously navigating the unknown with transparency, empathy, and resilience.  When the challenges feel insurmountable, remember to give yourself and your team grace. Lean into the uncertainty, and while it won’t be perfect, and it might feel messy, it will undoubtedly be a catalyst for growth.

 

Our HR Consultants provide management training and development to help evolve organization structure as well as support employees. Specific HR knowledge is required to deliver professionals the proper training and development tools for conquering technical and behavioral capabilities needed to excel in their role; essentially advancing the entire company’s performance.