Managing Ambiguity
You can’t control the future; you can manage how you approach it.
The future is scary. There is so much you can’t control, and there is so much you can’t foresee. Some people choose to try and avoid moving forward for fear of doing something wrong. Some people choose to charge blindly into the unknown since they feel there’s nothing they can do to prepare. They’re both wrong.
Are you Skilled, Unskilled, or Overusing Ambiguity?
The three boxes below come from the book For Your Improvement by Micheal M. Lombardo and Robert W. Eichenger, 3rd Edition, 2000, page 7. They contain observable behaviors and impacts others could say about you. When you read these, which reflect how you believe others see you? Or better yet, ask others to tell you which describe you.
Managing Ambiguity
UNSKILLED BEHAVIORS
Not comfortable with change or uncertainty; may not do well on fuzzy problems with no clear solution or outcome
May prefer more data than others, and structure over certainty
Prefers things tacked down and sure; less efficient and productive under ambiguity
Too quick to close; may have a strong need to finish everything
May like to do the same things time after time
Managing Ambiguity
SKILLED BEHAVIORS
Can effectively cope with change
Can shift gears comfortably
Can decide and act without having the total picture
Isn’t upset when things are up in the air
Doesn’t have to finish things before moving on
Can comfortably handle risk and uncertainty
Managing Ambiguity
OVERUSED SKILL
May move to conclusions with enough data
May fill in gaps by adding things that aren’t there
May frustrate others by not getting specific enough
May undervalue orderly problem solving
May reject precedent and history
May err toward the new and risky at the expense of proven solutions
May over-complicate things
These observations and categorizations are compiled from decades of research by Lombardo and Eichinger, plus others. Where your responses fall gives you some indication of your skill level in Managing Paradox.
If you find that very few of these behaviors apply to you then you are UNTESTED. The good news is that if you come across situations in the future requiring you to balance competing aims you have a model that shows what SKILLED looks like.
If you find a few of the UNSKILLED behaviors define you then you are UNSKILLED. The good news is you are now aware; the next step is to decide to care and want to do something about it. When you read SKILLED you can see what good looks like, that makes a good destination. The book lists multiple remedies.
If any of the OVERUSED behaviors show up, then you are OVERUSING this skill. An overuse of a skill is typically tied to a skill deficiency in another skill. The more that show up, the more skill gaps you have in other areas. There is a defined list of potential skill gaps that you are compensating for with this skill. This is just as important to fix as unskilled; you are not achieving the objectives listed in skilled when you are overusing and compensating for other skill gaps.
If you have a consistent pattern of skilled behaviors, then you are SKILLED in Managing Paradox. If four or more show up in your profile you can consider it a strength. This is a good place to be, but be aware that if a new situation, role, client, or employer comes along your behaviors may change.