Uncertainty is unavoidable. As an executive, you need to be prepared to lead your organization through murky waters, but doing so requires getting in the right mindset. Here are my six tips to help you shift your perspective:
- Embrace the discomfort of not knowing. Move from a “know-it-all” to a “learn-it-all” mindset. You don’t need to have all the answers you just need to ask the right questions.
- Distinguish between “complicated” and “complex” issues. They require different solutions.
- Let go of perfectionism. Instead, aim for progress, expect mistakes, and recognize that you have the ability to continually course correct as needed.
- Resist the urge to oversimplify and come to quick conclusions. Take a disciplined approach to understand both the complexity of the situation and your own biases.
- Don’t go it alone. Connect with your peers who have their own set of experiences and perspectives to draw from.
- Zoom out. Taking a broad, systemic view of the issues at hand can reveal unexamined assumptions that would otherwise be invisible.