“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.
– Alice in Wonderland
“I don’t know which way to go.” This is what my daughter said to my husband when he answered a call from her. She had taken a hike to show a couple of her friends a small waterfall in the woods on my in-law’s property. However, to get to this waterfall you must blaze your own trail through the woods. There are no cultivated walking paths. She had to make a decision.
Can you relate to this experience as a leader? You are in the woods but there are no clear paths. You are having to blaze your own trail. Which way should you go?
As leaders, making decisions into an unknown future is part of our job. However, there used to be more stability and routines from which we could make those decisions. Now, it seems that changes are constantly in flux from all directions with economy, politics, global impact, technology, human capital, and the list goes on. How do you make decisions when it feels like the very ground you are standing on is shifting?
Accept the Unknown (even when coming from all directions)
We expect the future to have some unknowns, but we really don’t like it when our routines become unknowns. Our brain enjoys routines because it helps us to conserve energy and make decisions more quickly. However, we are now in a landscape where our routines and systems must be adaptable to change. We need to hold our plans lightly.
This requires accepting the reality of our times and to make peace with it. If you keep punching a concrete wall, you will eventually face more damage than the wall. In your own situation where do you need to accept a new reality? Where do you need to accept as is? When you do this, it will allow you to conserve more mental and emotional energy. You can then divert that energy from the struggle with the instability towards building the new path.
When my daughter called my husband from the middle of the woods, it was her form of accepting reality. She stopped overthinking about which direction to go or walking this way and then that way. She accepted not knowing. She also didn’t become fatalistic. She had a trust that her Dad would be a reassurance for direction.
Where do you need to accept not knowing? Where do you find peace and reassurance even in the space of not knowing?
Be Proactive Where You Can, But Don’t Push Beyond
Amid facing unknowns, there are also still things we do know. When my daughter was in the space of the unknown in the woods, she still had current facts. She could name some unique landmarks that helped my husband discern where she was probably at.
What are the currents facts that you do have? Where do you have clarity based on your current purpose and priorities? Based on what you do have, still move forward with your current systems to navigate. This could include using tools like pro-con lists, decision tress, goal planning systems, etc.
One item I encourage you to do is to set a deadline with moving forward with what you do know. When in the unknown, we can waste energy by procrastinating (ignore by putting it off) or ruminating (overthinking about it). Yes, the big picture may still be an unknown, but setting deadlines on steps (even if those steps may have to adapt) will keep you moving forward.
Active Waiting with Constant Awareness
In my in-law’s home there is an aerial photo of their property, which includes their home, the barn, barnyard, fields and the woods. It reminds me of google maps. If my daughter had been able to see where she was from a higher perspective (like in an aerial photo), she would see where she was in the woods in relation to the house and then the direction she would need to go.
In a similar way, one of the highest priorities of a leader is giving space for yourself to see from a higher perspective. When your landscape is changing around you, this is critical. You need to rest in waiting while observing the changing dynamics. You keep clarity on your why – your vision, purpose, and priorities. You must be careful to not get too involved in the levels of implementing that you become lost or distracted in the trees.
Being in the space of waiting and observing takes a confident and strong leader. It is moving in your current reality without pushing beyond because of the wrong reasons. It is keeping at this level of awareness, trusting that when the right opportunity presents in the alignment with your why, you then move quickly with clarity.
This is a skill that is developed in leaders over time and takes dedication and focus. It is a high-capacity skill that a leader must recognize that they uniquely bring to the organization.
Reflect on your decision making development:
- Do you need to accept the unknown? What would it look like for you to accept the unknown with a current situation you are facing?
- What is your current reality? What is a proactive step you can move forward on right now?
- Where do you need to practice active waiting in awareness?