I had just transferred from the audit practice to the consulting practice of an international accounting firm.  Already a partner in the firm, this was a total change of career for me.  The first week of my new assignment I accompanied John, my new supervisor, to visit the CEO of a major academic medical center.  We were implementing a new strategy for their business, and the CEO had questions – “How much market share are we going to gain if this is implemented?  Will the market share gains pay for your fees?”  Logical questions we should be prepared to answer.  The problem for me was that I had no experience in answering this type of question, and it was one that we could not “know” the answer to – I was dealing with two unknowns:

1. How were we going to figure out the answer to a question that had no true right or wrong? And,
2. What answer were we going to give the CEO?

We had promised the CEO an answer the next day.  We met with our whole team. John handed each of us a small slip of paper and asked us to write down the market share percentage we thought the client would gain if we did our engagement well, fold the piece of paper, and put it on the table.  We would then compare answers and discuss the results.
I was terrified.  Here I was – a “consulting partner”.  I was supposed to have answers.  I had not answered a question on market share since my economics class in college.  How could I think about this and answer the question so that I would not look like an idiot?
I began to think.  I knew that gaining market share is hard.  There were several competitors in the market and that it would be a battle to get patients from them, so the number really could not be that big.  I took a deep breath, wrote an answer, and put it on the table.  Interestingly, all our answers were within a very small range of market share gains!  
That experience was years ago, but I still remember it like it was yesterday.  Why?  What really happened that day?  

• I was put in an entirely new situation and had to draw on prior unrelated experiences to come up with an answer.  There was no “right or wrong” answer, but there were “better and worse” answers.  I knew we had to move forward with an answer for our client.
• I had to think differently about a problem and apply concepts – not regurgitate memorized answers to predictable questions. It was uncomfortable, but I learned I could do it.
• My supervisor (John) was trying to understand how we were thinking.  By seeing our individual answers, he was there to support our thinking and help if needed.
• John created a “safe space”.  While we had to answer a question in front of each other, we were not in front of a client.  We could talk about the issues, debate our answers, and get agreement within a group of supportive colleagues – as well as learn how others were thinking about the problem.

I learned a lot that day about dealing with ambiguity myself, and about how to help team members deal with it.  How does this apply to us in today’s rapidly changing business world?  
Most teams today deal with challenges and problems they haven’t seen before.  They are called on to help businesses move forward in new business models and environments while dealing with new challenges.  As you and your team face the ambiguity in these situations, remember to:

• Think broadly.  Use your skills, experience, and reasoning to address business challenges. 
• Collaborate with others.  Be prepared to share ideas, defend them, and adapt as necessary.
• Create safe spaces to have conversations and be challenged.  Realize this is a healthy way to work out new ideas.
• Be prepared to act.  You need to help your business/team move forward even though there still may be ambiguity in your path forward.

Dealing with ambiguity is uncomfortable at first but can be a lot of fun in the end!  So, the next time you get a tough question or have to deal with a difficult or ambiguous problem, approach it realizing it is ok not to have an immediate answer.  Enable your colleagues/team to think broadly in new ways, and creatively chart a course for action.  It will make a difference for both you and your company.

Susan Rucker
​Susan Rucker is a seasoned executive with over thirty years of progressively responsible positions managing high performance teams and growing businesses.  Her current focus is helping businesses and people navigate the rapidly changing business environment we all face today. ​

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