Handling Ambiguity in Workplace Communications

When Structure Meets Ambiguity: How One Executive Adapted and Thrived in a Hands-Off Culture Some leaders walk into a new role and find their footing quickly. Others walk into chaos and ambiguity and have to build the map as they go. One of my clients, a seasoned executive, recently stepped into a senior role at a high-growth organization. On paper, it was a dream: global scale, high-impact responsibilities, and a boss with a reputation for giving his leaders full autonomy. But here’s the rub: her boss didn’t do onboarding. Or direction. Or detail. He was brilliant, fast-paced, and extremely hands-off. His philosophy: “Just handle it. Don’t tell me how. Don’t walk me through it. Just tell me when it’s done.” For a leader who excels with clarity, structure, and context, this felt like being dropped into deep water and expected to swim, sans a life raft. We worked together to help her reframe the situation and adapt her style of leadership. Today, she’s thriving. She’s earned high credibility across the enterprise, has positioned herself as a results-driven, trusted operator, and, most importantly, feels confident about her recently enhanced ability to lead through ambiguity. Here are 3 strategies we used that helped her succeed: 🔹 1. Translate Your Thinking Into Their Language Leaders who don’t value detail don’t want the story, just want the headline. My client learned to shift from explaining how to proving what. She used short, focused updates tied to outcomes: “Here’s what I’m doing, here’s why it matters, and here’s how we’ll measure success.” 🔹 2. Redefine Structure On Your Own Terms When leadership doesn’t provide structure, you build it yourself. My client created internal checklists, decision rubrics, and feedback loops to give herself clarity, even if no one else asked for it. The key? She never made her structure someone else’s burden. It was her tool for managing the chaos, not a tool for managing her boss. 🔹 3. Separate Your Need for Validation from Their Leadership Style Executives often equate silence with disapproval. But some leaders don’t give frequent feedback, not because you’re failing, but because they assume you’re fine unless they say otherwise. We worked on developing self-trust and seeking feedback through outcomes, not affirmations. Leading without a map requires a different kind of strength and an opportunity to grow. Unclear direction or an elusive boss doesn't have to stall success. With the right mindset and strategy, it can accelerate it.

How I Handle Ambiguity as a Program Manager at Amazon Ambiguity is the default setting in most big programs. Especially at Amazon… where the scope shifts… priorities evolve… and new constraints appear overnight. So instead of fighting it…I learned to operate inside it. Here’s how I handle ambiguity without losing momentum: 1/ I start with the clearest question I can answer ↳ What do we know for sure? ↳ What’s true today? ↳ That becomes my anchor…and I build from there 2/ I identify what success would look like ↳ Even if the path is unclear…defining the goal is powerful ↳ It aligns teams and focuses attention 3/ I break down the problem into smaller decisions ↳ What decision do we need to make this week? ↳ What’s blocking that decision? ↳ This keeps us moving instead of waiting 4/ I surface risksearly and openly ↳ “This might not work” isn’t a failure…it’s a flag ↳ Raising flags builds trust and invites help before it’s too late 5/ I keep stakeholders informed…even without all the answers ↳ “Here’s what we know…what we don’t…and what we’re doing next” ↳ That simple framing keeps alignment tight Working in ambiguity doesn’t mean working blindly. It means leading with clarity…even when the picture isn’t complete. If you’re waiting for all the answers…you’ll never get started. How do you move forward when the path isn’t clear?

I think I’m a clear communicator. I explain what we're doing. And then I get signals that my team is confused. Turns out I’ve forgotten one critical step: the why. Without the why, you're not reducing ambiguity — you're amplifying it. This came up in a workshop I facilitated for the INDUSTRY leadership forum hosted by Mind the Product. I've seen this pattern with dozens of teams over the past decade. Without the why, teams spin their wheels: They second-guess priorities. They can't act independently. They redo work over and over. Here's one of the big insights from our discussion: Sharing the what sets direction. Sharing the why builds trust, confidence, and speed. When you give your team context, you're not just informing them — you're empowering them. The best leaders I work with don't just hand down decisions. They hand down the thinking behind those decisions. If you want your team to thrive in ambiguity, don't just hand them a decision. Hand them the context to make the next one themselves. Your team isn't failing to execute. They're missing the context to execute well. 👉 What are the signs you look for to know if you’ve shared enough context?

If you’ve been watching the news lately, you’ve probably seen some 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 about policy changes, workforce shifts, and decisions that impact organizations and their people. This is NOT a political post. So don’t come for me in the comments.😊 But if you’re an 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿, you’re getting a front-row lesson in 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘆. I’d love to tell you that you can just focus on the work and avoid these conversations. But we both know that’s not reality—especially when 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱. Here’s the hard truth: ➝ As an 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿, YOU are often the one leadership expects to communicate the message. ➝ YOU are the one keeping your team calm and focused when speculation spreads. ➝ YOU are the bridge between truth and conjecture. And that? 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲. Because suddenly, you have to: ➝ Remove your personal feelings from the situation ➝ Balance 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆, 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 ➝ Stay 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹-𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗼𝘀 𝗦𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻? 𝟭. 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁. Before emotions take over, ensure you understand what is 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗲, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝗶𝘀𝗲. 𝟮. 𝗔𝗰𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝘂𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰. People want to be heard, not dismissed. Create space for dialogue. 𝟯. 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲. You’re the bridge—make sure the messaging is clear while also protecting team morale. 𝟰. 𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆. If you don’t know, say so. If you get an update, share it. Leaders who hedge or guess lose trust. If you’ve been in this situation, how do you navigate it? Drop your thoughts below. Let’s build a playbook for informal leaders dealing with difficult messaging. #Leadership #Communication #InformalLeadership #NavigatingChange #InfluenceWithoutAuthority