One of the most essential and highly prized qualities of leadership is “a tolerance for ambiguity or uncertainty.” Most individuals want more certainty. We often talk about the fear of the unknown or the discomfort of feeling “up in the air” about things. Many would prefer to have life laid out in a neat and orderly plan where one event follows another in a logical fashion. On the other hand, life is always full of surprises and of so many things we cannot totally predict. 

A great leader must steer a course through uncertainty. When others are faint-hearted, frustrated, or clamoring for “more data” to know what to do, the leader must follow a vision. It is the inner vision of what is possible and what can be created on the basis of faith and perseverance that sets extraordinary leaders apart. As they move forward, guided by their vision, others can follow with greater confidence even when the outcomes are not certain. 

Vision is not about having a certainty of knowledge, or relying on a GPS guidance system, or having a set of spreadsheets to mark the way forward. Vision is about having a sense of what’s needed and what is possible that allows you to move forward against the odds to create what was not there before. Vision precedes creation, which comes from optimism, imagination, and inspiration. We are thankful for leaders who have vision.

Invitation: Tell us how you deal with “ambiguity and uncertainty.”

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