Encouraging Open-Mindedness

Uncertainty is a constant in business. As a leader, the question isn’t whether you’ll face it—it’s how you'll respond when there are no clear answers. One of the most defining moments of uncertainty in my career came when I joined ServiceNow. I started in January 2020, and it was a brand-new industry for me. About 70 days later, COVID hit. Bill had just begun as CEO a few weeks before me. We were navigating a CFO transition, a CEO transition, and a global pandemic—all at once. Operationally, our technology allowed us to get our then 10,000+ employees up and running remotely within 24 hours. We had solid systems in place, but as we know, leadership is also about creating trust, connection, and communication—especially when everything is suddenly remote and uncertain. Instead of opting out, we chose to lean in. We focused on what was knowable and controllable, letting decisive action build confidence and momentum. In that moment, it meant: - Prioritizing employee safety above everything else - Letting local regulations guide our decisions - Communicating clearly, frequently, and transparently—even when we didn’t have all the answers What I learned is this: uncertainty only shrinks when you engage, decide, and move forward, even without all the answers. You don’t wait for certainty to lead. You lead through uncertainty. When have you faced real uncertainty in your career—and what helped you navigate it?

𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬. Early in my career, I believed leadership meant reducing uncertainty for others. If I could provide direction quickly, decisions would feel safer. If I projected confidence, alignment would follow. That belief quietly changed during a project where timelines kept shifting and assumptions continued moving. Instead of rushing toward a forced answer, we paused to map what we truly knew, what we were testing, and what would trigger a change in direction. The outcome wasn’t perfect, but the team stayed steady. That was the moment I realised certainty isn’t what stabilises teams. Structure is. A 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝟑𝟎𝟏 𝐒𝐌𝐄𝐬 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐒 𝐎𝐧𝐞 found that resilience in uncertainty depends less on predicting outcomes and more on how leaders frame decisions and maintain team confidence. That insight mirrors what I’ve seen in practice. 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 1. 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬. Instead of declaring outcomes, leaders clarify what they believe today and how they’ll learn if reality shifts. 2. 𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬. People don’t just listen to plans. They observe how leaders respond when information changes. Calm updates build confidence. Overcorrections create instability. 3. 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥. When the environment is volatile, teams still need a coherent internal story grounded in values, direction, and decision principles even when data is incomplete. I noticed this in my own work. When I stopped trying to sound certain and started focusing on structuring decisions, managing signals, and holding a steady narrative, alignment improved even when outcomes were unclear. There’s a line I keep returning to: “𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.” Leadership maturity isn’t about eliminating uncertainty. It’s about building environments that remain coherent when uncertainty increases. 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬, 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩? LinkedIn LinkedIn News India LinkedIn News #Leadership #FutureOfWork #PersonalBranding #LinkedInNewsIndia #CreateMomentum

A few years ago, during a global slowdown, I was negotiating a large deal with a European client. Inflation was rising, currency volatility was real, and most players in our space were holding back.   We almost did, too. But something shifted in the room.   Instead of retreating, we reframed the conversation. We asked: What could we solve for you today that gives you more stability tomorrow?   That question changed the game.   The client wasn’t just looking for a vendor. They needed a partner who understood their uncertainty, who could commit long-term, and who had the confidence to act when others were waiting.   And that’s the insight I’ve carried since: In moments of uncertainty, price becomes only one part of the equation. Trust, clarity, and agility become far more valuable.   When everyone else pauses, you don’t need to rush. But you do need to prepare. Sharpen your understanding of the customer’s risks. Rework your value narrative. Revisit your delivery models.   Because deals don’t disappear in tough markets, they shift shape. And the ones who win are not always the fastest movers but the clearest thinkers. #Leadership #Trust #LargeDeals #SST

The most valuable skill from my PhD was not what I expected. It was not the research methods or the technical expertise. It was not even the critical thinking or analytical skills everyone talks about. It was learning how to be comfortable with uncertainty. For seven years, I lived in a constant state of not knowing. Not knowing if my research would work. Not knowing if I would graduate on time. Not knowing what my next career step would be. Most people try to eliminate uncertainty as quickly as possible. PhD programs force you to sit with it, work through it, and eventually thrive in it. This skill translates to everything: Starting a new role where you do not know all the answers yet. Leading a project with unclear requirements. Making decisions with incomplete information. Navigating career transitions without guarantees. The professionals who advance fastest are not the ones who need certainty to move forward. They are the ones who can make progress despite ambiguity. They ask better questions instead of waiting for perfect answers. They take calculated risks based on partial information. They adapt quickly when new data changes the landscape. They see uncertainty as opportunity, not obstacle. While others are paralyzed by what they do not know, these professionals are energized by what they might discover. The PhD taught me that uncertainty is not something to overcome. It is something to navigate skillfully. How has learning to work with uncertainty changed your approach to challenges?

During uncertainty, leadership starts with one thing: (I wish I’d learned this sooner) Being someone your team can count on. Not someone with all the answers. Not someone who pretends everything’s fine. But someone who shows up: ✅ Steady. ✅ Clear. ✅ Real. Because in uncertain times, it’s not about  having control... It’s about offering your team solid ground to stand on. And that starts with you. Here are 8 ways to lead through uncertainty, with confidence: 1. Communicate Early and Often → Even a small update is better than silence. → If you’re quiet, people fill in the gaps. → Clarity beats certainty every time. 2. Show Calm (It’s Contagious) → Your tone sets the team’s temperature. → Calm doesn’t mean fake — it means steady. → Model the energy you want to see. 3. Be Transparent About What You Know (and Don’t) → Say what’s true — and what’s still unclear. → People trust honesty over spin. → Uncertainty shared is uncertainty reduced. 4. Listen Before You Decide → Pause before reacting. → Ask more than you tell. → People support what they help shape. 5. Reinforce Purpose → Remind them why the work matters. → Purpose is more stabilizing than a plan. → When direction is shaky, values anchor people. 6. Set Short-Term Wins → Focus on what’s doable this week. → Celebrate visible progress. → Momentum creates confidence. 7. Model Resilience → Don’t hide the hard days — show the bounce back. → Stay present. Stay human. → Resilience is behavior, not a buzzword. 8. Take Care of Yourself First → Rest is a leadership skill. → Burnout leads to bad decisions. → Protect your energy to protect your team. Here’s the truth: Uncertainty will always be a part of leadership. There’s no perfect way to lead through it. But presence, honesty, and care go a long way. And often, they’re what people remember most. Agree? Disagree?  What would you have added to this list? Drop it in the comments below. 👇 ♻️ If this resonates, repost for your network. 📌 Follow Amy Gibson for more leadership insights.

Certainty feels like clarity. Your brain calls it tunnel vision. When pressure rises, most leaders reach for answers. Fast. Definitive. Clear. They think they're being decisive. ↳ They're actually narrowing options to feel safe. Here's what the neuroscience shows: Under stress, your brain craves certainty like oxygen. ↳ Not because it makes better decisions. ↳ Because uncertainty feels like threat. The amygdala reads ambiguity as danger. So it pushes you toward closure. Any closure. ↳ Even the wrong one. This is why smart leaders make predictable mistakes under pressure. They choose speed over nuance. Conviction over curiosity. ↳ Certainty over accuracy. I worked with a COO who prided himself on quick decisions. His team called him decisive. But when we mapped his choices, a pattern emerged. ↳ Under pressure, he'd lock onto the first viable option. ↳ Stop gathering input. ↳ Defend it before fully vetting it. He wasn't leading with confidence. He was managing his own discomfort with not knowing. Here's the difference: Certainty closes. Clarity opens. Certainty says, "This is the answer." Clarity says, "Here's what I'm seeing." Certainty defends. Clarity explores. The leaders who navigate complexity well? They've trained their nervous system to tolerate ambiguity. ↳ Not forever. ↳ Just long enough to think clearly. Here's how: ✔️ Notice when you're rushing to certainty. Ask: "Am I closing this because it's right, or because staying open feels uncomfortable?" ✔️ Separate decision from discomfort. Your timeline matters. Your anxiety doesn't. ✔️ Name the ambiguity out loud. "We don't have full clarity yet" signals your brain that uncertainty is expected, not dangerous. ✔️ Practice in low-stakes moments. You can't build this when everything's on fire. The best decisions don't come from being certain. ↳ They come from being regulated enough to stay curious. You don't need all the answers. You need a nervous system that can hold the questions. --- ♻️ Share this with a leader learning to sit with complexity. Follow me, Ashley Douglas for more neuroscience-based insights on clarity, resilience, and modern leadership. --- Each week, I dive deeper into applied neuroscience for business & modern leadership in my newsletter 👉 https://lnkd.in/dzWKPg8P -> It's where I unpack the science behind clarity, resilience, and performance.

As an A-10 pilot, launching on a mission often meant facing the unknown—uncertainty about what we’d encounter, how plans might change, and what challenges awaited. In those moments, it wasn’t just about staying focused; it was about leading with clarity and purpose to ensure the mission succeeded. As leaders, our mindset and actions set the tone for how teams navigate uncertainty. It’s not just about guiding them through the turbulence; it’s about inspiring confidence, maintaining focus, and ensuring the team stays motivated and engaged. Here’s what I’ve learned about leading effectively during times of change: 1️⃣ Model Calm & Confidence: When the path ahead is unclear, your team looks to you for cues. Staying composed—even when you don’t have all the answers—reduces anxiety and builds trust. 💡 Tip: Use clear, concise, correct communication to show control, even if you’re still processing the situation internally. 2️⃣ Balance Transparency with Optimism: Be honest about challenges while emphasizing opportunities. Acknowledge difficulties but focus on solutions and remind your team of their strengths. 💡 Tip: Frame obstacles as opportunities for growth and innovation. 3️⃣ Empower Decision-Making: Change often demands swift decisions. Trust your team’s expertise and avoid micromanaging. Empowering others not only reduces bottlenecks but boosts morale. 💡 Tip: Provide clear decision-making guidelines to ensure everyone knows their boundaries and responsibilities. 4️⃣ Prioritize Communication & Connection: In uncertain times, silence creates more doubt. Frequent updates, even if incomplete, help keep the team informed and aligned. 💡 Tip: Schedule informal check-ins to address concerns. Walk around and talk to your team members. 5️⃣ Focus on Long-Term Strategy: While addressing immediate challenges, keep the big picture in sight. Help your team understand how today’s actions connect to tomorrow’s goals. 💡 Tip: Reinforce the team’s sense of purpose by connecting their work to the larger mission or goal. When people understand why their efforts matter, it inspires resilience and keeps them motivated through uncertainty. By taking these steps, you not only navigate the current challenge but also prepare your team to handle future changes with confidence and resilience. #leadership #LeadershipDevelopment #FlyingInTheFaceOfFear

How do you navigate ambiguity? One of the things I teach in creative thinking is the ability to embrace ambiguity—the skill of staying open to uncertainties rather than rushing to resolve them. It’s easy to talk about, but one of the hardest things to practice, especially when life or work feels complex and uncertain. This past week, I worked with a group navigating a lot of ambiguity, and it got me thinking: How do we support ourselves and others during uncertain times? Here are some things I’ve found that help: 1. Take care of yourself. When we're stressed, our good habits—eating healthy, exercising, and getting enough sleep—often get replaced by quick fixes like junk food, doomscrolling, and caffeine overload. But when we neglect our well-being, it becomes even more challenging to sit with uncertainty. Prioritizing small acts of self-care helps build the resilience needed to handle ambiguity. 2. Check in on others. Uncertainty isn’t just an individual experience—it’s collective. Reach out to friends, family, and colleagues who might feel overwhelmed. A simple “How are you doing?” or “Thinking of you” can make a huge difference. Sometimes, just knowing we’re not alone in the uncertainty makes navigating easier. 3. Take time to breathe—phone-free. Whatever this looks like for you—taking a walk, sitting in your favorite chair by the fire, or just closing your eyes for a few deep breaths—stepping away from screens helps create space for clarity. The constant flood of information can make ambiguity feel heavier than it is. Sometimes, we need to sit with the unknown and let things unfold. Other times, we’re ready to actively engage with it. If you feel the need to problem-solve, try shifting your perspective: 4. Reframe uncertainty as a possibility. Instead of seeing ambiguity as something to fear, try viewing it as a space for new opportunities. Ask yourself: What possibilities might emerge from this? Shifting your mindset from dread to curiosity can open up creative solutions you hadn’t considered. 5. Trust the process. Sid Parnes, one of the creators of Creative Problem Solving, often said to "trust the process". This means embracing the idea that even when things feel uncertain, creativity thrives when we allow ideas to unfold over time. Instead of forcing a solution too soon, stay engaged, remain open to new inputs, and trust that the right insights will emerge when they are needed. How do you navigate ambiguity? What strategies have helped you embrace uncertainty in your work or life? I’d love to hear your thoughts. #creativity #education #ambiguity

Leaders often blame indecision on a shortage of data or lack of clarity. “If only we had a bit more information,” we reason, “then the right choice would be obvious.” But decision paralysis is rarely about insufficient data, it’s fundamentally our discomfort with ambiguity. At its core, decision paralysis arises from a misguided search for certainty. We delay decisions not because the information isn’t good enough but because we’re reluctant to own the uncertainty inherent in leadership. Great leaders recognize that clarity is something you create through decisive action—not something you discover through endless analysis. Here are three practical steps leaders can take to overcome paralysis and move forward confidently: 1. Shift Your Goal from Certainty to Clarity Stop seeking absolute certainty. Instead, aim for directional clarity: “Is this decision directionally aligned with our core strategy and values?” Rather than hoping for guaranteed outcomes, ask yourself, “Does this move us closer to where we ultimately want to be?” 2. Adopt the “70% Rule” Decisions should be made with around 70% of the information you’d ideally like. Waiting for more than that risks missing the window of opportunity. Embrace partial certainty as the price of leadership. A well-timed, decisive move based on reasonable confidence beats a late decision made with full certainty almost every time. 3. Practice Reversible and Irreversible Thinking Quickly categorize decisions as either reversible or irreversible. Most are reversible, meaning the cost of correcting the course later is relatively low. Leaders who train themselves to rapidly identify which choices are easily reversible reduce paralysis by lowering the psychological stakes. This mental model frees you to act decisively, knowing you can adapt or pivot as needed. Decision paralysis can't be resolved by more data—it’s resolved by stronger leadership. Leaders must train themselves out of the comfort of analysis into the discipline of decision-making. After all, leadership isn’t having perfect information—it’s creating clarity from complexity, taking action despite uncertainty, and refining as you move forward.