From Ambiguity to Action: Helping Your People Weather a Time of Crisis

We live in a time of great ambiguity. As of this writing, the world is going through the coronavirus pandemic. There is a general feeling of fear and anxiety, for very good reason. Everything is shifting and changing. There is danger of death or debilitation of health. The rate is skyrocketing. People are being laid off. The future is unknown and uncertain.

In the face of ambiguity, people feel anxiety.

People naturally experience something called ambiguity aversion, a preference for something that is certain over something that is uncertain. This is related to the tendency to have an aversion to risk. Ambiguity is unclear and scary. We like certainty. 

The more ambiguous things are, and the longer they are ambiguous, the more people develop a greater sense of anxiety. There are some people who roll well with punches and with the ambiguous, but by and large most people I know would like to feel that there is more certainty.

People do not like ambiguity. It just adds to the anxiety.

As church leaders, there are different things we can do to reduce anxiety. We encourage them to depend on God. We pray for them. We stay present. We display a nonanxious presence. We assist where we can and when we can.

There is also one practice that often helps in a major way. It’s helping people move to action.

People want to do something when life is out of control. What more logical thing to do when facing the danger of a respiratory disease than to go buy toilet paper? It is something we can do. It gives us a sense that we are in control — a sense of agency.

When you as a leader help people take action, you are helping them to develop a sense of agency, a feeling that there is something they can control. Their anxiety becomes relieved by the feeling of agency.

This principle applies even in non-crisis times. Moving from ambiguity towards action helps followers be more engaged and develops a sense of empowerment so that they can do things.

But it’s not just willy-nilly free-for-all do-what-you-want action. It’s strategic action. And it begins with clarity.

The leader gives clarity to the followers. We do what we can to help people through their ambiguity aversion. If something is feeling ambiguous, people appreciate when the leader can name it and direct them in how to act.

How do you give clarity? The situation varies, but here is one technique that has four main steps.

1. Define the Realistic Now

What is going on? What are people experiencing? What are factors that are contributing to this? 

People will be asking, “Is the leader in touch with what is going on?” As a leader, stating what people are feeling normalizes their emotions.

Besides naming the realities of the current situation, acknowledge people’s anxiety. I recently read the book People Fuel: Fill Your Tank for Life, Love, and Leadership, by Dr. John Townsend. I love the analogy he gives of how when people are down or depressed, they are sitting in a well. If you stand on top and yell encouragement down at them, it doesn’t help that much. But if you go and sit with them in their well, your presence and understanding help them experience grace and feel supported.

2. Declare the Hopeful Outcome

Point people towards the future so they can get a clear picture of the hope that it brings. Declaring the future is not saying that you are hopeful in the sense of, “I sure hope this happens, or we will be dead meat.” It is more about you as a leader embodying the belief that there is a greater future. Hope rests on the faithfulness of God and the leader points people to that good future.

3. Define “Your Role”

A study by McKinsey found that in matrix organizations, organizations with a high amount of complexity, “clarity of expectations is a foundation for building an engaged workplace that performs at high levels.” McKinsey found that "role clarity and related accountability practices emerge as among the most important drivers of organizational health…”

Leaders can create this clarity by helping people to define their roles in the process. Are they:

• Decision makers?

• Those who give input but don't make the decision?

• Executors that focus on making it happen?

Every role is important. What does each person do?

4. Clarify Next Steps

Share with your people what action they can have to contribute to this better outcome. The more specific and defined the action the better. Notice the difference between vague statements and clearly defined roles.

• “Do your part to help people keep their jobs.” vs. “Order out once a week to keep restaurants in business.”

• “We want a more service-oriented culture.” > “Respond to any email requests within 24 hours.”

• “We need some kind of plan.” > “Work with your team to create a plan for the next 90 days that will achieve this outcome.”

Here are the final steps for clarity in color:

Taking these steps will help your people begin to step forward and develop agency in their mindset. The end result is a diminishing of anxiety as they focus on creating a better outcome through their actions.