Ambiguity –a lack of clarity or decisiveness— is all too common in businesses, even in mission-driven companies. Sometimes it stems from a desire to avoid conflict or come out and say no (even when that is or will be the answer). Often an employee is unaware of all of the implications to their question or request. And because many companies lack anything remotely close to transparency, leaders don’t want to have to explain the answer one way or the other and so simply opt not to answer and hope the issue is forgotten (spoiler alert: it won’t be). Other drivers include a lack of confidence in oneself as the decision-maker or in the completeness of the information currently available. A lack of a decision-making process that is clear on who needs to be involved in a decision is also a strong contributor to the rampant ambiguity in workplaces.
But here’s the thing—humans really, really dislike uncertainty. It makes us uncomfortable, and that leads to resentment against the source of that discomfort, namely those in leadership.
Uncertainty is also highly distracting. Will the next thing you say or do impact the unresolved question? Take, as an example, an employee who has inquired about training to expand their skills in order to shift their role but who did not get a clear answer. When assigned a new project, they may now pause to consider how best to react in a way that will support their goal of obtaining additional training. For them, the situation has changed. They have expressed a desire to grow to the company’s leadership, didn’t get an answer, and so are now in limbo and feeling discomfort, and possibly frustration, resentment, or disappointment.
So what’s the solution? It’s simple: don’t leave employees hanging. They are adults and deserve to be treated as such. Give them an answer. If it’s no, say so and explain the factors involved. In the above example, it’s perfectly appropriate to share that the company’s leadership is evaluating how to support employee growth and professional development and so decisions like their request need to be put on hold until the larger plan is rolled out, or that lower than expected revenue last year have put an crunch on the budget and there are limited funds for training, making already-made commitments have priority. Don’t leave their question unanswered in the hope that you’ll be able to say yes at an unknown point in the future. That’s unfair and causes unnecessary discomfort.
A process to provide consistent feedback also goes a long way to help your team know where they stand. The employee who asked about the training should know if they are not contributing to the team at the needed level yet and so need to focus on expanding skills in their current role before branching out. In this scenario, the employee isn’t clear on where they stand relative to expectations for their current role. Had there been communication about where improvement was needed and support in growing skills to better contribute in their current role, the current situation could be avoided.
At the end of the day, clarity is kindness.
If you’re thinking these suggestions sound good, but you don’t know how you’d implement them, here are some resources that may help:
Quarterly Conversations – process of regular check-in sessions with your employees
Crucial Conversations – book, audio book, and/or training