Trust in Potential means to inspire courage, to nurture collective wisdom and to commit to learning along the way (for yourself and those around you!). Trusting in others’ potential means we have to be willing to relinquish control and see what happens when people are given the space for transformation to unfold. When we lead in ambiguity, we become facilitators of transformation. In essence, we must recognize that as we make progress in our efforts to change the status quo, we are also changing ourselves- how we feel, think, and do. As we do the work of transforming the system, the system responds and transforms us. It’s a reflexive cycle where the individuals and the system continually influence each other.

Here comes the 3rd of a six-part series about our approach to making the most of ambiguity by embracing six simple principles: Aim for Insights. Aim for Insights means to look beyond what is obvious and prioritize meaning making. To face ambiguity with confidence, we have to develop the ability to extract what is essential and novel then transform it into something actionable. Finding possibilities in ambiguity is about moving from mess making to meaning making. You can start practicing this principle right away after reading the article!

Reflection is the simple practice of taking another look at a situation and getting clear about what happened, what worked, and what didn’t. Reflection can also happen in anticipation of an event, a sort of “preflection” where we use our imagination to cast forward into possible futures to play with potential. This type of thinking is particularly helpful when we face ambiguity.