Uncertainty: Less Is More

When growth slows, your instinct may be to add something. During rapid change, however, adding more can make things harder to follow. Often, the better move is to remove what’s causing confusion inside your organization: uncertainty.

Here’s an example from a recent conference. At it, executives were asked, “What’s the number one thing you’re doing to drive growth?”

“We’re adapting to the rapid evolution of technology,” said a CIO. The CFO next to him said, “Affordability is our focus.” Others cited talent development, navigating legal hurdles, or dealing with new competition.

But it was a sales manager who offered the most transparent answer.

She said her team could handle change; what was slowing them down was confusion. When people understood their roles and where the company was headed, performance improved and clients responded. However, after so many shifts in direction, they were no longer sure what the organization stood for.

She pointed to the past few years as evidence. Three years earlier, the company had positioned itself as a sales organization focused on growing transactions, which drew customer attention and attracted ambitious talent. The following year, leadership pivoted to technology innovation, altering hiring needs and leaving customers uncertain. The previous year, the company described itself as a training firm, unsettling technical staff and raising new questions in the market. Now, neither employees nor customers knew what corporate identity might come next.

The most important move, she argued, was to remove confusion inside and outside the organization so growth would return. This is something you may need to do as well. Whether lack of clarity comes from competitors, technology, regulations, shifting priorities, or job insecurity, the result is the same: Your team members hesitate.

Watch for signs

Pay attention to small shifts on your team and with your customers. If your people are trained but underperforming, they may be second-guessing themselves. If the latter have money and interest but aren’t taking action, it may be because something is unclear.

You may see it in everyday metrics: fewer inquiries, lower engagement on social media, and more objections during sales conversations. These aren’t always financial problems or training issues. Often, they’re signs that people don’t feel sure enough to act.

Inside your company, hesitation spreads quickly. Salespeople take fewer risks. Morale suffers and affects results. Culture and social interaction decline. Resources sit unused as people hold back “just in case.” Some disengage, while others leave.

Shift gears

As a leader, you’ve been trained to manage change—new markets, new tools, and new competitors. But when uncertainty spreads, you need a different approach, focusing less on adapting skills and more on igniting your team’s confidence and will. If they are unsure about their jobs or your direction, address it directly.

To do so, exhibit supportive behaviors, not directive ones. Ask what’s worrying them, and listen without jumping in to defend your plan. Then engage in open dialogue around their concerns, such as the company’s direction, market changes, or competition, and address rumors quickly so they don’t grow. Communicate more often, emphasizing your shared values and solid commitments.

You can also use stories to steady your team. Share examples of colleagues and customers who moved forward and saw results, and highlight employees who set aside hesitations and pushed forward, even without all the answers.

Finally, remember that people naturally draw strength from a leader’s example, so show up consistently and model the confidence you want your team to embody. By shifting into actively engaging uncertainty rather than change, you can begin to rekindle your team’s beliefs and customer excitement for your value proposition.

Dig deeper

These three additional actions help reduce hesitation:

1. Give context
   When your team lacks information, they fill the gaps themselves—often with what could go wrong. It’s your job to address those worries with facts. Share a positive narrative about what can go equally right, which empowers your people to choose a more desirable set of expectations than their default fears. Offering additional explanations for complex situations also expands their sense of control. And reminding them that they’re not alone in handling hesitation gives them permission to swap bad thoughts with optimistic beliefs about the unknown.
2. Be direct about confusion
   It’s one thing to offer positive perspectives and encouragement. It’s another to actively dispute concerns on your people’s behalf. But sharing more facts isn’t enough: You need to clear up confusion directly. By offering counterarguments and challenging the assumptions of doubts, leaders position knowledge as a fresh source of reassurance. Actively investigating concerns and helping customers see the other side of their worries permits them to “self-dispute” their own hesitation with knowledge, clarity, and compassion.
3. Treat hesitation as feedback
   While eliminating uncertainty remains the goal, there’s also much that leaders can learn from it. Exploring the sources of hesitation can provide valuable insights about people’s beliefs, expectations, and motivations and suggest ways to shore up those beliefs. Understanding what’s causing customers to pause provides unfiltered data about their needs, especially if they are rapidly changing. You may need to sit with that discomfort so your team doesn’t have to.

Adapting your skills and tools is certainly necessary, but it’s not always sufficient to maintain momentum and keep consumers engaged. When confusion rears its head, be sure that you set the tone about how to handle it. People don’t need every answer, after all. They need to know where they stand and where their company is going.

An entrepreneur, CEO, professional speaker, online pioneer, and business mentor, Matthew Ferrara has worked with leaders in real estate, sales, finance, marketing, and association management in 49 states and 30 countries. Learn more at matthewferrara.com