Ambiguity navigation is rarely a solo sport. Our NEW post is the first of a six-part series on our six principles for Ambiguity Activism: Grow Together means that collaboration works well when everyone can freely choose to engage because they care about the cause. Because there is no movement without collaboration and there is no collaboration without purpose.

Ambiguity is the new normal. Every day we face more uncertainty with things that we simply can’t control: where (or if) we work, how we get to interact with loved ones, what qualifies as news and truth, the list goes on and on. How might we find a direction in this confusion? How do we avoid getting lost? Fortunately, there are things that we can control, it is possible to develop a mindset for facing ambiguity with these secret ingredients: togetherness, hope, and agency.

Over the years we’ve observed patterns in the way that people orient to ambiguity. These orientations are often situation-dependent, rather than consistent personality traits. Understanding diverse ways of responding to ambiguity has helped us diagnose obstacles to progress and foster better teamwork and more innovative outcomes.

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.

The time has come to embrace the new normal, to imagine new worlds, and to get comfortable in ambiguity.

In case that leaves you feeling uncertain, have hope! Here comes the pretty-damn-good news. Ambiguity is a powerful catalyst for newness and change. Think about it, true innovation only happens in ambiguity. Now it’s the perfect time for the new.