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Working Effectively in Abstract Situations
The ability to think on your feet is critical to the role of being a manager with increasing
importance as you climb the management ladder. If you are unsure how to proceed when
you do not know exactly what is expected of you or there is no clear leader or structure,
try coping by:
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Examine past abstract or ambiguous situations. For example, when your
responsibilities were not clearly established. Consider your response: did you wait for
someone else to take the lead or did you step forth to establish a structure? If not, set
an objective to expand the range of your behavior. For example, focus on taking
actions to provide you with greater structure.
Do not avoid unstructured situations-seek them out. Pay key attention to them as
ways to help demonstrate your leadership abilities. Ask others whom you trust for
feedback on your performance and solicit suggestions as to how you can become
more effective.
Ask your manager to put you into more ambiguous situations and give you feedback
as they occur.
Interestingly, some people view abstract situations as a welcome opportunity to apply
creative approaches to situations while others tend to view it as aggravating or stressful.
It is therefore critical for you to understand what you do not like and what you could like
about ambiguity in order to benefit from it. Then think about why it makes you less
effective.
The following techniques can be useful once these understandings have been made:
1. Identify key past and current ambiguous situations. How did you behave? Did you:
 Try to gain control of what was happening?
 Wait for others to make clear what was expected?
 Worry about whether the decision was right?
 Wonder when things would become clear?
2. Examine your feelings about these situations. Did you feel:
 Angry or frustrated about a lack of direction?
 Hurt or angry about not being involved in the decision?
 Anxious that your course of action might not work?
2035 Settindown Drive, Suite 110, Roswell, GA 30075
(+1)678-389-6806
3. You do need to feel comfortable about ambiguous situations to be successful in today’s
business environment. Some ways to enhance your behaviors in these situations include:
 Changing your expectations. Don’t expect to have all the information when you make
a decision.
 Expect that things will change.
 Recall when you handled situations of a like nature well in the past and draw upon
these experiences.
 Ask others what they do to cope.
 Volunteer for projects that will put you into abstract situations.
 Watch and ask for assistance from those individuals that you feel handles these types
of situations well.
2035 Settindown Drive, Suite 110, Roswell, GA 30075
(+1)678-389-6806