Comments on: Developing a Tolerance for Ambiguity http://gregstrosaker.com/2010/01/developing-a-tolerance-for-ambiguity/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=developing-a-tolerance-for-ambiguity Greg Strosaker on leadership, marketing, strategy, productivity, parenting autism, and running Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:12:44 +0000 hourly 1 By: Greg Strosaker http://gregstrosaker.com/2010/01/developing-a-tolerance-for-ambiguity/comment-page-1/#comment-124 Greg Strosaker Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:50:01 +0000 http://gregstrosaker.com/?p=141#comment-124 Coming from a military officer, that is a particularly strong endorsement of the approach. In a profession where errors are critical, acknowledging that there is a limit to collecting data is certainly strong evidence that the philosophy should certainly apply in business situations. Coming from a military officer, that is a particularly strong endorsement of the approach. In a profession where errors are critical, acknowledging that there is a limit to collecting data is certainly strong evidence that the philosophy should certainly apply in business situations.

]]> By: Greg Strosaker http://gregstrosaker.com/2010/01/developing-a-tolerance-for-ambiguity/comment-page-1/#comment-46 Greg Strosaker Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:50:01 +0000 http://gregstrosaker.com/?p=141#comment-46 Coming from a military officer, that is a particularly strong endorsement of the approach. In a profession where errors are critical, acknowledging that there is a limit to collecting data is certainly strong evidence that the philosophy should certainly apply in business situations. Coming from a military officer, that is a particularly strong endorsement of the approach. In a profession where errors are critical, acknowledging that there is a limit to collecting data is certainly strong evidence that the philosophy should certainly apply in business situations.

]]> By: Greg Strosaker http://gregstrosaker.com/2010/01/developing-a-tolerance-for-ambiguity/comment-page-1/#comment-45 Greg Strosaker Mon, 18 Jan 2010 21:43:47 +0000 http://gregstrosaker.com/?p=141#comment-45 John - thanks for your comment. What you state is largely correct, though I am still allowing for some degree of "guess" work (or, at least the ability to build off of incomplete or uncertain information). The argument is that at some point pursuing further information or data becomes counterproductive, and it is time to act; any gaps in necessary information should be filled with well-reasoned assumptions, which should then be reviewed (depending on the risk in those assumptions) on a regular basis. John – thanks for your comment. What you state is largely correct, though I am still allowing for some degree of “guess” work (or, at least the ability to build off of incomplete or uncertain information). The argument is that at some point pursuing further information or data becomes counterproductive, and it is time to act; any gaps in necessary information should be filled with well-reasoned assumptions, which should then be reviewed (depending on the risk in those assumptions) on a regular basis.

]]> By: johnribbler http://gregstrosaker.com/2010/01/developing-a-tolerance-for-ambiguity/comment-page-1/#comment-44 johnribbler Mon, 18 Jan 2010 21:13:27 +0000 http://gregstrosaker.com/?p=141#comment-44 Tell me if I understand you correctly. By following the process you describe, an intuitive response becomes far more than just guess work. <br><br>Good stuff.<br><br><a href="http://media-proinc.com" rel="nofollow">http://media-proinc.com</a> Tell me if I understand you correctly. By following the process you describe, an intuitive response becomes far more than just guess work.

Good stuff.

http://media-proinc.com

]]> By: uberVU - social comments http://gregstrosaker.com/2010/01/developing-a-tolerance-for-ambiguity/comment-page-1/#comment-43 uberVU - social comments Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:36:43 +0000 http://gregstrosaker.com/?p=141#comment-43 <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by GAStroz: New Blog Post on #Leadership - Developing a Tolerance for Ambiguity http://ow.ly/WFML... Social comments and analytics for this post…

This post was mentioned on Twitter by GAStroz: New Blog Post on #Leadership – Developing a Tolerance for Ambiguity http://ow.ly/WFML...

]]> By: JeffreyJDavis http://gregstrosaker.com/2010/01/developing-a-tolerance-for-ambiguity/comment-page-1/#comment-42 JeffreyJDavis Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:43:41 +0000 http://gregstrosaker.com/?p=141#comment-42 Great Post Greg. As General Colin Powell said "Part I: “Use the formula P=40 to 70, in which P stands for the probably of success and the numbers indicate the percentage of information acquired.” Part II: “Once the information is in the 40 to 70 range, go with your gut.” <br><br>Don't be afraid to make a decision even if you don't have ALL the data (because you will never have ALL the data, and some of the data you have is almost always incorrect or outdated by the time you have to make your decision.) Great Post Greg. As General Colin Powell said “Part I: “Use the formula P=40 to 70, in which P stands for the probably of success and the numbers indicate the percentage of information acquired.” Part II: “Once the information is in the 40 to 70 range, go with your gut.”

Don't be afraid to make a decision even if you don't have ALL the data (because you will never have ALL the data, and some of the data you have is almost always incorrect or outdated by the time you have to make your decision.)

]]> By: Tweets that mention Leadership - Developing a Tolerance for Ambiguity | Constant Cogitation -- Topsy.com http://gregstrosaker.com/2010/01/developing-a-tolerance-for-ambiguity/comment-page-1/#comment-41 Tweets that mention Leadership - Developing a Tolerance for Ambiguity | Constant Cogitation -- Topsy.com Fri, 15 Jan 2010 21:29:57 +0000 http://gregstrosaker.com/?p=141#comment-41 [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Greg Strosaker, Cindy Solberg and Claudine Motto, Douglas Bachelor. Douglas Bachelor said: RT @GAStroz: New Blog Post on #Leadership - Developing a Tolerance for Ambiguity http://ow.ly/WFML [...] [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Greg Strosaker, Cindy Solberg and Claudine Motto, Douglas Bachelor. Douglas Bachelor said: RT @GAStroz: New Blog Post on #Leadership – Developing a Tolerance for Ambiguity http://ow.ly/WFML [...]

]]> By: Greg Strosaker http://gregstrosaker.com/2010/01/developing-a-tolerance-for-ambiguity/comment-page-1/#comment-40 Greg Strosaker Fri, 15 Jan 2010 19:55:50 +0000 http://gregstrosaker.com/?p=141#comment-40 Thanks for your comment Claudine. It is difficult to strike the balance<br>between seeking more data and knowing when to act. In today's fast-paced<br>world, the bias needs to shift more towards action as by the time data is<br>collected, situations can change. Certainly there are some professions and<br>industries where precision is important (one could argue that the housing<br>bubble was inflated by bankers' routine decisions to ignore information on<br>credit quality, etc.), but that will become more and more the exception than<br>the norm.<br><br>Greg Thanks for your comment Claudine. It is difficult to strike the balance
between seeking more data and knowing when to act. In today's fast-paced
world, the bias needs to shift more towards action as by the time data is
collected, situations can change. Certainly there are some professions and
industries where precision is important (one could argue that the housing
bubble was inflated by bankers' routine decisions to ignore information on
credit quality, etc.), but that will become more and more the exception than
the norm.

Greg

]]> By: Claudine Motto http://gregstrosaker.com/2010/01/developing-a-tolerance-for-ambiguity/comment-page-1/#comment-39 Claudine Motto Fri, 15 Jan 2010 19:48:27 +0000 http://gregstrosaker.com/?p=141#comment-39 Enjoyed reading this post, Greg.<br><br>A low tolerance for ambiguity is not only paralyzing (not wanting to make any decision until every single factor is covered), but also mentally draining. Our nature leads us to the choices we make in education, which then further cements that nature. Those who like "concrete" rules seek out concrete-type careers (i.e., accounting, IT) - where there's a low margin for "error." I suspect that perfectionism also plays a role...<br><br>I found that what's also helpful is to surround yourself with people (or seek out mentors) who have built their ambiguity muscle, and to purposely practice making decisions without 100% of the information.<br><br>Claudine Enjoyed reading this post, Greg.

A low tolerance for ambiguity is not only paralyzing (not wanting to make any decision until every single factor is covered), but also mentally draining. Our nature leads us to the choices we make in education, which then further cements that nature. Those who like “concrete” rules seek out concrete-type careers (i.e., accounting, IT) – where there's a low margin for “error.” I suspect that perfectionism also plays a role…

I found that what's also helpful is to surround yourself with people (or seek out mentors) who have built their ambiguity muscle, and to purposely practice making decisions without 100% of the information.

Claudine

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