I am currently leading a strategic initiative with a great deal of ambiguity. The higher you go in an organization, the more unclear the work is. That intuitively makes sense: if the work is easy to understand, routine and repetitive, the lower it tends to be in the organization. The less defined, amorphous and ambiguous work rises to the top. I also believe that in general, you can expect more ambiguity not just as you go up the career ladder, but as a growing workplace phenomenon. With more complexity, speed, change and competition, more decisions will have to be made with less data and certainty.

In the current example above, this ambiguity is palpable. It is creating unease amongst the junior members of the team, and repeatedly has stopped them in their tracks. I have had to take a step back, reassure them that we’re doing the right things, and kick-start them again.

The goal in these situations is to push on and sort through what is unclear. Here are a few quick tips to get you thinking:

1. Set expectations with your team and all stakeholders that it is an ambiguous situation you are working through. It will take time and experimentation.

2. Be clear about the problem you are trying to solve.

3. Release yourself and your team from the prison of perfectionism. Create a group culture around taking risks. Try a few small experiments. Learn, quickly course correct, and keep making progress.

Run towards the lack of clarity and actively wrestle with it. As you continue in your career, you are going to have to get good at it!

Marian Cook is currently the head of IT for a midmarket healthcare market leader of products, services and education for the pathology market. She leads the 100 person IT division and has a major Oracle R12 implementation underway. Among her many accomplishments she was once the Network Director for WITI Chicago and is currently on the Chicago's Mayor's Council of Technology.