Leading in Ambiguity? Ask "How" instead of "Why."

Do you lead in the middle of an organization where ambiguity is the norm? Is your leader not communicating well? Are decisions made one day and changed the next—without warning? Or perhaps the organizational culture is not clearly defined or is continually changing with the next new book or fad that comes along. Don’t ask “why,” ask “how.”

This post is the first in a three-part series addressing organizational ambiguity. In their book, Simple Habits for Complex Times: Powerful Practices for Leaders, Jennifer Gravers Berger and Keith Johnston present three habits that can help a middle leader survive and grow while leading in ambiguity.

The three habits are:

Ask different questions.
Take multiple perspectives.
Learn to see systems and observe how they function.

Today we look at the habit of asking different questions.

When we find ourselves leading in an ambiguous setting, we often resort to asking the question “why,” when we should be asking the question “how.”

The navy seals have a leadership training motto: “Under pressure, you don’t rise to the occasion, you sink to the level of your training. That’s why we train so hard.” 1

The same tends to happen when we are leading under the pressure of ambiguity. Instead of rising to the occasion, we fall back on our training much of it from early childhood.

“Dad, why is the sky blue?”
“Because of the light and the air in the sky.”
“Why?”

“Mom, why does the rain go down instead of up?”
“Because of gravity.”
“Why?”

Psychologists suspect that the question “why” is “hardwired into our psyche.” 2 Therefore, when we are under the pressure of having to lead in ambiguity, we revert to “why” questions.

For example: Why is this happening? I don’t understand why they don’t communicate better. Why is our organization always changing? Why are decisions made one day and changed another? Why can’t I fix the problems of the organization? Why can’t I get a better job? Why am I here?

Asking Why Can Cause Frustration: Sometimes it is what it is.

Asking “why” can cause frustration. It takes a lot of time and resources to answer the “why” questions. And, often “why” is an unanswerable question. Sometimes it is what it is! To save weeks and even years of frustration, focus on what can be changed, and then ask “how.”

Asking Why Can Lead to Rumination

Rumination is “the focused attention on the symptoms of one’s distress, and on its possible causes and consequences, as opposed to its solutions.” 3 One researcher described rumination as problem-solving gone wrong. 4 When leading in an ambiguous setting, the question “why” is the great pathway into the never-ending journey of rumination.

“Why” questions do not require us to change.

Asking why my leader does not communicate well focuses on solving the leader’s problem and not yours. I’m sorry to give you this news, but you can’t fix your leader. But you can work on yourself.

On the other hand, a “how” question is a request for change on my part. “How?” requires that I reframe my situation. “How?” requires me to seek out information and then put that information into practice. “How?” forces me to take responsible, it points me in a direction, and then asks me to do something about my situation.

“How” questions lead to change, they lead to new avenues of practice; they lead to a sense of control. Asking “how” places the middle leader in a position to find a solution. “How” questions can help a middle leader be a great leader.

Consequently, as a practitioner and middle leader, the more productive question is “how?” How can I apply (practice) what I know and what I’ve learned from other’s research and experience? Asking “how” is the the pathway into your journey of growth and change.