The Biggest Challenge: Uncertainty and Ambiguity

What I predicted is true: this summer's project will be the most challenging entrepreneurial endeavor I've faced to date.

I'm operating in a completely new and unfamiliar environment. And not just any environment, but India: an extremely complex country made of confusing contrasts between ancient and modern thinking and living. Further, I'm working to solve problems in areas not of my expertise--education, water, and health--within this unfamiliar context. Simultaneously, I'm taking on personal issues like adapting to a different culture and surviving new living conditions. To top it all off, I'm pressured to create meaningful change in the short span of two months.

All in all, what makes this summer so challenging is dealing with uncertainty and ambiguity. Right now, I have more questions than answers. I know parents care about the health of their kids, but why do let them drink contaminated water? I know there is effective technology to treat contaminated water, but why is it so hard to diffuse this technology?

Never before have I recognized so many individual opportunities to act and create value, but at the same time I have never been so unsure about how each relates. I am surrounded by passionate and capableNGOs and social entrepreneurs so excited and willing to meet our team. Which should my team engage with? What true value can we add to already long-standing efforts with our limited time and experience?

Importance of Handling Uncertainty and Ambiguity

Ultimately, the ability to handle uncertainty and ambiguity is what defines an entrepreneur. An entrepreneur is a person who can actively gather bits and pieces of information and resources, organize and sort them, then finally take these disconnected fragments to construct a cohesive and valuable mosaic. Therefore, the success of entrepreneur can be directly linked to their capacity to effectively deal with uncertainty and ambiguity.

Dr. Saras Saravasthy has conducted a lot of great research on entrepreneurial thinking that would support my claim. She found that what really separates entrepreneurs from managers is the way they think. Managers tend to use "causal thinking" whereby one takes a predetermined goal and a given set of means then seeks to find the optimal route to achieve that goal. On the other hand, entrepreneurs tend to also use "effectual thinking" whereby one takes a given set of means then allows a goal(s) to emerge.

Effectual thinking entrepreneurs collect, organize, and create using already available resources. As such, they can continually realize new opportunities for growth, ways to build beautiful mosaics, when others can only see stagnancy and a littering of broken fragments.

How to Effectively Deal with Uncertainty and Ambiguity

Seeing the importance of effectively handling uncertainty and ambiguity, I've reflected on two practical guides to direct my work.

First is to "operate with openness". Be open to meeting new people and participating in seemingly irrelevant experiences. For example, yesterday while shopping with a group of friends, we spontaneously decided to play cricket with some kids in their narrow alleyway. We learned a little bit about the lives of the kids, got a glimpse into India's sports obsession, and just had some simple fun that inspired and motivated everyone. We now have a match setup for 2pm this afternoon, and the kids are inviting all their friends. Who knows what this could evolve into?

Operating with openness ensures a steady flow of new information and new contacts--the collection of more fragments--that in the end provides the materials to construct new goals that otherwise would never be discovered.

Second is to "value the small steps" like meeting strangers or doing a small act of compassion. No matter where you are going, or how big or small your goal, getting there is a step-by-step process. Therefore, every step is valuable, and every step is essential to getting to the destination. By valuing each small step, it is easier to handle uncertainty and ambiguity; it becomes possible to recognize and appreciate your forward progress even though you may not know for what or to where you are progressing.