Fit for the Fog: Why Your Leaders’ Ability to Manage Ambiguity is Key to Predictable Performance
- Hennie Brittz
- 29 minutes ago
- 4 min read
We are living in a paradox. Some businesses are thriving against all odds, while others are announcing retrenchments or closing their doors.
In a world of economic volatility, political uncertainty and AI, the business landscape feels more chaotic and uncertain than ever.
As a leader, you are expected to have the answers. Your people look to you to create calm and provide a clear path forward. But how do you do this while leading through the thickest fog imaginable?
This is the modern leadership burden. Leaders are expected to manage uncertainty with confidence, but the constant pressure comes with a real physiological cost. The brain instinctively responds to change with “fight, flight, or freeze,” creating stress and resistance to change — not only in your teams, but in you as a leader, too.
As Dr. Danie Reitmann, a Senior Consultant at 2Collaborate, notes, “statistics show that only 18% of leaders feel capable of leading in this VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) world.”
How do you equip your leaders to navigate this fog and drive predictable results?
Step 1: From Reacting to Responding
Understanding how you respond to uncertainty is the first and most important step in taking control.
To help leaders build this awareness, 2Collaborate has partnered with AdaptiQ Minds to introduce a powerful psychometric assessment to the South African market: The Indicator of Ambiguity (I Am)®.
Marianna Seyffert, a Director at 2Collaborate, explains, “this tool is critical because it is one of the few assessments available in South Africa that measures how leaders deal with ambiguity, complexity and uncertainty.”
Targeted at senior leaders, this scientifically validated tool supports those who operate at a strategic level where VUCA pressure is highest. It gives them a structured way to make sense of uncertainty for themselves and their teams. The assessment begins by measuring three core dimensions.
Comfort with Ambiguity: The ease you experience when situations lack clarity or definition.
Desire for Challenging Work: The degree to which you welcome complexity, problem-solving and calculated risk.
Managing the Uncertainty: The mechanisms you rely on to navigate confusion and incomplete information.
But it doesn't just provide data; it outlines a clear development pathway. The tool links these dimensions to the practical skills that underpin them, such as comfort with social ambiguity. It also highlights eight teachable habits - like Curiosity, Creativity and Flexible Thinking Patterns - proven to build a stronger tolerance for ambiguity.
Step 2: Building Capability
Knowing your baseline is the first step; building capability is the next. We partner with leaders to turn these insights into action:
Immersive Workshop: A full-day workshop helps leaders understand their results, learn new tools and master the skills needed to manage ambiguity.
Develop New Habits: The workshop focuses on the practical, research-based habits that build resilience.
Embed with Coaching: Individual coaching reinforces the learning and ensures new behaviours are applied consistently and sustainably.
This solution can stand alone or be integrated into any of our existing leadership or strategy execution programmes.
The Real ROI: Predictability in an Unpredictable World
How does this help your organisation make strategy execution predictable?
As Marianna Seyffert puts it, "uncertainty is the opposite of predictability. You cannot achieve predictable performance if your leadership team is paralysed by uncertainty. Equipping them to be ‘fit for the fog’ is no longer a soft skill; it is a core strategic competency.”
Understanding how leaders respond to ambiguity strengthens the foundations of predictable execution in five ways:
Bridges the strategy–execution gapMany leaders excel operationally but struggle with the inherent uncertainty of strategic thinking. This work helps them step confidently into that space, which is essential for consistent execution.
Empowers leaders to make sense of VUCASenior leaders are responsible for absorbing volatility and translating it into clarity for their teams. When they can make sense of change, everyone beneath them can move with purpose.
Blocks the anxiety cascadeWhen senior leaders feel overwhelmed, it filters down into middle management and disrupts operations. Strengthening their ability to manage uncertainty stops this cascade and creates organisational stability.
Strengthens decision-making and team effectivenessLeaders learn to make sound judgments in complex environments and collaborate more effectively at the executive level, especially when working in matrix or high-stakes structures.
Supports resilience and wellbeingBy equipping leaders with the habits that keep them calm and grounded during uncertainty, it addresses root causes of burnout and enables sustainable performance.
The Leadership Advantage
The stakes are high. As Dr Danie Reitmann notes, “With 80% of leaders struggling to cope with change, imagine the edge it gives those who actually do something about it. It is a huge window of opportunity for competitiveness.”
The world is getting more complex. The leaders who succeed will be the ones who remain calm, decisive and resilient in the face of the unknown. When they do, their teams gain the confidence they need to execute predictably.
If you want your organisation to move faster, with more clarity and less disruption, now is the time to equip your leaders to be fit for the fog.
This Ambiguity Assessment forms part of our Individual and Team Development stream and is delivered through our specialised Psychometric Services. Contact 2Collaborate to discuss how this could work for your leadership team.
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