Jill Geisler: How leaders can help their staffs navigate ambiguity

Managing change has long been a common topic for me in my teaching sessions. After all, change is a constant. But recently, I’ve been asked to help leaders with something related but different: ambiguity.

More than ever, it seems, leaders are managing in a climate of unknowns, with uncertainties lying around the corner. Factors driving this climate include:

• Uncertainty and unpredictability about tariffs, interest rates and federal budgets
• Questions about the availability and reliability of government data
• Shifting federal policies and programs
• Tenuousness of grant allocations
• Consumer confusion and caution
• Tech disruption, including AI

And the healthcare industry is far from being immune to these factors.^a

Any of these can cause uncertainty and anxiety. When staff ask whether their organization’s priorities, structure, processes or products are likely to be affected by these external forces, how should supervisors reply? How about when staff ask if their jobs might be on the line?

What do you say when you’re just not sure? How do you help people navigate ambiguity?

The importance of hope amid uncertainty

In times of uncertainty, leaders should meet their staff members at the intersection of optimism, realism and practical action — where hope resides. According to recent Gallup research, hope is far and away what people want most from their leaders.^b

That’s why you should share genuine optimism about the strengths, skills and values of your people. Talk about what’s working. Highlight best practices and efforts. Share good news and feedback whenever you can.

At the same time, be realistic. People appreciate straight talk about their frustration or fear. Go ahead, tell them: “It stinks to grapple with uncertainty like this.”

If you don’t talk candidly about the negative impact of the current environment, the optimistic things you say will come across as puffery. (That’s my tidied-up word for BS.)

7 practical steps for navigating ambiguity

A hopeful approach with only optimism and realism is not enough, however. It needs to be combined with practical action. Here are some recommendations that you can follow for yourself and share with your staff.

1 Power up your resilience skills. Continue doing your best work and take pride in it. Don’t come to work feeling like a victim. Remind yourself that, however stressful it might be, uncertainty doesn’t erase your worth. Don’t let it shut down your good ideas. Rather than being confounded by potential roadblocks, use your critical thinking skills and emotional intelligence to look for solutions. Resilience requires considering not only worst-case scenarios, but also opportunities. Be the person with a “plan B” and “plan C” in your pocket for your projects, your people and yourself. And be guided by your values. Your colleagues need to know that, amid uncertainty, they can count on your integrity.

2 Polish up your portfolio. Update your CV, your resume and your LinkedIn profile. Document your accomplishments and look for illustrations of your best work or testimonials about your performance. This will serve you well whatever happens, whether it’s a great opportunity or difficult challenge, like a reorganization.

But here’s an important warning: When sharing this advice with staff, be sure to underscore that it’s not a prediction that something awful is imminent. Explain that portfolio updating is always a smart thing to do because it provides a sense of control.

3 Understand the business reasons behind the current ambiguity. Your staff may complain that they’re not getting a strategic road map from top leaders in response to new challenges. Frankly, some organizations don’t communicate well in the best of times. But these days even those that do it well are probably working through layers of research and consultation.

Help your people understand the bigger picture of your organization’s strategy. Explain the many moving parts of strategic planning and the many stakeholders who — in addition to the employees, of course — might include the board of directors, investors, governmental relations staff, legal divisions, HR, tech officers, consultants, vendors and consumers, among others.

4 Beware of the villains of decision-making. In one of my favorite books on decision-making, the authors say we’re vulnerable to four things they call “villains,” that impede effective reasoning: narrow framing, confirmation bias, short-term emotion and overconfidence.^c

Also be sure to keep informed about market forces and industry trends. If you’re reading this publication, it’s a safe bet you’re already doing that. But make sure you’re also briefing your team on what you’re learning.

Each villain can cause us to make bad choices in work and in life, such as:

• Inaccurately deciding we have limited options
• Consulting only with people who tend to agree with us
• Making important decisions when we are angry, frightened or even elated
• Being too ready to believe we have all the facts to make a good decision

Think twice. It pays to talk things over with smart colleagues who can ask you probing questions so you’ll defeat those villains.

5 Fact-check the rumor mill. Don’t feed it. Uncertainty is a breeding ground for bad information. It’s human nature to speculate, but guesses can quickly turn to “gospel.” Ask people (politely) whether their info is fact-based or feeling-based. Help people learn how to double-check the accuracy of what’s on the grapevine. Be the source of their best-possible information.

6 Take better care of each other than ever before. Anxiety can lead to impatience, second-guessing, interdepartmental tensions, even backstabbing. (“What the heck do they even do on that team, anyway?”) Be clear that we need to strengthen our connections, not break them — and give each other even more grace than we usually do. We can’t let short-term uncertainty lead to misunderstanding and distrust, which helps no one.

7 Take exceptionally good care of yourself. As a leader, you are managing your normal workload plus the emotional labor involved in helping people navigate ambiguity. That’s no small task.

Framing hope for certainty

Let me sum up my underlying message in terms of optimism, realism and practical action:

Optimism: You’re a well-informed caring leader, which makes you valuable.

Realism: You’re doing heavy lifting, and it can take a toll.

Practical action: Find outlets to de-stress and make time for them (without guilt!). Listen to your trusted circle of mentors and fellow leaders. Stay healthy and happy.

Navigate to that intersection where hope resides. And take others with you. 

Footnotes

a. Recent HFMA news and other stories have focused on some of these factors, including Daly, R., and Hut, N., “Rural Health Transformation Program’s application deadline arrives, bringing states and hospitals a step closer to billions in funding dollars,” hfma.org, Nov. 5, 2025; Hut, N., “The healthcare payroll hit stemming from termination of the Affordable Care Act enhanced subsidies,” hfma.org, Oct. 21, 2025; and Perez, K., “The tariffs-driven trade war and its implications for healthcare,” hfm, December 2025-January 2026.
b. World Governments Summit and Gallup, Global leadership report: What followers want, 2025.
c. Heath, C., and Heath, D., Decisive: How to make better choices in life and work, Cron Currency, March 26, 2013.