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Wait, isn’t that backwards? Don’t we want to turn confusion into clarity?
Not always.
I was in a meeting recently where confusion emerged from clarity and that was exactly what needed to happen. We started out with a clear plan and simply needed to work out implementation. Personally, I was sure that we were on the right track.
As we explored implementation, some unintended consequences started to emerge. We got curious about those consequences and about other ways to meet our objectives. Things got messy and confusing! And that’s exactly what needed to happen.
Sure, sometimes that becomes analysis paralysis. And, more often, teams leap into action prematurely and then unintended consequences produce fallout
When we can replace our certainty with curiosity, the conversation opens up. Yes, that can create some confusion. And then we find our way back to clarity. We make better decisions and our teams are more aligned.
So, get curious. See if you can turn your clarity into confusion that leads to better solutions.