Embracing Ambiguity

I have been doing product development for a very, VERY, long time. Both individually through my own consultancy or as a contributor in a larger organization. It is not for the weak or faint of heart. It can be terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. There is a lot on the line, stress levels can be through the roof, hours can be insanely long, and once launched, therapy should be sought, or at least a few drinks and some down time. Honestly, I love doing it, I find it so much fun and I just love the challenge, thrill, and dopamine rush it gives me…of course I also don’t flinch at getting smashed in the head with a boxing glove at Muay Thai practice...my risk tolerance and pain threshold is pretty high.

Anyone who has developed product knows, whether physical or digital, you enter into a world of unknowns. New product in particular can be challenging as you normally try to work off of data from competitor products to inform your path…but it’s not YOUR product is it? This makes interpreting the data always a bit tricky. In some cases, you have no data whatsoever, so you pull from as similar a product(s) as you can find, and do A LOT of looking into a crystal ball. At least when developing off an existing product into say…a brand new iteration, it comes with existing data that you can pull over you like a comforting blanket. The variables that represent the “new” are more like that new mattress tag or itchy label you never read and eventually rip off. Not, mind you, that this is any easier…but the stress level is alleviated a bit knowing solid prior data exists.

Most people dislike unknowns. They prefer a concrete habitualistic existence. The sun rises, the sun sets, you eat breakfast at 8am, lunch at noon, dinner at 6. You have a specific route you take to work; you have certain daily tasks you do…routines. Humans in general, after all, are creatures of habit. Throw in Sales and Marketing that typically turn several shades of pale when someone mentions possibly messing with a product or service that affect their pipeline…panic begins to set-in.

When it comes to product development, whether on the leadership side or in the trenches, there is a mindset that can define who is good at it or not. It is something I would often tell my teams to help them maintain their sanity. It’s in the title of this post…Embracing Ambiguity. Some find this harder to do than others.

Due to the very nature of product development, new or upgrade, leadership and teams generally need the ability to embrace ambiguity, at some level, to move forward…often at break-neck speeds to meet delivery dates driven often by sales cycles. This is especially true in the formative stages of developing a new product or upgrade. There are so many variables and “wants” flying around, most of your time early-on is figuring out what can, can’t, and MIGHT be able to happen and be included. Yet, even when you think you have got everything down into as tight a plan as possible and then drove a stake into the ground, it’s not unheard of for someone, or something, to come in and rip out that stake. Sometimes it’s a minor adjustment, other times, you’re forced to practically rethink the whole thing. I’ve had the latter happen.

This is why embracing ambiguity is so important. Those who have the ability to embrace ambiguity and shift their perspective accordingly, will make it to the goal with less need of therapy. This isn’t to say that those that “can’t” are not highly valuable members of the team or process. The "can'ts" play a valuable role, but I find there is extra responsibility on the “can's” to help guide those that can’t; mitigating as much trauma and stress as possible caused by new directions or change.

Speaking of teams, let’s talk about teams for a bit, or rather, putting together the team’s mix.

When putting teams together, I have identified 3 basic categories of people. They are “can’s” or what I call Adventurists, “cant’s” or Habitualists, and “maybe’s” or Middlers. Yes, this is generalized and there are other considerations, but you have to start somewhere.

?1) Adventurists: A set of people who seek out the unknown, the different. There habits typically revolve around the pragmatic and absolute needs, but that’s as far as it goes. Their general character tend to be people who “listen to the beat of their own drummer,” many are entrepreneurs. In general, you will find these people to be more adventurous, visionary, and “free-spirited.” They are, in my opinion, the balance to those who are dogmatically habitual.

2)?Habitualists: These people are practically the polar opposite of the Adventurists. They vehemently dislike change, embrace routine and seek out a concrete existence full of known and predictable variables they can follow…sometimes to a fault. The mere mention of a change in routine or process activates defense mechanisms filled with blaring klaxon wails and walls with razor wire going up.

3)?Middlers: Finally, you have people who are right down the center. Both lobes firing and their existence comfortably sits between dogmatic routine and going outside their comfort zone on a semi-regular basis. They understand the value and importance of maintaining routines and consistency, but also understand things sometimes need to change…and they are not afraid of said change. Instead, they look at it with a critical view first, often offering ways to balance or improve the change, before they embrace it and look forward to the dopamine hit this change can bring. These people are fewer in my opinion. Most people I have come across tend to lean hard one way or the other.

Of the three categories, on a scale of 1–10 on who embraces ambiguity the most, I’d rank them as follows:

Habitualists - 2

Adventurists - 10

Middlers at - 7

Knowing this is a key factor in putting teams together. It’s getting this mixture of people right that will determine successful outcomes. I mean you can say this for just about any team, but for product development, it is of particular importance due to the fact that product development is typically a different beast altogether.

I personally have a loose set of percentile formulas, taking into account the 3 groups I described, I’ve found that works…and this is where I’m supposed to launch into an elevator pitch and tell you to contact me in order to gain access to that formula…but I don’t really work that way. Probably why I don’t own a Lamborghini by now.

?Instead, I’m just gonna say come back in two weeks for the second half if you want to read about my not-so-secret sauce I use.