# Dealing with It By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2024-02-04 Much of work is simply dealing with it. Whatever “it” is, effective employees find a way to compensate and overcome shortcomings in the task and situation. This can be a challenging skill to develop, especially for those who require significant certainty to act. Those craving certainty will ask for more direction or wait until the task is clearer. Typically, managers want workers who take initiative rather than seek direction. Most managers would rather an employee produce something “good” within the general space of what was desired than spend excessive time defining the task in specific details. Of course, this assumes that the manager knows what is desired in the assignment, which often isn’t the case. It’s worth remembering that managers have managers too, and the task given to a worker was likely previously given to the manager. So, the manager might not understand clearly the assignment to convey to the worker. As a result, much of what one does is executed with a sense of vague understanding and uncertainty. Few people enjoy that environment; some learn to deal with it. Strategies for dealing with it vary. Developing a product that looks good, is free from error, and is coherent is a start. Suppose the product is insightful; all the better. Putting the assignment into the organization’s strategic context, examining the holes in the assignment, and making reasonable inferences and assumptions about what could fill those gaps tend to work well. As one gains comfort with uncertainty, one paradoxically becomes more certain in one’s ability to do so. One becomes certain that one can deal with it, whatever “it” is. This confidence makes one more efficient and effective and builds trust with management. Learning to deal with it is a career-enhancing skill to develop. #### Related Items [[Work]] [[Uncertainty]] [[Management]] [[Understanding]] [[Skills]]