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Imagine driving at night on a winding, unfamiliar road. It's dark; the headlights illuminate only a short distance ahead, and there's no GPS for guidance. A fork in the road appears, and there's no sign or indication of where either path leads. Meanwhile, a car behind is tailgating and flashing its lights, creating pressure to make a quick decision.

When the potential consequences of choices are unclear despite a need to move forward, that’s ambiguity, says , Professor of the Practice in Systems Thinking and Design at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. 

The famous Yogi Berra quote still holds true: "When you come to a fork in the road, take it." It's essential to keep moving because mobility keeps discoveries vibrant, opens new options and offers reprieve from the consequences of inaction. The feelings of tactical confusion amidst times of ambiguity necessitate strategic focus.

The prevalence of speed and environmental pressure instills a feeling that everything requires immediate action. However, in the fog of ambiguity and the bright lights of others’ expectations, it seems as though the road narrows and the blind spots multiply. 

“Musician Ronnie Milsap said that the future is not what it used to be; I say it used to take longer,” says Suarez. “The rapid whiplash of these times has altered the concept of stability, creating heightened ambiguity and uncertainty about the future and the choices that shape it.”

An example of the torrid flow of information and its impact exists through the 24-hour news cycle. Before, a major story would break, remain dominant for weeks and have a tail of analysis and reactions. Now, news goes viral even before sources are verified or the facts are confirmed, and within 24 hours or less, a new story emerges, evoking emotions that oscillate between outrage and amusement. 

This contextual velocity fundamentally alters our concept of the future and erodes the capacity to see beyond the immediate, says Suarez. Tasks and decisions pile up, and “we feel stuck and drained by indecision.” He likens it to having too many tabs open on a screen, which captures sporadic attention and depletes the battery, yet does not necessarily equate to productivity. The volume diminishes the capacity to discern between noise and signal, while blurring any discernment between actions and reactions.

There are times when collecting more data or information does not increase understanding or resolve the tension between options. Those moments “require discernment, the art of wise judgment based on what we currently possess,” he says.

“Looking for predictability, certainty, control and agency becomes elusive. The future doesn't rest and is certainly not waiting for us,” says Suarez. “The environment is volatile, dynamic and even brittle. Norms and protocols that gave us stability are now routinely shattered.”

People instinctively try to be strong, stiff and steady in order to cope. Suarez believes the opposite should be true: the greater the force felt from the environment, the greater the need for malleability and flexibility. 

Consider how buildings designed to withstand earthquakes are constructed with buffers; they sway and shake, and once the quake's strength passes, the building returns to its original stability. Identify the equivalent of those seismic buffers and the actions and behaviors that will help stabilize, shift and maintain a sense of stability and direction, he says. 

“We cannot pressure ourselves to seek a precise destination as we navigate ambiguity,” says Suarez. “Committing to a general sense of direction will become more important than finding a precise endpoint.”

Here are five more insights from Suarez to help navigate ambiguous or uncertain times:

Embrace the mindset of a pioneer, not a settler. Ambiguity presents opportunities for discovery and innovation. Embracing the incomplete or unknown provides room to reimagine it. “While pioneers move boldly into uncertainty, settlers seek stability, practicality and long-term security. We must dare to explore the unclear, rather than reinforce the known,” Suarez says.

Shift your relationship with the vulnerability of not knowing. Instead of viewing ambiguity as a threat, see it as an opening—a gateway to growth and discovery. “Only when we admit we don’t have the answer can we create space to learn something new and create a unique or innovative answer,” says Suarez.

Take care of your future—before you have to. A crisis is the worst time to start planning. Fear and anxiety trigger our fight-or-flight instincts, narrowing our vision and making it harder to think beyond the present danger. Develop the skill of anticipation and contextualizing scenarios. Imagining plausible scenarios before they unfold will cultivate your interaction with the future. 

“Just like pilots train with simulations, practice running scenario-based drills. That way, when the unexpected happens, you’ll see it not as a crisis, but as a moment of choice,” says Suarez. “If you imagine the future, you won’t be surprised by it.”

Reframe your perspective. Job insecurity, economic, or geopolitical concerns require a reevaluation of available options. “Doing so will redirect your attention away from the insidious forces of unproductive worry and shift your thinking toward potential benefits. Reframing forces reflection and can spark a reassessment of your future,” Suarez says. 

Indecision impedes progress. Suarez recalls an anecdote shared by a friend who was driving with their father down a country road when a rabbit suddenly darted into the car’s path, stopped in its tracks, and was struck. Afterward, the father said, “If the rabbit had continued across the road the first time, it would have made it and been fine. If it had stopped and gone back to where it started, it would have been ok. But the rabbit’s failure to make a decision caused its own death.”