If you’re up to accomplishing something inspiring and worthwhile in the realm of transformation leadership and/or business development, you will often find yourself facing questions, decisions and situations that present an unnerving state of uncertainty. In fact, no matter what you do and what area of your life you look, you’ve already experience this a lot.

The bad news is that uncertainty is essentially the opposite of confidence, which we all aspire to develop and build on as an important ingredient in our success.

The good news is that there are some simple ways to deal with uncertainty that you can practice anytime you need, and thereby build even more confidence and strength.

But first, an inspiring quotation from John Houston Finely, 3rd President of the City College of NY…, who is known to have said “Maturity is the capacity to endure uncertainty.” I’m personally inspired to use this quotation today because last week I was honored to be included at the inaugural event of ACG Cares - hosted at The Macaulay Honors College of CUNY.

Let’s go over four situations of “not-knowing” and explore how to get confident and clear:

Not knowing the answer to a question – This is a big one. We all would like to think we have all the answers, especially when we’re good at what we do. But we’re not perfect, and so it’s important to be prepared.

When making a presentation, having a meeting or networking, make sure you have memorized the answers to the key frequently-asked-questions you are responsible for.

For information that is regularly changing, set up an easy and fast reference system so you can get answers quickly and efficiently.

In the event that you can’t answer a question right away, don’t worry. People will respect you if you answer honestly and professionally by saying: “That’s a great question. I don’t have a thorough enough answer for you right now. When could I get back to you about that?” If the questioner really wants to know, that will become an opportunity to enhance a relationship!

Not knowing the solution to a problem– There are two steps to this, and is best done in a team environment, or at least in collaboration with another person.

Breakdown – identify all of the aspects of the problem.

Brainstorm – come up with all types of ideas – good, bad, ugly, and brilliant – and explore them without judgment. Doing this allows unusual ideas to be presented, which can be turned into out-of-the-box thinking.

Stuck on a Big Decision – Follow the three step process:

Set a deadline – You might think that this adds stress, but knowing there is a definitive endpoint actually makes the process a little easier – you’ll feel better and get more support when you know specifically when you’re going to complete this process.

Gather the data – Gather information, explore your feelings on the matter, weigh the pros and cons, and look at what I like to call the “fork-in-the-road factor.” If you go down Road A, what’s the cost if you change your mind – and how does that compare if you start out on Road B and then change your mind?

Introspection – The day before the deadline, find your favorite environment to reflect and ask yourself this question: “What is my best next move?” Don’t think about “should” and “shouldn’t”, but go with your gut, and trust your instinct.

Not knowing the answer to the smaller decisions – This is a great way to practice honing your gut instinct. With the smaller decisions, trust your intuition. My friend, David, calls it “belly brain!” Get to know it better and better and it will always serve you well.

Have a question you can’t answer, or a decision you’ve been hesitant in making? Look through these steps and trust your gut. And if you find yourself a bit overwhelmed, let me know and we’ll figure it out together!