Think. Connect. Act: Action Precedes Clarity.

When going through hell, don’t stop.

In complexity, the path forward reveals itself over time, but only if you're moving.

While my last two newsletters explored thinking and connection, this one shifts the spotlight onto action.

One of the defining characteristics of complex environments is emergence. When the situation can shape-shift before your eyes, you can't figure everything out in advance.

The purpose of action is not just to deliver something, but also to learn and provide feedback into the thinking process.

Learning through action

Kurt Lewin is famous for saying, “you never really understand a system until you try to change it.” It is only when you take action that you see the subtleties and nuances that are hidden when connecting with people.

Taking action in complexity also requires an acceptance that you don’t have full visibility of the situation, an acknowledgement of the fact that there are risks and that there will probably be surprises. The goal is to move anyway, with the intent to learn more about what you face.

Find a way

Finding a way is about being relentless and unstoppable in achieving the result you want, regardless of the situation that presents itself. This is not about throwing out planning, but about recognising that no plan survives first contact with reality.

Complexity can confuse you, can send you back around in circles, and grind you down. It requires the ability and willingness to sense and respond to what is occurring. And more significantly, it requires the humility to change course. When things are foggy, you just need to see the next marker, not all the way to the end of the path, but you need to be ready to adjust the plan.

When it comes to moving in ambiguity, anchor yourself in the desired outcome, solve for the immediate constraints and listen to what comes up.

Create safe experiments

When you are stuck, take action to create movement.

In complexity, action needs to be combined with curiosity. Listen to feedback. Try something different. Learn, and adjust.

Experiments, like prototypes and labs, are techniques that have a focus on learning and are a great way to engage with ambiguity. Just make sure that you run them to learn, not to prove that you are right.

Questions to reflect on:

If you are struggling to find a way forward, ask yourself:

• Where are you waiting for clarity that may never come?

• What is the smallest next step you can take?

• What safe experiment could help you learn more, faster?

• Is your current action building momentum or exhausting the team?

Think. Connect. Act.

Thinking gives us clarity. Connection gives us alignment. Action gives us energy.