Organizations will continue to reorganize to keep up with the rapid changes affecting business and the way work is done. It is the only way they can survive. Work is going global. Jobs are going virtual. New technologies have created intense competition for business. Careers have changed. With the scope and speed of current change, new opportunities will be spotted by those who are open to seeing them and who welcome the future despite the environment of constant change, ambiguity, uncertainty, and unpredictability.

In the midst of such complexity, it is not uncommon for employees to receive ambivalent orders from executives who are experiencing anxiety because they don’t know what to do about conflicting goals. This is a time when everyone is trying to gain understanding and balance and figure out the situation. The survival of any organization improves when everyone steps up and takes on the role of a leader. Those who wait for rules and remain paralyzed by a lack of guidance may have penalties to pay – constant frustration and anxiety, and eventually, obsolescence.

Adopt a sense of adventure and navigate the complexity. “Young children don’t read instructions; they make intuitive connections, grab the keypad, and take off. They feel their way through the moves of the game while we sit on the floor trying to understand instructions that tell you how to turn the power on, how to connect the parts, but not how to play the game,” says Jennifer James, author of Thinking in the Future Tense.

Leadership in complex environments requires courage, character, and a broad perspective. For the full article register to receive Be Your Own Career Pilot – A Career Advancement Checklist. Use the registration box on the right. You’ll also receive 4 follow-up articles including New Behaviors for Complex Environments.