A property manager makes a confident call on 66% of the information, knowing they can iterate with feedback.
Waiting for certainty before you decide adds ambiguity.
Carl von Clausewitz described the fog of war, the uncertainty that governs every decision made under real conditions. His point was that acting decisively on incomplete information is the capability that separates effective leaders from ineffective ones.
In multifamily operations, certainty is the exception. You price with incomplete market data. You hire with an incomplete read of the person. You commit capital on projections and educated guesses about the future. An operator who can’t move until the picture is complete is paralyzed and a risk to the outcome.
Comfort with ambiguity means finding the best decision available now, and committing to execute it well. Then staying genuinely open to revision when the market provides feedback.
They decided on 66%, having already named the signal that would tell them whether to adjust. And when the feedback presented, they pivoted.
Comfort with ambiguity is the discipline of choosing well now and revising without shame later. — Mike Brewer
Discussion Prompt: Describe a recent decision you delayed for lack of information. What were you waiting for, and in hindsight, would deciding earlier with less have produced a better or worse outcome?