You’ve Entered the Gray Zone

What to do when communications are not very clear

September 2, 2025

One of the more jarring transitions from school to work, or from a a smaller company to a larger organization, is the change in style of directions and communications. If you’ve spent most of your life getting clear expectations from professors, coaches, or a leader of a small team, you might find big company communication baffling at times. Instructions can be vague, feedback is potentially non-committal, and direction can feel more tentative than definitive.

This communication style can be unsettling. If you’re trying to make a strong impression at work, eager to deliver on your objectives and anxious to avoid a wrong move, receiving unclear communications creates a challenge.

It’s all too common: ambiguity is part of the corporate landscape. The trick is to recognize it and to learn how to move confidently within it.

We’ll look at how to work through unclear situations, how to read between the lines of vague communications, and when it’s time to ask for clarity versus when to wait it out.

Nate’s Remote Work Limbo

After completing 3 rotations in a management development program, Nate decided it was time to move to a different company. For his new role, he got a verbal assurance during the interview process that, after an initial ramp-up, he’d be able to work remotely “for the vast majority of the time.” He was really excited about the possibility of 100% remote work because it would give him the flexibility to live wherever he wanted after moving 3 times in the past 5 years.

At first, Nate had to uproot his life to “temporarily” work full-time from the company’s rural satellite office located 2 hours from his city apartment. He assumed paying housing costs in 2 locations would be short-lived as the initial ramp-up was not planned to be very long. He was all in on the new job and enjoyed the people and the work at the new company. But as the weeks turned into months, the topic of his pending remote work arrangement didn’t resurface in a clear way. His manager never brought it up again, and he could not find other examples of remote working situations among his coworkers.

The company remained vague about when he might be able to shift to remote work. He asked subtle questions during his 1:1 meetings with his boss and got non-answers. “We’re still figuring out what’s best for the team.” “We’ll probably have more clarity soon.” Meanwhile, he was itching to move out of temporary housing and get back to his apartment in the city but didn’t want to risk being perceived as pushy, or uncollaborative or only out for himself.

Nate was caught in a gray area. The guidance was murky, expectations were implied, and answers were hard to come by. Nate was at crossroads and had to decide: should he push for a real answer now or should he sit back for a while longer to find the right opportunity?

Why Some Communications Are Vague

Vagueness doesn’t always stem only from poor communication. There are times that leaders themselves don’t have a clear answer, and they are reluctant to admit that they don’t know. They could be waiting for decisions from above, navigating change behind the scenes, or trying to preserve flexibility for the future. It’s also common for leaders to be intentionally non-committal to avoid locking themselves into a position before they’re ready.

This ambiguity can be a normal function of how companies keep their options open, manage change and navigate through uncertainty. Managers who use vague communication as a way to maintain flexibility or handle unknowns are not considering how the recipient of the communications feels. They often don’t appreciate that the employee may be in a state of limbo, either professional or personally.

How to Handle Vague Communications: When to Wait vs. When to Push

Not every situation calls for immediate action. Sometimes, letting things unfold a bit longer gives you more context, provides greater understand or surfaces new (and potentially better) options. Other times, you need clarity sooner to make life decisions.

Here’s how to tell the difference.

Wait: When to Sit Back and Listen

You’re New: In the first few months of a new job or a new company, you are in learning and observing mode. Take time to understand the team dynamic and your manager’s style.
Low Impact Decision: If pressing for an answer doesn’t really impact what you’re doing this week or this month, give yourself a chance to observe more.
You’re Not Alone: If more seasoned team members are in the same boat, it’s possible that this approach is typical for your company or for your leaders.
Your Manager Really Doesn’t Know: Your manager may be fully transparent about his or her not having answers yet. It’s possible that they are actively working to gain clarity.

Push: When to Ask for Clarity

Urgent Personal Decision: Major life choices like relocation, family needs, financial decisions increase the need to have a concrete answer.
Timeline Shift: If you notice that timing for a clear response has drifted beyond your original expectation, or if the timing continues to move by small increments, it’s fair to revisit the topic.
Pattern of Avoidance: If you notice a series of vague answers that persist over time and there’s no movement, it is time to find a way to press politely and a bit more assertively.
Foundation of Trust and Credibility: Once you’ve established a strong foundation, you can afford to be more direct.

How to Ask for Clarity

When the circumstances are right and you’ve decided to push for an answer, it’s important to take the right approach.

Let’s look at how Nate approached his manager about 2 months into his new job. This approach can be adapted for many different situations.

“I wanted to follow up with you about our earlier conversation about remote working. I am really enjoying my work here, and I feel like I’ve learned a lot. Now that I am past the initial onboarding, I’m confident that I can succeed in the remote working arrangement. I completely understand that things are still evolving, but I’m trying to plan ahead a bit on my end. I’m looking to move soon and wanted to have enough time to settle into the new place. Do you have a sense yet of when we might have a more specific date for my remote work?”

This framing shows respect for the complexity of the situation and the company’s objectives, while also politely presenting a case for his personal goals.

Ambiguity as a Growth Opportunity

Like many situations in our professional lives, challenges give us opportunities to grow. Sorting through vague communications is no different. Dealing with this type of ambiguity helps on two fronts. First, recognizing a muddy answer allows us to manage our frustration, understand it better and navigate through without an overly emotional reaction. Second, conflicting or evolving information helps us develop our filters that we’ll deploy in future leadership positions.

We will be better equipped to act, to wait, to learn more and to communicate. We may even learn to admit that we don’t yet have all the answers and will do our best to communicate when we know more. If we, as leaders, are better able to navigate these gray zones, we can set the right example.

Understanding that not everything will be black and white will help make you more effective AND less stressed. Ambiguity is a part of the fabric of many organizations because these organizations are operating in a changing business environment. When you have the knowledge and understanding of what’s behind a vague communication, you’ll be better able to advocate for yourself, and you’ll become a stronger contributor and leader in the process.