If you have thought or said any of the following, you are experiencing VUCA:
“Time just goes too fast these days”
“I’ve got too much to do”
“My life at work is just crazed”
“There is not a minute for me to think”
“Nothing is clear or straightforward any more”
No, VUCA is not a nasty foot virus that you pick up in English public swimming pools. Nor is it the latest dance class invented by a Latin American entrepreneur. It’s a term invented by the military, and co-opted by strategic management types to talk about the conditions we are all living in today.
To learn what VUCA is and how to turn it from threat to opportunity…..
Here’s Wikipedia’s definition of the acronym:
- V = Volatility. The nature and dynamics of change, and the nature and speed of change forces and change catalysts.
- U = Uncertainty. The lack of predictability, the prospects for surprise, and the sense of awareness and understanding of issues and events.
- C = Complexity. The multiplex of forces, the confounding of issues and the chaos and confusion that surround an organization.
- A = Ambiguity. The haziness of reality, the potential for misreads, and the mixed meanings of conditions; cause-and-effect confusion.
Gone are the golden days – well, did they ever exist, really, and were they so golden? – when you could do a neat analysis and create a five year strategic plan, decide on a career and pursue it without changing direction, or when people believed that a leader knew more than anyone else and could prescribe how everyone would achieve set goals.
VUCA is the new normal, and the sooner we accept that as a way of life, the more likely it is that we will be able to perform and deliver results without the comfort of stability or a clear line of sight. Resilience and sustainability depend on how quickly we can interpret what’s happening around us, and how successfully we engage others to react nimbly and stay focused, balanced and on their game.
I have just spent a fascinating two days in a symposium in Boston exploring this topic with fellow coaches and consultants, and executives from four very different types of organizations: a global information company, a fast-growing biotech company, a global manufacturer, and a Massachusetts based health care organization. We learned of the tensions and pressures inherent in these industries today, and through our work together, I realized how, more than ever, business analysis and strategic solutions can only go so far to ensuring healthy, viable organizations and strong business results. Without supporting people, at all levels of the organization, and helping them be personally resilient and equipped to deal with VUCA times, the seeds of conflict and destruction will be sown.
Here’s my VUCA antidote to a VUCA world, or, put another way, how to be an effective leader in VUCA times:
Values and Vision
The people who emerge as leaders are not necessarily the ones with the correct title. All too often we see an absence of Values and Vision in those at the top. When conditions are volatile, and times are uncertain, people who can give others a sense of purpose and remind them of some core and deep-rooted principles, are better able to hold their teams aligned, accountable and productive. A client of mine in a global pharmaceutical company undergoing massive changes notices her team losing morale and dropping performance as fear and confusion set in. Very often unable to share any new information, she has nevertheless instituted regular conversations, always bringing attention back to the underlying values and vision that drew them to the organization, and can track a renewal of effort and engagement each time.
Universal Scanning and Unremitting Focus on Priorities
With too much data, our brains can quickly get overwhelmed. Equally, with not enough or constantly shifting information, we can get paralyzed. Either way, we end up not making sound decisions or not acting in an effective way. There are two parts to building your coping skills in this arena:
– Think bigger and look more broadly than your particular problem, dilemmas, or team. Look for the bigger themes and trends. Look at the whole system you are in, not just yourself. Look globally, not just at your own organization. You’ll be surprised at how a more universal perspective will help you discover different solutions and innovative approaches, if you are stuck in old ways while things are moving fast around you.
– Set boundaries and say NO to distractions and disruptive demands from intrusive people and unwelcome tasks. Make sure you take time every week, if not every day, to slow down and THINK about what your priorities are. Write them down and don’t lose sight of them. If you are operating in a turbulent sea of swirl, you have to create a platform for rest and replenishment, or else you will drown.
Create Conditions for Empowering Individuals, Communicate and Coach
One of the most effective ways to deal with VUCA environments is to help people make sense of things and clear a path through the clutter. Focusing on enhancing the quantity and quality of communication between people also helps to build a culture that can withstand relentless pressures and cope with constant change. Coaching is a key capacity-builder, but not everyone can engage the services of an executive coach. However, some of the core essentials of coaching can be deployed throughout an organization or used intermittently, in real time conversations. A couple of things you can do are:
– Shift your ideas about success and failure. So-called success may breed complacency and rapid obsolescence, and so-called failure could provide necessary learning for future improvements and innovation.
– Teach everyone coaching skills – with a little guidance, people can get better at listening, asking questions to help generate insights, creating action plans that align personal and business objectives, and holding people accountable for actually doing what they need to do.
Advance Agility and Authenticity
People, and leaders especially, need to develop the ability to adapt and stay afloat even if the tides are shifting and the rules of the game are changing. A combination of intellect, intuition and experimentation is needed to read the signals and course correct when required. What worked well yesterday will not necessarily work well today or tomorrow, in your professional role or in your business. Stay awake and you’ll be alive to opportunities that may look like threats and annoyances.
Leaders must have the courage to admit what they don’t know, and seek out advice, help and alliances in all corners of their organization and outside it. People who show up fully as themselves, in their humanity, without putting on a phony face, will be more likely to inspire and influence others, to ride the VUCA wave and survive, or even thrive, in the storms of today’s stressful and unstable world.
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