In a Hyper-Vuca World, Leaders Need To Do The Opposite

by TODD CHERCHES
2021

As the saying goes, we’re living in an increasingly VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous) world. In fact, we might even describe it as a hyper-VUCA world – as we are simultaneously dealing with external PESTLE (Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological, Legal, and Environmental) forces and changes that seem to be coming at us faster than the speed of light.

So, how are leaders to keep up? And what role must leadership play in helping organizations – and their people – navigate these turbulent times and lead us to our desired destination?

In recent years we’ve seen a tremendous leadership gap.

People are looking to be led, and in the absence of leadership, people will listen to whoever is willing to step up to the microphone.

In times like this, people are looking for bold, brave, and visionary leaders — regardless of formal or designated role, title, status, or position — who are will ing and able to step up to leadership.

In this VUCA world, what people need most is for someone to take that acronym and flip it on its head by seeking to foster an environment, culture, and climate that is its opposite: or what can be referred to as CCSC (Calm, Certain, Simple, and Clear).

With CCSC, each element offers an antidote to the VUCA challenges:

⇒ In the face of Volatility, leaders must create a sense of Calmness. Yes, there is a lot of stress, unrest, frustration, and anger out there, but an effective leader finds a way to create a sense of urgency, rather than a state of panic.

Rather than trying to light a fire under people, a true leader lights a fire within them, spurring them to action.

A good leader helps people to catch their breath, so that they can make better decisions and act more rationally and effectively–and find greater emotional health and balance in their lives.

⇒ When things are Uncertain, it is the job of the leader to create some degree of Certainty. No, leaders don’t have all the answers. No one does. Yes, there is still going to be a lot of uncertainty as our story is unwritten and our future is unknown. But as uncertainty creates a world of instability, it is the job of the leader to find a way to make people feel that they are still standing on a foundation of solid ground. Even Socrates said, “All I know is that I know nothing.” A good leader figures out a way to lead, even when he or she doesn’t have all – or, even, any of – the answers.

⇒ In a Complex world, leaders need to Simplify that complexity so that people can achieve some degree of understanding. Creating frameworks and models to try to make sense of the world – what I refer to as “thinking inside the box” – is one way to help us wrap our minds around the messiness of today’s realities. Simplifying does not mean “dumbing things down” or stripping them of their subtlety or nuance, or pretending that things are simpler than they are. As Einstein said, we should try to “make things as simple as possible, but no simpler.” Or, as Emerson put it, “Simplify, simplify.” In figuring out a way to simplify complexity so as to make it more manageable, leaders can enable better decisions and more effective actions. It is not easy, but it is necessary, for, as Da Vinci famously noted, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

⇒ Given the Ambiguity today, leaders need to help their people gain a sense of Clarity so they can somehow, even in the fog of current circumstances, find a way to see beyond the horizon. Leaders need to provide people with hope…and a lens through which they can envision a world that is different from and better than today’s reality. Sometimes a leader needs to look through the telescope towards the future; and other times they need to take a more microscopic view of the situation. Either way, the leader must formulate an inspiring vision…and be able to articulate that vision in a clear and compelling way, helping others see a way forward…and envision, with optimism, a world of new possibilities that lies ahead.

In times like these, the leader who can turn volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity into a feeling of calmness, certainty, simplicity, and clarity will inspire others to envision the invisible…while leading them to a future that, today, may seem impossible.

Lastly, leaders need to lead. But it is also important to remember that leaders are, themselves, people…and not robots. They are people with feelings and fears, moods and motivations, good days and bad. But as a leader, they have a higher calling and a higher responsibility, for they hold the feelings and fears, and moods and motivations, of their people in their hands.

As such, leaders need to ask themselves this metaphorical question:

“What is my ‘Leadership Weather Report’ today?”

When you walk into a room, are you a cloud of doom and gloom, casting a dark shadow on everyone, and threatening lightning and thunderstorms?

Or are you a burst of sunshine that lights up the room with warmth and good humor, filling it with a spirit of hope and optimism, positive energy and passion, and making people feel good to be around you and glad that you’ve arrived?

Are you the kind of manager who makes people feel bullied, threatened, intimidated, and scared? Or the kind who encourages and empowers people, boosting their morale and their confidence, and enabling, equipping, and empowering them to maximize their performance, productivity, and potential?

In short, even in a VUCA world, it is valuable – in fact, essential – for leaders to remember that unlike the weather outside, the climate you create inside is entirely up to you.