Lately I feel like I’m living in a tumble dryer. Uncertainty and volatility abound. I’ve wondered at times if it is just me, or if others feel the same. It seems from a quick perusal of my friendships and cohorts, and in listening to a radio interview that touched on the subject, that I’m not alone.
It only takes five minutes in front of the news to get the feeling that ambiguity and volatility aren’t going anywhere soon. But, I think that learning to thrive while actively engaging with uncertainty is new for many of us. To do this effectively, it seems my toolbox needs a slight modification to get up to speed with my ever changing world.
One of Canada’s top economists, Sherry Cooper, was recently interviewed by Anna Maria Tremonti of CBC Radio’s ‘The Current’. During the interview Dr. Cooper was asked what she tells people to watch for in these times. “Lately, I have been talking a lot about volatility, uncertainly, complexity, and ambiguity.”, answered Dr. Cooper. She went on to say, “Just being resilient and adaptable is absolutely essential.”.
Dr. Cooper then spoke of an acronym that is the buzz in the business world: VUCA. The term VUCA was originally used by the American Military to describe conditions they face in the field. Leaders in other sectors started to make use of VUCA when wanting to make sense of, and find new ways to approach, the challenges they were facing. Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous. Sound familiar?
Many of us experience VUCA in life and business on a daily basis. So, how do we embrace this new way of being when we are so used to old world solutions such as problem solving to reduce uncertainty in our lives?
Living successfully in a VUCA world means adding and modifying our toolboxes to include:
– Creating short-term solutions & readjusting as necessary
– Thinking on your feet
– Paying attention to your intuition
– Being curious
– Networking with friends and colleagues more frequently
– Thinking in innovative ways
– Allowing priorities to change
– Taking more risks
– Getting used to feeling uncomfortable
If you can’t beat them, join them. It doesn’t seem like a world full of VUCA is going away. While getting used to feeling uncomfortable feels anything but comfortable, learning new ways to live in our ever changing environment does seem like a good way to move forward.
How are you fairing in a VUCA world? And, how would learning to ride the wave of VUCA more effectively change your life?
Sherry Cooper’s CBC interview can be found at: click here
