2. A VUCA Prime Mindset: 10 Maxims for Impact and Effectiveness

The second of ten maxims I find myself repeating often. I hope they resonate with you as they do with scores of business owners and leaders we have coached, advised, or otherwise helped.

I absolutely believe we’re living in a VUCA world – and keeping a VUCA Prime Mindset is what will propel success.

I’m guessing you’ve heard of VUCA: the term coined by the U.S. military in the 1990s, to represent Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity. It’s the world we live in – maybe it always has been, but modern realities from the pace of technology to climate change have made it ever truer today. It’s the context in which we make decisions and strategize for results.

I’m quite taken, though, with the notion of what Bob Johansen of the Institute for the Future calls VUCA Prime:  Vision, Understanding, Clarity, and Adaptability.

It’s that VUCA Prime Mindset that we need in leaders at every level of business. Vision to see a future and a way to get there. Understanding of what’s going on in the world around you. Clarity about the purpose and an ability to make sense of the complexity. Adaptability (or some use the word Agility) in the face of volatile and ambiguous realities, to manage the twists and turns that come your way.

The words are easy to say. The concepts can be harder to absorb. But when I see leaders who have the VUCA Prime Mindset, I see leaders who don’t just stay in the game, but write the rules of the game.

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Check out the first Maxim for Impact and Effectiveness: #1 Take the Principled Approach

Watch this space for numbers 3-10 – coming soon!

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