As a leader who’s on top of all the relevant trends you may know there’s a shift in how we describe our increasingly uncertain business world.
Hold on to your hat – there are new acronyms in town…
Now you’ll be familiar with VUCA – Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous. It’s a term coined in the ‘80s by Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus in their book “Leaders: the strategy for taking charge”. They believed that resilience in leadership was fundamental to keep pace with a changing world.
Let’s talk costs [cue eye roll]. Not your favourite topic, I’m sure, but we can do this.
Many of the organisations I partner with are grappling with 2025 costs right now.
Following last month’s budget, many in the UK are worried about the increase in operating costs for just staying in business.
Now I’m not here to debate the whys and wherefores of the budget (I’m sure you’ve got views…) but I do have thoughts on what you do about it!
You could be forgiven, as we come to the end of this spooky season, for being petrified about how close we are to the end of the year. So, as you reflect back…
Are you looking at your 2024 deliverables and celebrating with a treat?
Or are you feeling tricked by a lack of progress?
In these last couple of months stuffed full of reporting deadlines, flu bugs and Mariah Carey’s warbling, it’s hard to maintain momentum.
Ever found yourself coming back from holiday with more ideas than time to deliver them?
Or irritating the bejesus out of your colleagues after your summer break with all of your energy?
How many times have you used the phrase - "Well, it depends how you look at it?"
And was it just a platitude to shut down a disagreeable point? Or did you mean it?
I really hope you meant it. Because it's true.
Do you ever find your eye involuntarily twitching when you see the waffly, rushed comms your team members submit for approval? Or the dull as dishwater presentations you have to patiently critique?
I recently debated the tricky topic of standards with a coaching client. And how to set them with your team.
Sometimes it's the simplest advice that has the biggest impact. Case in point:
Client: We’ve introduced a mentoring programme for senior women, removed names from job applications, and run unconscious bias training for our leaders. But I know we still have a problem getting diverse voices into leadership. [Sigh]
Me: How are you measuring success?
Client: We’ve got the data consultants running some analysis on diversity.
Me: What’s the feedback on the ground on the things you’ve done so far?
Client: Erm. Don’t know.
Overheard in a coaching session recently….
Me: So, you think you’re confident with change?
Client: Yes. I react really positively to it.
Me: Really? Because that new service you were asked to deliver last year really sent you through a loop…
Are you struggling to make change at the pace you need?
Yes? Trust me, you’re not alone!
In amongst all the emails telling you the thing you bought in December is now half price (argh!) here's one that's worthy of a pause.
We’ve hit the reset button and have a brand spanking new year to play with.
And like fresh new snow that you’d love to walk in – you have a chance to make your mark in 2023 in exactly the way you want to.
