Leadership in VUCA World: Perspectives on #IndiaHRChat

Tanmay Vora
Updated on

Today’s business environment is best described as VUCA – Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous. VUCA is, quite simply, the expression of the fact that the rate of change is outpacing our ability to adapt. As a result of this, businesses, industries and careers are disrupted faster than ever before. We have to seriously rethink about how we lead ourselves, others and our organizations. Old ways of leadership have to give way to newer mental models based on agility in decision making, critical thinking, adaptable learning, people orientation and responsiveness to change.

What challenges does VUCA world pose to us as professionals, leaders and learners? This was the topic of June Edition of #IndiaHRChat in presence of special guest Faisal Hoque – an entrepreneur, author of Everything Connects – How to Transform and Lead in the Age of Creativity, Innovation and Sustainability (McGraw Hill, Spring 2014) and contributor to FastCompany and Huffington Post.

The vibrant and thriving community members of #IndiaHRChat from all across the globe jumped into this conversation and added nuggets of their wisdom to enrich the collective lessons of all participants.

Here is a snapshot of the chat with a few selected tweets that capture the essence of ideas to lead in the VUCA world.

Is VUCA more hype than reality? How have you experienced it in your work?

The world was always VUCA. Accelerated rate of change has just made it more prominent. ~ @tnvora

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We can call it whatever we want — overcoming #adversity is what work and life is about. ~ @faisal_hoque

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VUCA is real. Business models are being challenged and disrupted. Pace of change is increasing. Its crazy! ~ @siddharthnagpal

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High level of adaptability and flexibility with agile mind that is buoyant is necessary for survival today ~ @vivekparanjpe

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Speed and breadth of change only increases the potential of disruption and makes it overwhelming. ~ @tnvora

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It’s about #mindfulness, #devotion, and #authentic path to find our true callings. That’s where #inspiration come from. ~ @faisal_hoque

What is the biggest challenge of living in a VUCA world as an individual/organization?

Creative destruction is the essence! Fuelled by choice! ~ @_Kavi

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@_Kavi absolutely! And building one’s learning agility 🙂 http://bit.ly/1ji1EV6 ~ @GautamGhosh

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There are no prototypes to fall back on. No check lists. No maps. ~ @tanvi_gautam

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CHALLENGE IS IN HAVING A VISION. Challenge is in evolving road map every day to reach what’s planned. ~ @vivekparanjpe

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Staying positivity, building resiliency, and be focused on impact while balancing the short term and the long term. ~ @faisal_hoque

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From local to global to now social, the time to adapt has crunched, can be volatile and complex to deal with for many ~ @pujakohli2

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Agility – tuning and shifting technology, processes, people and structure constantly for adapting to change. ~ @tnvora

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Every day/ every moment is unique, no historical data, no road map on guidelines. Look for answer within, adapt. ~ @paraskhatri

How should learning journeys shift to adapt to a VUCA world?

The ‘building your plane as you’re flying it’ analogy describes the challenges of the VUCA world ~ @sundertrg

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Orgs must learn at the speed of the business. In a VUCA world, Learning Now > Retrospect ~ @sundertrg

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The most resilient among us will often find a way to fight it by embracing it. ~ @faisal_hoque

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Learning must move from a rail road (fixed path) model to a sail boat (responsive to winds of change) model. ~ @tanvi_gautam

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Leadership development focused on learning agility, self-awareness, comfort with ambiguity, & strategic thinking ~ @vivekparanjpe

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VUCA is about on-the-go. Contextual.Dynamic. If learning isn’t readying you for this, it isn’t learning ~ @_Kavi

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Constant learning, re-learning (in line with given context) and unlearning is vital. ~ @tnvora

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Learning in a VUCA world is experiential. All about experiencing and developing responses ~ @JoyAndLife

How are VUCA world careers different from the old economy careers?

Portfolio careers: One person, many careers are here to stay! ~ @tanvi_gautam

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VUCA careers of the future will be like that of film stars, you play different roles in every second movie 🙂 ~ @ideabound

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Never say I am specialized in this or that. Careers are about saying I open to do what is needed. I am open to learn ~ @vivekparanjpe

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A VUCA resume isn’t about a set of companies worked in. But about a bag of expertise picked up! ~ @_Kavi

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The only way that we can deal with our blind spots is to find people who have different ones ~ @faisal_hoque

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Careers are being built on – I CAN rather than IQ ! ~ @tanvi_gautam

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You have to craft your own career. It is not the responsibility of HR, your boss, your company. Wake up ! ~ @tanvi_gautam

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Inclusion, diversity and collaborating through an inter-generational workforce would be the hallmark of success ~ @nohrgyan

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"Portable skills" combined with powerful big-picture view is the key to succeed in VUCA world. ~ @tnvora

What skills enable one to survive & thrive in a VUCA world ?

First – Learning agility. Everything else after that. If you don’t have Learning Agility, it’s game over. ~ @JoyAndLife

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Adaptability & buoyancy ~ @sandeepcen

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Lean into the challenges and be energized with change ~ @tnvora

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Sense making from ambiguity, social intelligence, novel thinking, cross culture competency, design, digital. ~ @yagiwal

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"Water is fluid, soft, and yielding. This is another paradox: What is soft is strong." ~ @faisal_hoque

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Compassion for self and others would be a great need in the VUCA world ~ @nohrgyan

Willingness to reconfigure plans in a short notice. ~ @tanvi_gautam

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Critical thinking dealing with complexity ambiguity and speed will be critical in #VUCA world. ~ @vivekparanjpe

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The ability to visualize our dreams creates a mindset that makes our ambitions possible. ~ @faisal_hoque

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A mindset of collaboration not competition.Fluidity not fixatedness.Fundamentals not formulas. ~ @tanvi_gautam

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Ability to turn on a dime.To destory your own plans and adopt another’s.To quickly tweak or reinvent. ~ @JoyAndLife

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Adversity inherently invokes pain. Accepting and growing through our pain is part of our personal growth. ~ @faisal_hoque

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In a VUCA world must learn to “color outside the lines” recognizing the artificial boundaries that keep us from progress ~ @SusanMazza

What is the ideal profile of a VUCA world leader?

The ideal profile is a person of opposites. Humble but self-assured. Decisive but seeks opinion. Analytical but intuitive.~ @JoyAndLife

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To read much from a few words.to distill. To disrupt.To demand. And of course to design the future ~ @_Kavi

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Is True to the vision.Communicates clearly. Has Deep understanding of business. Agile.Empathetic. People oriented. ~ @tnvora

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A6 to realize that he/she is not a leader 🙂 ~ @GautamGhosh

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They Curate Talents ~ @faisal_hoque

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They Power Innovation ~ @faisal_hoque

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The leader who leads from the BACK of the crowd & harnesses the power of diversity.~ @tanvi_gautam

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VUCA is not build for ideal. Stereotypes won’t work & we don’t know what will. It’s the process of figuring out & adapting ~ @sundertrg

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Vision Understanding Clarity Agility – (VUCA) are few key Leadership skills ~ @shweta_hr

 

What is the opportunity presented by living in a VUCA world ?

Appreciating, Accepting and Adjusting are the three A’s to cope up in a VUCA world ~ @khushbootanna21

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To create your own sliver of the world 🙂 ~ @GautamGhosh

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The opportunity to renew.To serve. To relearn & most importantly – To stay young! ~ @_Kavi

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Opportunity to be learning constantly and meeting so many fine people is the greatest personal gift of the VUCA world ~ @nohrgyan

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The gift of VUCA – learners for life.Appreciation for the here and now.Interdependence of goals. ~ @tanvi_gautam

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In VUCA world – Ideas are winners. Not people, not lineage & certainly not experience ~ @sundertrg

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Forces us to connect with ourselves and others — as result we have better opportunity to create and impact. ~ @faisal_hoque

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In VUCA world – Opportunities end where the imagination does ~ @sundertrg

 

That’s it from this edition of #IndiaHRChat. In just about one hours time, 1153 bite sized ideas were posted by 95 contributors reaching more than 400000 people. Amazing, isn’t it?

Happy Leading!

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Also Read at QAspire:

Fostering Emergent Leadership: Bite Sized Insights on #IndiaHRChat

Bite Sized Insights on Personal Branding #IndiaHRChat

Coaching Culture: The Art and Science of Success #IndiaHRChat

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3 Comments

In 100 Words: Agility and Embracing Uncertainty – By Tanmay Vora September 8, 2015

[…] key to success in VUCA world is to embrace the uncertain without waiting to be thrown into it. That which is predictable merely […]

VUCA and Leadership Mindset For The Future – By Tanmay Vora October 19, 2015

[…] in the world of work is outpacing the rate at which we can adapt. In this world, best described as VUCA, several forces are at […]

Arvind Bhakar November 8, 2015

WoW! Great ideas shared by great people. Give very good insight into future leadership.