It’s a wonderful ‘VUCA’ life, right?
Consider England making it to the European Football Finals (2020). I didn't see that coming. Being an England supporter is to suffer as the team consistently underperforms in prominent tournaments.
Or a worldwide pandemic (2020-22) - didn’t anticipate this in our lives! Created rabid uncertainty and fundamentally rewired our thinking about human and digital interaction.
And Silicon Valley Bank collapsing in 48 hours due partly to an orchestrated bank run (2023) - not on anyone’s radar! Unmitigated chaos and volatility into a post-pandemic economic reckoning with an acute impact on the small business and founder communities.
These are a few examples, some with significant consequences, of a VUCA environment.
What is VUCA?
New to the concept of VUCA? The acronym, associated with military preparedness, is cited as being applied to business strategy in 1985 and described in the book 'Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge' by Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus. VUCA is to describe or reflect on the volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity of general conditions and situations.
So often, we are overwhelmed by the multitude of opinions, tasks, potential opportunities, to-do lists, etc., that, in their totality, add to the sense that we have no control, can't put down anything, and are at the mercy of a VUCA world. Said a different way, "Life is nuts!"
I don't know about you, but while I started this post by listing a few events from 2020 onwards, it's been VUCA in my world for much longer. I was first introduced to VUCA in a 2015 executive leadership program at KeyBank. Since then, for example, as a family, we are now living in our third city, added a second kid to the household, started (and finished) three jobs between us, lived through the George Floyd murder and its aftermath, and started a scholarship fund in response, to name just a few things.
Preparing for the launch of More Elephant, the past few weeks have brought solving for VUCA back into my worldview in an increasingly deliberate way. When the combination of a rescheduled time-sensitive appointment for a minor's passport application, a minor car accident (only my ego was hurt), navigating half-day school sessions for Fall academic conferences, and dealing with rained-out after-school sports events created a heightened level of VUCA in my world, I needed a plan of action.
Managing and Optimizing for VUCA
If VUCA is a constant, how do we individually and collectively manage and optimize in a VUCA world?
"The chief task in life is simply this: to identify and separate matters so that I can say clearly to myself which are externals not under my control, and which have to do with the choices I actually control. Where then do I look…? Not to uncontrollable externals, but within myself to the choices that are my own…"
—Epictetus, Discourses, 2.5.4–5
As Epictetus suggests, so much of our ability to "manage" in a VUCA world relies on separating the things we can't control from those we can and then determining which ones we can realistically tackle.
Managing and optimizing through a VUCA world means meeting VUCA experiences (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity) with VUCA solutions (vision, understanding, clarity, and agility)
Vision: start by having one, even for the seemingly small outcomes! Define that internal compass to motivate, create identity, and enable a scorecard when assessing what to solve. Self-awareness is key. Be clear about what you want to achieve and the desired end state.
Understanding: be curious, practice immersive learning, build comfort with ambiguity, and be willing to seek answers. Start with the end result and work backwards; practice scenario planning to think through "what if X happens."
Clarity: keep it simple, transparent, and with trust; practice true 'essentialism' regarding solutions, relationships, customer experiences, directions, and decisions.
Agility: react and respond flexibly, experiment, and practice deliberate prioritization as lessons are learned.
With this framework in hand, I reached out to my friend and coach, Ben Brooks, to get an additional set of ears (we are More Elephant, after all) on my plan to launch More Elephant. We crafted a revised, day-by-day plan to focus my efforts, experiment appropriately, and redefine what I could accomplish for More Elephant while juggling competing interests from family, work, and self-care.
By applying Vision, Understanding, Clarity, and Agility to the situation, the decisions I made while managing life against the 'best-laid plans' brought me back to the fundamental tenets of (a) what is within my control and (b) within my control, what is truly essential. It certainly made for easier decision-making and calmer reactions to the unforeseen. It was both liberating and nerve-wracking at the same time. The end result is peace of mind as I did not overload the day(s) to catch up to the original plan.
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To be More Elephant is to listen, learn, live, better. We are living in perhaps the most VUCA world many have ever experienced. We can solve the VUCA experience by applying VUCA solutions. As a thought leadership platform, More Elephant aims to help counter a VUCA world by focusing on fundamental areas of our intersectional, dynamic lives where we can listen intently and learn from others who are making a difference with the belief that we can live better and craft a wonderful life in a VUCA world!
Click the link for more detailed information on VUCA and start rethinking your approach.
