The recent pandemic and other upheavals have underscored a very challenging truth for all corporate leaders:
We are seriously immersed in a VUCA world, and we need new leadership skills to navigate it.
What is VUCA, and why does it make effective leadership so challenging? Here’s how Wikipedia summarizes it:
VUCA is an acronym…to describe or to reflect on the volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity of general conditions and situations. The U.S. Army War College introduced the concept of VUCA (and it) has subsequently taken root in emerging ideas in strategic leadership that apply in a wide range of organizations, from for-profit corporations to education.
Volatility. Uncertainty. Complexity. Ambiguity. Can any four words better describe our rapidly-changing business environment? No wonder so many employees sometimes feel overwhelmed. And so many leaders feel like they’re navigating in difficult waters.
This is why today’s – and tomorrow’s – leaders need to learn how to set direction and communicate with Clarity.
I’ve provided Clarity coaching and workshops for many individuals and corporations over the years (you can over 100 testimonials on my LinkedIn profile if you’d like!) And the common thread is this: these are all brilliant, skilled people who are struggling to make themselves clearly understood in a noisy, VUCA world.
Leadership Clarity boils down to two fundamental skills that will be of great importance in the months and years to come:
- Setting (and re-setting) definite, clear direction with words that inform and engage team members;
- Communicating daily in a simple, human-ready manner that leads to action and effective collaboration.
“I’ve relied on Steve for years to bring clarity at a departmental level as we branded our group and communicated its value in the organization. The results were outstanding, shaping our culture, our identity, and our internal messaging.” – Jason Zeman, Senior Director, Leadership and Organizational Development, Bausch Health
Clarity is so central to how we move forward confidently in business leadership that I wrote an entire book on the topic – Clarity Wins. This book unlocks the secrets of how humans hear, process, and act on information, and how we can best use clear words to gain the results we’re seeking.
The book contains many valuable principles and practices; but, the rubber meets the road in individual situations. That’s why I offer Clarity Consulting for corporate leaders, especially those in complex environments that demand a lot of cross-functional communication. I work one-on-one with leaders seeking to set clear direction, and communicate to their teams (and other colleagues) in the most effective manner possibly. I also work with groups in a workshop environment to upskill entire teams in these vital practices.
Clarity Coaching can occur virtually, or in-person. I work with you to up-level your skills in the face of our dynamic, VUCA business environment. These engagements are designed to occur over a period of weeks and/or months until desired goals for effective communication are reached. Think of Clarity Coaching as targeted form of Executive Coaching.
I also offer Clarity Coaching and workshops for consultants and individuals in career transition seeking fresh direction and more effective branding/messaging – read about these shorter-term coaching/consulting engagements here!
Contact me to set up a free 20-minute phone session to discuss your clarity needs. I look forward to helping you move forward…with clarity.
For your further reading: 12 Critical Competencies for Leadership in the Future (very helpful graphic in this article).