In today’s day and age the term VUCA, short for volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, is often an all-encompassing excuse to explain away the hard work put into a particular position or course of action that goes astray. However, Johansen’s leadership opportunities of vision, understanding, clarity, and agility provide a roadmap to success by flipping the danger, like an aikido move in martial arts, absorbing the attach, and redirecting the energy of the attach in a positive direction (Johansen, 2007). Nathan Bennett, a professor at Georgia State University’s Robinson College of Business, and James Lemoine, a doctoral candidate at Georgia Institute of Technology, explain what VUCA means to everyday managers in their article Management: What VUCA really means to you. In turn, Cymbal Company CEO, Craigie Zildjian, provides an awesome example of someone who absorbs the difficulties of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, like a martial arts practitioner and redirects its energy in a positive direction.
The challenges of volatility as explained by Bennett & Lemoine (2014) as unexpected, unstable, and oftentimes remaining for an unknown duration of time are frightening challenges for any manager to tackle. They suggest that managers devote resources to preparedness. Volatility by definition has to do with uncertainty and instability so it is hard to be “prepared,” but if you follow a set of core values, as CEO Craigie Zildjian does the unstableness of the market should not affect your formula for the future. The Cymbal Company continually focuses on things like quality improvement, innovation, customer collaborations, empowering employees, and avoiding complacency (Zildjian, 2007). There is not a “sec...
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...o. The best investment any manager could make is to gain an understanding of what VUCA means for their organization, and flip that risk like an aikido move redirecting the energy of the situation in a positive direction as described by Johansen (2007). Bennett and Lemoine provide one way of explaining what VUCA means to everyday managers but it’s up to each individual manager to get his/her own understanding and turn that insight into a business formula for the future like Cymbal Company CEO, Craigie Zildjian.
Works Cited
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Bennett, N., & Lemoine, J. G. (2014). Management: What VUCA really means for you. Harvard Business Review, pg. 1-2.
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CVS CEO Larry Merlo demonstrates the transformational style of leadership. Transformational leaders like Mr. Merlo employs the kind of leadership that motivates employees to invest their energy into strategies ( Kouzes & Posner, 2007). His leadership philosophy and behavior aligns with the description and definition of a transformational leader. According to Kouzes and Posner (2007) , transformational leadership occurs when in the process of interaction, individuals raise one another to higher levels of motivation and morality (Kouzes & Posner, 2007). Their goal, which might have started as distinct and separate, but related, become fused (Kouzes & Posner, 2007). When individuals are part of an entity that raises them to higher levels
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Long term viability and lowering the risk of any possible action – the solution must be advantageous in the long run with the least amount of risk involved instead of just achieving short term cost advantages.
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The monumental consequences of strategic decisions call for individuals with unique performance abilities who can navigate the volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. inherent in the nature of those decisions. Aspiring leaders can rise to the challenge by undergoing self-assessment and personal.
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Resilience is the ability to cope with change. The resilience has long been touted as a essential capability for bouncing back from leadership setbacks. Resilience is not easily attainable in today’s ever-changing business environment. The faith that there will be an immediate solution when it’s not immediately evident, and the tenacity to carry-on despite a nagging gut feeling that the situation is hopeless; it requires courage to achieve such high level of success in one’s career. A strong leader tries to keep away frequent setbacks and new challenges in face of uncertainty. The practical knowledge that he/she gains through this learning experience guide the organization through difficult times.
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To remain competitive and employable in the twenty-first century workplace, society today must conform to the changing demands. Technology is one of the principal driving forces of the future; it is transforming our lives and shaping our future at rates unprecedented in history, with profound implications, which we cannot even begin to see or understand.