The Roaring 2020s Speakeasy Team – Authors Kimberly Layne Roberts, Twiana Armstrong and Matt Schlegel – look ahead to the drivers of VUCA – Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity – in 2024.
Here’s links to resources Twiana mentions:
https://www.mindtools.com/asnydwg/managing-in-a-vuca-world
https://ifundi.co.za/leading-managing-vuca-world/
https://au.indeed.com/lead/managing-leading-vuca-world
Find more about Kimberly, Twiana and Matt here:
Kimberly Layne: https://www.kimberly-layne.com/
Twiana Armstrong: https://linkedin.com/in/twianaarmstrong
Matt Schlegel: https://evolutionaryteams.com
#VUCA #Leadership #Roaring2020s
[Video Transcript]
[Matt Schlegel]
Happy New Year. So we’re now in 2024, the fifth year of our Roaring 2020’s, and they’re continuing to really roar!
We have a lot of things going on this year that will be diverting our attention here and there, not the least of which is the upcoming election. So we can say that the volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity that we’ve been dealing with since the start of the pandemic will be continuing.
And now, on top of elections, pandemics, wars and climate change, we have artificial intelligence really taking off, and there are good things and bad things about that.
I am eager to see how AI can help with team problem solving. I have started a conversation with a person who is using various AI platforms, like ChatGPT, Bard, BingChat, to each build a problem-solving team, and then have those different teams collaborate across each of the AI platforms to come up with solutions for complex problems like climate change. I am fascinated by this work and will be following it closely this year and looking to how I can learn, grow and adapt my teamwork consulting business to utilize these amazing new tools.
What are you two looking to in 2024.
[Kimberly Layne Roberts]
This is a new ERA – where the E in Era will be replaced by “AI”-RA. “AIRA”
Bill Gates said there were two technological innovations in our lifetime that would change the world.
The first we know was in 1980 when he was introduced to a graphical user interface—which became the forerunner of every modern operating system, including Windows
The second we are coming to know is AI. Bill observed the power of Open AI: when he observed AI engine had passed an AP Bio exam consisting of 60 questions with a score of 59/60 correct and it had answered 5 open ended questions correct a (5/5). He thought this was going to change the world and it is! It is a new era that is spelled AIRA.
Yes, Matt and Twiana, VUCA Is alive and well, and I would like to suggest we add a “D”VUCAD for distrust and disbelief. Along with the positives of AI for healthcare, learning, the way we work, and communication, it also is creation a mistrust and a distrust of what is real and what is not.
For example, it is very likely that people will be leveraging AI and digital tools to influence the outcome of the election. We have witnessed deep fake images, and voices, of those in the public eye such as entertainers, and politicians.
What do we believe and what do we not? I think that D should represent defining boundaries, defining regulation, and defining consequences for creating dishonest material.
This is a new AIRA. How are we going to ensure it is to our benefit and not our destruction? I know I will be much more discerning in what I believe, observe, and adopt as reality in my communication, my coaching and in my leadership. It instills in me a strong desire to make sure I continue to lead with strong integrity, trust, and honesty.
Twiana, what are you thinking about for 2024?
[Twiana Armstrong]
Listen up, Leaders, denial is not an option! In this world of VUCA, volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, leading and leadership has changed. Business consultants point to the beginning of the 2020s as another decade of turbulence. As you operationalize your 2024 strategic plan, assess your environment including how you will lead during these times of post pandemic, climate change, political extremism, the evolution of social justice and the revolution of AI. The US military introduced VUCA into our lexicon in the 1980s. As a leadership consultant, my conversations with leaders focus first on understanding their environment to developing a 4-point plan that leads through volatility to vision, from uncertainty to understanding, from complexity to compassioned clarity and from ambiguity to aligned agility. The most critical foundations in each of these pillars are self-awareness and belonging. Three actions to include in your plan:
- Hone your leadership skills – skills of the past are ineffective for success in the future. The world is witnessing a new normal.
- Invest in a robust change management masterplan.
- Surround yourself with team of experts: experts in organizational development, educational and training, conflict management and problem resolution, communication, change management and business analysis.
Below are links to resources about leading through VUCA. On behalf of the Roaring 2020’s Speakeasy Team, cheers to a successful 2024.
Happy New Year!
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