Leadership in countries like ours can be difficult. The outlook is often uncertain and there are many spanners being thrown in the works. While challenging, leaders who manage to lead through challenging times will find greatness.

Strong leaders love the uncomfortable zone, learning to strive when the world is uncertain and volatile. How do they do this? Remaining calm and clear headed.

VUCA Faces All Leaders

The world is unpredictable and challenging. While it may be easier to live in the comfort zone, as leaders we need to push outside the comfort zone to find true greatness. There are more leaders made in a recession than in a bull market, this is because strong leaders rise during these times.

This is known as VUCA leaders, leading through challenging times. VUCA stands for:

• Volatile
• Uncertain
• Complex
• Ambiguous

In countries like South Africa, where economic and political pressures continuously face businesses, you need to be prepared. Prepared to live outside of the comfort zone, learning to thrive! Do this and you’ll take your business to a whole new level.

5 Things A Leader Needs to Do

During VUCA times, leaders need to focus on the important things. All leaders need to do the following five things to ensure they thrive during these times:

1. Trust Yourself – having self-awareness and trusting yourself is crucial.
2. Give Hope – during uncertain times, leaders need to be a pillar of hope.
3. Ability to Define Core Elements – when the world is volatile, leaders need to be able to identify and focus on core elements.
4. Show Strength – be the pillar of strength and calmness that your team needs.
5. Support – asking “How can I help?”.

Leading through uncertain times requires calmness. Following VUCA leadership will help you to remain calm, even when the world around you is volatile.