E-book The VUCA Leadership Survival Guide

Why I wrote this book

I wrote the VUCA Leadership Survival Guide in the last 6 months and made it as practical but also as complete as possible, based on the following design principles:

• Readers usually have and take little time to read, if you are not recognizing this you most likely already read books on similar subjects.
• You are best helped by describing the VUCA situations that most books and training programs ignore.
• Bullet points are key and help a structured way of reading, the downside is I could not go into the level of detail I wanted to.
• The upside of the previous point is that it leaves space for you, to fill in your experiences and knowledge you already have.
• I wanted to keep it low-budget so did not spend money on ISBN numbers or making a fancy e-book, I kept it as a pdf document.
• I did use ChatGPT for making it consistent and ensuring I write more about the things ChatGPT does not mention with certain themes.

There is also a workbook to guide your learning journey based on the Survival Guide.

The VUCA Leadership Survival Guide – Workbook provides exercises, questions, reflection and much more, to support your learning journey in the best way possible. Only to be used in combination with this book: The VUCA Leadership Survival Guide.

I am a strong believer of the 10-20-70 model that I applied also in my may roles as Learning & Development Specialist. 10% of learning is formal (book, training, workshop). 20% of learning is social learning, where you learn from others in a social setting (your manager, teams, Q&A at the coffee machine, etc. Most of the learning – 70% – is what you learn from doing; being at work and making mistakes and overcoming these.

The workbook helps to facilitate the 70% by providing material you can directly apply at and during work. The learning should mostly take place in your environment, because the VUCA issues you run into, will be exactly there.

About this book

The VUCA Leadership Survival Guide is designed as a practical handbook for leaders who want to navigate a world of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity.

This book provides a structured approach to not just surviving VUCA challenges but thriving in them.

How the Book is Structured:

1. Introduction to VUCA – A clear overview of what VUCA means and why it is crucial for leadership in today’s world.
2. The Impact of VUCA on Leaders and Organizations – Insights into how VUCA manifests, such as rapid change, uncertain market conditions, and complex decision making.
3. Strategies for Effective Leadership in a VUCA World – Four core leadership strategies to succeed in a VUCA environment: agility, strategic decision-making, simplifying complexity, and navigating ambiguity.
4. Coaching and Leadership Development – The importance of coaching and training in strengthening VUCA-ready leadership.
5. Learning from Successful Organizations – Case studies from companies like Netflix, Unilever, and Siemens, showcasing how they turned VUCA challenges into opportunities.
6. Practical Tools and Frameworks – Models such as scenario planning, the OODA loop, and the Cynefin framework help leaders act quickly and effectively.
7. Creating a VUCA-Ready Culture – How organizations can embed agility and innovation into their corporate culture.
8. My Approach to Leadership Development – Insights into coaching, training, and leadership programs that help develop resilient leaders.

How to Use This Book:

• As a Strategic Guide – Use the models and insights to prepare your organization for uncertainty.
• For Personal Development – Enhance your leadership skills by applying the practical strategies and exercises.
• For Team Development – Share the insights with your team and implement collaborative learning and adaptation strategies.
• As a Reference Manual – The tools and frameworks serve as a practical guide for making decisions in uncertain situations.
• Also make use of the VUCS Leadership Survival Guide Workbook.

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