SUMMER 2022

The current and foreseeable operating environment is V.U.C.A. (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous). The best way to lead your team through a V.U.C.A. recession is to focus on daily priorities, process improvement, and progress made. You can’t live in the past and worry about the future. You have to win the day and keep stacking good days (episode 66). 

You may have a summer reading list. We’re proposing 24 audio files for your summer listening, lasting a total of approximately 80-minutes. 

Key coaching points - 

1. Avoid mental time travel (episode 71) by focusing on day-to-day learning and more likely, immediate threats. 
2. Preserve team energy (episode 75) by addressing stressful thinking and promoting team values, shared goals and mutual accountability. 
3. Focus on process improvement (episode 72) and eliminate waste by using process walk-throughs, introducing process metrics, and standardizing best practices. 
4. Promote forward thinking (episode 76) and limit chaotic and backward thinking by sharing the “why” behind your way of thinking. 
5. Reduce uncertainty (episode 77) by helping people prioritize and plan, by giving more timely feedback, and by expressing gratitude. 
6. Focus on progress (episode 78) because it’s the basis for feedback, focus and goal setting. 
7. Promote mental toughness(episode 74) by thinking about what you’re thinking, labeling your thoughts, and holding yourself accountable for useful (vs. useless) thoughts.  
8. Create a coaching environment (episode 33) by making people feel safe, coaching to their strengths and teaching them how to practice. 

When leading through a V.U.C.A. recession, you’ll feel more pressure (episode 31) and face resistance to change (episode 3); employees will be more emotional (episode 30) and burnout will become an issue (episode 5); employee retention can be a challenge (episode 6) and some of your better people will become flight risks (episode 47); internal, cross-functional disagreements may accelerate (episode 59) and you’ll need to help people cope with setbacks (episode 20). 

To succeed, you’ll need to be very intentional (episode 53) about your leadership strategies (episode 55), manage your personal well-being (episode 54), and manage-up effectively (episode 67). You’ll need to get more done with less (episode 10), avoid meeting fatigue (episode 24), and manage your time more effectively (episode 21). 

These are challenging but manageable times. Your leadership fundamentals will be tested; but in challenging times, the next generations of executive talent always emerge. Seize this opportunity. And have a great summer!