June 19, 2025

“Leaders not only manage change, they must be comfortable with it in their own lives.” — Warren Ben”Leaders not only manage change, they must be comfortable with it in their own lives.” — Warren Bennis

Question: Do you like change? Many will answer that it depends, yet if it is their job, family, or health, the answer will be no. In a recent leadership learning experience I facilitated this week, we explored four personality and communication styles using the DISC inventory. The groups are defined as Drivers, Influencers, Stable System people, and Concrete Numbers people. 69% of this group are stable systems people who dislike change unless they understand and accept it. Change is still the province of leadership.

This Thursday’s Leadership Insight is Part II of a series on leading in the context of the times. This week’s edition focuses on the theme of change in the context of any leader’s practice. Seven practical strategies will be shared, incorporating the V.U.C.A. Prime framework.

All leaders share three commonalities. They develop from the inside out by choice and are guided by a core of values, purpose, motivation, and mindset. Leaders develop themselves and then others by using leadership capacities. These leadership capacities expand or contract in the context in which a leader leads.

The context of the times always affects leadership. George Washington displayed a solid core of leadership yet employed different leadership capacities because of the context in which he led. Washington actually led troops in putting down the Whiskey Rebellion. The same is true of Abraham Lincoln, the first president to visit troops in the field and use the telegraph to monitor events in the Civil War. Franklin Roosevelt faced a depression and later a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, leading to World War II. Barack Obama watched with his security team the incursion of Seal Team Six into Pakistan to Kill Osama Bin Laden.

Change is a constant theme in the context of the time for every leader and organization. In today’s world, the pace and unpredictability of change have never been greater. Whether planned or unplanned, change can create environments that challenge all leaders, from multinational corporations to school buildings.Change is a constant for leaders. It is a significant theme in anyone’s leadership practice.

The change affects every organization on every level. Author Bob Johansen, in “New Leadership Literacies,” used a term from the U.S. Army War College to describe times of rapid, uncertain change. The term he coined was V.U.C.A., standing for “volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous” times. The U.S. Army War College introduced the notion of V.U.C.A. to describe a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous environment.

Johansen noted that effective leaders can transform the challenges of change into opportunities by cultivating a culture rooted in V.U.C.A. Prime. V.U.C.A. Prime stands for Vision, Understanding, Clarity, and Agility

All leaders must address change in the context of their leadership. There are two types of change.

1. Planned Change

Planned change is intentional, structured, and often long-term. Examples include strategic shifts (e.g., entering new markets), mergers and acquisitions, technology upgrades, organizational restructuring, or changes to the school day.

Planned change is defined by a controlled and managed process, such as John Kotter’s Eight Steps for Leading Change, which begins with creating urgency and building a guiding coalition to move change forward for perceived improvement. Change efforts that are planned for the betterment of an organization are rarely successful. Studies note that 30-70% of these efforts fail to achieve their promise.

2. Unplanned Change

Unplanned change is reactive, often triggered by external events: economic downturns(2008), pandemics(2020) and political upheavals, regulatory shifts, and sudden loss of key personnel with unpredictable or planned budget cuts (2025)

These planned and unplanned changes can disrupt even the best-laid plans, demanding rapid adaptation from leaders and teams. V.U.C.A. environments mark these changes

When organizations face change—especially unplanned—leaders and teams may experience:

V. Volatility: Rapid, unpredictable shifts in circumstances

U. Uncertainty: Lack of clarity about the future or outcomes creating a loss of hope and trust

Complexity: Multiple, interconnected variables and stakeholders can create a complex environment that is not based on past policies, procedures, and practices.

Ambiguity: Difficulty interpreting and understanding events or making decisions due to incomplete information.

A person under a significant degree of stress due to unpredictable events responds with three patterns: fight or freeze. The same is true for organizations. They can fight the new game in new ways, such as flight, closing the doors, and blaming others, or freeze and stay in place, doing what they have always done, waiting for the “good old days” to come back. These organizations in Flight or Freeze are guided by a principle called TTWWADI(That’s the way we always did it”. The interesting part of change is there is always an opportunity. The growth of take-out and delivery meal services, Amazon, and online grocery shopping at home grew exponentially during COVID-19. The leaders of these organizations, who thrived despite change, understood being uncomfortable and learning. As Warren Bennis observed, “Leaders not only manage change, they must be comfortable with it in their own lives.”

A way forward in any change is to use the V.U.C.A. Prime acronym as a guide.

To thrive, leaders must counter the challenges of V.U.C.A. with a new set of skills and mindsets—Vision, Understanding, Clarity, and Agility.

Here are seven strategies to create a resilient, adaptive culture:

“Volatility can be countered with vision because vision is even more vital in turbulent times.” — Bob Johansen, The New Leadership Literacies

1. Cultivate and Communicate a Compelling Vision

A clear vision provides direction and hope in turbulent times. It is like turning on the light when entering a dark room. As John Maxwell says, “A great leader’s courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position.” Kotter’s model emphasizes the importance of a strategic vision to guide change.

“If you want employees to be engaged, you must engage them.” — Karen Martin, Clarity First

2. Build Understanding Through Engagement

Leaders who listen deeply and involve people at all levels provide understanding. Karen Martin emphasizes the importance of engaging frontline teams and developing people as the foundation for sustainable change. Understanding comes from open communication, connection, and empathy.

3. Foster Clarity Amid Complexity

Clarity cuts through chaos. It is another way to turn on the lights. Leaders who define purpose priorities, simplify processes and ensure everyone knows the “why” behind decisions build a connection for engagement and learning. Mark Miller highlights the importance of confronting reality and creating focus to drive results.

4. Develop Agility and Adaptability

Agility is the ability to look up, down, and all around to learn and pivot quickly and effectively. This means empowering teams, decentralizing decision-making, and embracing experimentation. As Warren Bennis wrote, “Leaders learn by leading, and they learn best by leading in the face of obstacles.”

5. Celebrate Short-Term Wins

Celebrate progress to build momentum. Kotter’s model includes generating and communicating short-term wins to reinforce belief in the change process

Celebration of small wins acknowledges efforts and builds connections on a deep level. The co-author of The Leadership Challenge, James Kouzes, says, “To lead people into the future, you must connect with them deeply in the present.”

“We cannot become what we need by remaining what we are.”

John Maxwell

6. Build a Culture of Continuous Learning

Leaders who encourage curiosity, learning, reflection, feedback, and growth build connections and trust. Mark Miller and Karen Martin both stress the value of lifelong learning and developing people alongside results.

7. Model Resilience and Optimism

Leaders set the emotional tone. John Maxwell reminds us, “Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.” Resilient leaders inspire others to persevere and adapt to change. These leaders understand they are the best leadership model for their followers to see and emulate.

Change is inevitable, but growth is optional. By embracing the new V.U.C.A.—Vision, Understanding, Clarity, and Agility—leaders can transform uncertainty into opportunity. In planned and unplanned change, remember: the most effective leaders are those who inspire, engage, and adapt, turning today’s challenges into tomorrow’s successes by choosing to intentionally provide vision, understanding, clarity, and agility/adaptability.

The leadership question for you then is.

How can you produce vision, understanding, clarity, and agility/adaptability in your leadership practice today?