Living in a volatile world

The term VUCA is regularly being bandied about in the business world of late and refers to the business environment as being increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (i.e V.U.C.A).

If you have not yet heard of the term VUCA then you need to take note of it as it not only applies to the business world but in fact it also applies to our personal lives too.

When we are having conflict in our relationship with our partner, things can feel very volatile. When our relationship feels volatile, life feels uncertain. When life is uncertain, we start making assumptions as to what’s going on in our lives, with our partner and in our relationship which can trigger our stress levels and have a spin off effect onto our focus, performance and functionality.

The one thing that is never going to change is change itself. The world is constantly evolving whether that be the R/$ exchange rate, technology, systems, new apps on the market, our children growing up or our relationships changing – change is here to stay.

So how do we cope and survive in this madness so that we are not left feeling overwhelmed and like the proverbial hamster spinning on the wheel?It comes down to 2 things:

• Us and how we create the world we live in
• Organisations and how they create the environment we thrive in

This sounds harsh yes, but it’s very true.

Our relationship with ‘Self’:

Every day I hear people saying how stressed and busy they are and that they just don’t have enough time.

Now as much as I understand this (I live a busy life too), there is one thing that will never change and that is time…..we all get the same 24hrs each day – it’s how we choose to use it.

• Are you focusing your time, effort and energy on the right things?
• The things that add value to your life (relationships, personal growth and development, skills etc)
• Or are you saying yes to everyone else and no to yourself?
• The thing is, if you don’t make time for yourself, you never will have time for yourself.

The Organisational relationship:

Corporate relationships are very similar to our personal relationships.

Just as children mimic their parents’ behaviour, so too do employees mimic the leadership behaviour in the organisation. Parents set the tone by which the family functions and thrives, whilst leaders set the tone for the corporate culture, values, vision and mission.

So yes, the basic principles are the same, the key difference being that our personal relationships are more emotionally charged as they are driven by romantic love, whilst in the workplace we are driven by the love we feel for the organisation we work for, our fellow colleagues and being valued for the contribution we’re making (e.g. rewards and recognition).

• As an organisation are you creating an environment where employees can thrive by enabling a healthy work/life balance?
• Is the corporate culture conducive to healthy discussion and debate where employees can make mistakes and learn from them?
• Are employees feeling that their input is valued and that they are appreciated (this is more than just perks and benefits)?