The VUCA manager (What we lacked)

After careful thought, I finally haven't put the word "Elon Musk" in the title. But I must admit that it was he who inspired me..

You will have heard or read countless times the word VUCA or its successors, as BANi or VI²RCA²S. They refer to unstable and changing environments, Fragile, Incomprehensible, non-linear, Complex, Uncertain, Immediate, Accelerated, Volatile... Let's go, Chaotic environments in which professionals and companies must move.

Here's a one-minute video summary:

You can also listen to a fuller version in the episode 99 from the podcast Everything leaves a mark on Google Podcast, Apple Podcast And Spotify.

Managers in VUCA environments

In those diabolical environments, Managers are supposed to fight for maximum stability, solidity, comprehension, sensibleness, calm, coherence and, especially, certainty.

That's what sets a good leader apart., who knows how to deal with uncertainty to bring his people, your customers, shareholders and their brand to a good port.

A few days ago I had the opportunity to see the micro-series "The Playlist" about the creation and early years of Spotify, the idea of the Swedish Daniel Ek. I think Ek was and is a good leader., tried to be true to an idea (Free music for everyone, and paying authors) overcoming all imaginable obstacles.

Fighting leaders

Daniel Ek, Jacinta Ardern, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates or many others achieved success by creating value, Being faithful to an idea and following a solid strategy, where the customer was in the center.

Ek's obsession with quitting music piracy, Ardern's for eliminating Covid in New Zealand, Jobs' obsession with achieving the best experience and inspiration, that of Gates for making it possible for everyone to have a PC with capabilities... They are stories of overcoming that coincide with something, Make the world a better place and improve your customers' experience / Users.

So, We could say that they avoided success, Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Uncertainty, these are anti-VUCA managers.

The VUCA manager

Opposed to that idea of the anti-VUCA leader, the VUCA manager is born, I mean, someone who leads to create volatility, Uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity, instability, incomprehension... go, to create chaos.

We could say that it is the antithesis of XXI century leadership. And Mr.. Musk fits perfectly with that new style of doing (Not good) things.

Characteristics of the VUCA manager

1. Change your mind like a shirt
2. You don't have a plan, Act on impulse
3. Does not respect people, or your team, or your customers, nor to its shareholders
4. Does not know how to create value, But he knows where to find it and get hold of it.
5. Does not support errors or feedback
6. His biggest obsession is control, not the customer, the team, not the planet
7. It has no other purpose than to accumulate power and money.
8. Intoxicates, To be by his side is to fall ill
9. Does not know how to delegate, or rather, you don't want to delegate
10. Limit creativity... to your own

Well, despite that,, today Humanity has the debatable merit that the greatest fortune in the world belongs to a VUCA manager, can you believe it?

Will Elon Musk reinvent Twitter??

Last Wednesday, Javier Lopez, alias @jotalopmar created an audio room on Twitter with that title. I had the honor of participating with my admired Fatima Martinez, and also with my admirers Ferdinand of Cordoba, alias @gamusino and Eduardo Tornos, alias @etornosinza.

Then my good friend was added to the debate., the Doctor, Writer, historian, Political scientist and tweeter Javier Santamarta. 

10 Main conclusions of the debate: 

• The concept of "freedom" attributable to Musk is arbitrary., and can get Twitter from criminals
• Musk has entered Twitter despising two of his greatest assets.
  • Advertising revenue (Big advertisers have fled)
  • The human team
• Twitter is Musk's new toy
• Musk's brand is that of cockiness
• Musk does a daily test, It works based on occurrences
• Unlike other network leaders, Musk, at least, is a tweeter
• It is creating 1st year citizens, of 2nd and 3rd, typical of a nineteenth-century leader
• Musk is a VUCA executive
• Musk has made Zuckerberg good
• Even so, Chances are it will work out (Money buys almost everything)

If Twitter still exists when you read this, You can listen to the debate here:

We start the Space. Come and join the conversation https://t.co/zNOkpHnXO3

— Javier Lopez (@jotalopmar) November 16, 2022

Stock Photos from vitek3ds / Shutterstock