Kevin Kruse’s recent Forbes piece declares VUCA dead. BANI is the new lens. He’s not wrong. Kruse articulates it sharply: VUCA assumed volatility had rhythm, uncertainty could be waited out, and complexity followed patterns. Those assumptions no longer hold. Today’s systems are brittle, anxiety is endemic, outcomes are nonlinear, and comprehensibility feels impossible. The diagnosis … Read more
In hundreds of organizations I’ve worked with over the past two decades, one pattern repeats itself: well-intentioned efforts to implement agility often fail—not because teams aren’t trying, but because the underlying problem is misdiagnosed. I’ve seen this both as a leader of initiatives and as an expert recovery practitioner, repeatedly drafted in to turn around … Read more
In 2007, David Snowden and Mary Boone published a groundbreaking article in Harvard Business Review titled “A Leader’s Framework for Decision Making.” It introduced the Cynefin framework to a wider audience—offering a way to categorise different types of problems and match them with the right decision-making approach. It was a timely gift. The world was … Read more
In the pursuit of agility, many organizations focus heavily on implementing frameworks and processes—scrums, sprints, ceremonies, and fast delivery cycles. Yet, despite these efforts, many Agile transformations falter and fail to deliver the promised adaptability and velocity. Over years of experience leading initiatives and turning around troubled programs, I’ve come to a deeper understanding: Agility … Read more
My wife and I don’t do package holidays. We prefer the unpredictable, where adaptability isn’t optional, it’s essential. Indonesia keeps drawing us back. On a 2016 trip, we set sail from Flores on a traditional fishing boat in the early hours. During the next 24 hours, somewhere between the swells and the stars, I discovered … Read more
Effective leadership today requires more than managing tasks or delivering results—it demands cultivating a thriving environment for your team. A great leader isn’t just a visionary; they’re also a gardener, nurturing growth and weeding out issues before they take root. The Gardening Metaphor for Leadership In a garden, plants need care to grow, but weeds … Read more