Panel 4 of the Executive Leadership Seminar was “VUCA Leadership - Leading during the Storm”. VUCA stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity. It is a concept that originated in the military and has since been adopted in leadership and business to describe the rapidly changing, unpredictable, and complex nature of the modern world. VUCA leadership refers to the skills and strategies leaders need to navigate this VUCA world. Leaders must be agile and flexible, able to respond quickly and effectively to rapid changes. Leaders need to be comfortable with ambiguity and able to make decisions without having all the information. Leaders must be able to analyse complex and interconnected problems, and come up with innovative solutions. Leaders need to be able to operate in situations where causal relationships are not clear, and interpret ambiguous situations accurately.
This panel explored the uncertain sociopolitical environment, in light of the challenges of climate change, the onset of the fifth industrial revolution, the increasing adoption of Artificial Intelligence, and developments in finance such as cryptocurrency derivatives. VUCA leadership is about being prepared for the unexpected, being able to adapt on the fly, and having the foresight to see and the courage to seize opportunities in a complex and uncertain world.
The panel was moderated by Ms. Wendy Koh, Founder, Executive Coach and
Facilitator of Life By Design Coaching.
The panellists were Mr. Eric Tanoto, Founder of the Ark Capital Fund; Tunku
Dato’ Dr. Fauzi ibn Abdul Malek Al Haj, Executive Chairman of Monarch Equity
Capital, Founder and Principal of TFM Property Consultants, and Former Chief
Private Secretary to HRH Sultan of Kedah; Mr. Jeffrey Ong, Senior Director of
Azimut Investment Management; Mr. Michael Aw, Founder and Managing Director of
38 Consulting and Former Chief Executive Officer of Mekong Group; and Mr.
Zainul Abidin Rasheed, Singapore’s Non-Resident Ambassador to Kuwait, Member,
Board of Trustees for Nanyang Technological University, and Senior Advisor to
the Board of Stratagem Group.
