Moving from Crisis to Clarity and Possibility

Unexpected circumstances where change is possible, but not a given; where interconnections become overwhelming and we face unknown unknowns. This is describes four aspects of change we face to varying degrees in the modern world. Collectively, they’re known as VUCA — Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity, and today we’re experiencing all of them at the same time. We’re calling it crisis.

Yet, within crisis there is opportunity to explore what’s possible.

Here are two steps to help you move toward more of what you do want in positive and proactive ways — flipping fear and SOARing, along with a handy one-page resource about VUCA from Nathan Bennett and G. James Lemoine in their Harvard Business Review article and some final thoughts I wanted to share with you.

Flipping Fear

Fear can be very helpful, especially when it comes to self-preservation. There are other emotions related to fear that hold us in a flight, fight, freeze, or appease pattern. Fear-based emotions such as guilt, anger, doubt, frustration, and avoidance hamper clarity, especially in times of crisis.

An important first step for intentionally moving through crisis to clarity is naming our fears.

Name it: “I’m afraid of ___________ because if it happens, it will __________.”

Understand that in response to this fear, there are things you can control; things you can influence, and things you can’t control. As Dr. Nadya Zhexembayeva, ‘The Reinvention Guru’ recommends, “Promise to spend no more than 20% of your time worrying about that which you can’t control. It’s ok to vent.”

The next step is to flip your fear. Ask yourself what you do want to have happen: “The positive opposite of that fear is __________________.”

SOARing

Congratulations! When you know what you do want, it’s time to paint a really vivid or clear picture of what success looks like. To do this, we need a possibilities-focused tool, and I use the SOAR Strategy — Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, Results. It’s a framework that encourages strategic thinking by building on what works, asking generative questions (not critical ones) to help you frame the future you want to create. It’s best utilized when the conversation includes many stakeholders or people essential to your company’s success.

SOAR is also very flexible. In today’s current environment of challenge and change, I suggest using it in this order: A S O R Here are some questions you can ask as you intentionally move from crisis to clarity.

Aspirations

What am I/are we deeply passionate about?
What do I/we wish for ourselves/our companies?
What’s my/our most compelling aspiration?

Strengths

What am I/are we most proud of? How does that reflect our greatest strength?
How do I/we use our strengths to get results?
How do my/our strengths fit into the realities of today’s marketplace?

Opportunities

What are my/our stakeholders asking for?
What are possible new markets, products, services, or processes?
What are the top three opportunities I/we should focus on based on my/our strengths?

Results

Considering my/our Strengths, Opportunities, and Aspirations, what meaningful measures would indicate that I am/we are on track to achieve goals?
What resources are needed to implement vital projects? What’s available right now (sometimes we overlook these).
What are the best rewards to support those who help me/us achieve our goals?

Thriving in VUCA

Using SOAR gives you a proven, reliable framework from which you can always assess what’s working on how to build on that to create the future you want.

Having this type of clarity is really, really helpful in times of challenge and change. VUCA is a concept that originated with students at the U.S. Army War College to describe the post-Cold War environment.

Here’s a little more about VUCA from Nathan Bennett and G. James Lemoine in their Harvard Business Review article which includes this handy reference explaining the types of challenges with examples.

Final thoughts . . .

I sincerely hope that these curated perspectives, tools, and resources are helpful to you as you navigate through crisis to clarity.

Remember what my Dad says, “Bad news is still good information.”

My wish is that you will use information, whether it’s from bad news or good news, to move forward proactively and positively toward your aspirations.

Reach out to me if you have questions or I can be of service to you in some other way.

Until then, be well, and remember to expect great outcomes from everything you do!

Kelly