You’ve no doubt experienced some changes in our post-pandemic era: inflation, the housing market, rising prices of consumer goods . . . today’s world is rapidly changing. Because of these changes, VUCA might be an acronym you’ve seen before, especially if you work in specific industries. It stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity. None of these terms seem positive, but with a little understanding and self-awareness, you can be more comfortable and make this acronym work for you and your career.
Volatility
Volatility relates to the rate of change in industries. In the stock market, for instance, “volatile” is a term used to describe the nature of a stock that has many ups and downs. In volatile lines of work, it’s important to have an adaptable and flexible personality.
Uncertainty
Uncertainty refers to unforeseen factors that can affect someone’s career. For example, it’s not always easy to predict a natural disaster more than a week before it occurs, which could alter the timing and completion of a roofing job. Level-headedness is a key trait for handling uncertainty in a field.
Complexity
Complexity is all about the intricacies of a work environment or a set of responsibilities. Have you ever met an event planner and listened to them talk about what they do? A lot is involved: booking, programming, catering and decorating, at a minimum. To deal with complexity well, one needs to have the ability to multitask, meet deadlines and follow procedures.
Ambiguity
Finally, ambiguity is a term used to describe a lack of clear information when making decisions. Good decision-making often involves evidence, but in constraining situations where ambiguity abounds, good decisions are made with a general understanding of the consequences and risks involved in the choice. Lawyers deal with ambiguity every day, sometimes looking for it and sometimes looking to avoid it.
As you probably can tell, VUCA is a general concept that isn’t limited to one particular position or field. Because of this, VUCA can significantly impact your journey to planning your career and development. It can be difficult to answer the question Where do you want to be in 10 years? when you question if your line of work will even exist at that time.
Redefining Job Security
These days, job security doesn’t necessarily mean that a specific job will still exist down the line. Instead, having job security can mean that you understand your skills, your talents and the type of work you were made to do. There always will be a role out there that you can thrive in; the hard part is knowing what kind of role that is at a given time.
Working with Crosworks and discovering your best-fit role with tools, such as the Birkman Method Advanced Assessment©, will allow you to find clarity and establish goals that won’t be interrupted by inflation or any other VUCA element. Schedule a free, non-binding phone call today. (You also may consider stocking up on groceries before prices rise again . . . or maybe they fall . . . who knows, it’s a VUCA world!)