Leadership in VUCA Times with Melissa Eisler

We were already in the midst of VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain,
Complex, Ambiguous) times. Then COVID hit. Now it’s
VUCA 2.0 given COVID’s very real economic and mental
health ripples. So the question is, “How to flourish as a leader
despite mounting uncertainty?”  


This is Melissa’s realm of expertise.  


In this
episode, Melissa unpacks how VUCA affects
leaders. She talks about the mistakes leaders make, the
importance of slowing down, and shares
valuable insights that you
can apply to remain
intact, navigate through VUCA and be the leader
your organization, your people, and this world needs you to
be. 


Melissa Eisler, MA, PCC, is an ICF certified executive
coach. She partners with leaders to develop their systems
thinking, resilience, strategic communication skills, and
executive presence in order to reach individual, team, and
organizational goals. She blends more than 15 years of experience
in leadership positions in the corporate world, with her Master’s
degree in Organizational Leadership and extensive background in
mindfulness to help her clients master their leadership skills
and steer their teams through challenges and change. 


Get a copy of her leadership ebook
at https://melissaeisler.com/leadership-ebook-leaders-guide-vuca/  


What you will learn from this episode: 


Understand what VUCA is and how to navigate it 

Discover the power of pause 

Find out how to develop resilience and adaptability
– the competencies you need  



“To really answer the question of how do you know when I'm
navigating VUCA effectively or what's the best thing I could do,
I would recommend assessing what impact your state of being has
on people.”  


- Melissa Eisler


Topics Covered:


02:11 – The biggest challenge leaders face in business
today. 


04:26 – Self inquiry, the feedback loop, and the mistakes leaders
are making despite knowing that they need not to stay still in
this changing world. 


08:02 – An actionable step leaders can undertake to develop
resilience. 


09:43 – How to develop one’s curiosity? 


11:54 – Actionable tips and Melissa’s go to’s that absolutely
work in terms of building leadership presence. 


13:50 – Melissa’s free Leadership eBook and the 5Cs of her
leadership framework that paved way for it. 


15:50 – What is the VUCA challenge asking of you, or what kind of
leader is that asking you to be? Buddhist teacher and author
Thich Nhat Hanh and his story. 


19:45 – Melissa’s final message. 


Key Takeaways:


“As a leader, if you show up frazzled, anxious, and worn out by
the unknown, letting your nervous system get the best of you,
others are going to feel that too, and then everyone in the
organization ends up unproductive and stressed as a result. If
you show up a steady during change in volatility, others follow
suit and feel at ease by your steadiness. It's the leaders’ job
to help others to the groundlessness of VUCA.” 


“Learning how to lead is a process and a mindset, and there's not
one book you could just read or step you can take to learn how to
become better. You got to do the inner work, and the answers
aren't in a book. They're through a process, and usually it
starts with self inquiry.” 


“It isn't what you do. It's how you are being that is most
important.” 


Connect with Melissa Eisler:


Website: https://melissaeisler.com  


LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissaeisler/  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MelissaEisler  


Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelissaEislerExecutiveCoach