"Frame Your Business Journey As An Expedition": Paul Kessler

The understanding and responsibilities of Leadership have undergone a dramatic change with the threat to life and business in the pandemic environment. The world has indeed become VUCA and Paul Kessler, Founder and Managing Director of Altus Group and Co-Author of “Leading at the Edge: Leadership Lessons from the Extraordinary Saga of Shackleton's Antarctic Expedition”, explains the origins of the term.

“VUCA was coined in the 1980s by the military when they started to see a change in the theatre of war with different types of enemies. Now, it's become a great concept to describe the environment we're in, and it is one for leaders. It creates unique conditions, but also some opportunities.” Paul remarked.

Commenting along the same lines, Rajiv Verma, Media Veteran and Former CEO of HT Media explained, “Leadership is a learned behaviour and artform, in that it is both an art and a science.” He remarked how the times today are reflective of the fundamental questions surrounding leadership. It puts to test the necessities of understanding the reality and taking it in one’s stride on the journey of business.

“When we come out of this, the difference will be the bedrock of values that you (as a leader) have, which is of empathy optimism, courage and teamwork.” Verma added.

Kessler further acknowledged the underlying fear many leaders might have in these times of great stress. “It reminds me of a concept in Psychology called learned helplessness. And essentially, sometimes leaders get themselves into a position where they're paralyzed and they don't want to decide because they don't have all the information and they're concerned about the future.” He responded that leaders must focus on ‘act now’ parameters and make the most of their particular situations to curb the overwhelming feeling.

Rajiv Verma expounded that optimism is a trait that Leaders must practice in situations of uncertainty. Borrowing from Psychologist Martin Seligman’s concept of learned optimism, Kessler added, “Because there is so much that we can become frustrated with and become anxious around, Optimism is true, moral courage”

The conversation veered into agreeing that in a Collaborative, Compassionate and Contact-less economy the way forward for leaders is to find a way to change the way they think and get a different perspective.

Borrowing on the book he Co-authored, Kessler surmised, “What do we have to focus on and move forward? Frame your business Journey as an expedition, it changes the Paradigm. It is very relevant today. In an expedition, you no longer have to have everything figured out and you don't know what's over the next Horizon.”