VUCA Tools for a VUCA World: Developing Leaders and Teams for Sustainable Results Paperback – May 21, 2018

Explain with easy daily life examples!

You don't have to be a team coach to appreciate this book. I am a mental health clinician called upon to lead workshops in our agency on de-escalating agitated clients and I found plenty in this book to help shape my thinking as I work to keep the workshops fresh for those who take it more than once. Volatility and uncertainty are not especially appreciated and most would rather control than be curious about why a person is upset in the first place. This book is very helpful in illuminating ways to think about problems rather than getting stuck in them.

Ann's book reveals her expertise in both coaching and what teams need in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world. Using characters and their stories she must have lived many times before as an experienced team coach, Ann weaves the team's exploration of coaching tools and models to support their work. Anyone who wants to dive into the variety of ways to pull a team through a tough environment should read this book!

We so need what Ann offers in this book! All of us, in every field. VUCA isn't going away. What is changing is our ability to jump to the next level of our awareness--increasing our cognitive and emotional complexity--to be able to successfully navigate the new normal. VUCA Tools for a VUCA World is an invaluable resource.

With VUCA Tools for a VUCA World, Ann Deaton gives us a creative vision of how an overwhelmed and overstressed team can find a transformative pathway forward. Using some of the latest thinking on complexity theory, leadership development, adult development and team coaching, Ann presents a compelling story of a team that shifts from a negative, fear-based mindset into a more positive, authentic, transparent and vulnerable persona, both as individual leaders and as a team. The VUCA tools are introduced through dialogue and leadership activities within the story and at the end in the Notes and Resources for a Deeper Dive section. This is particularly helpful for those who want to hone in on many of the key elements for further understanding. As a leadership coach, I can see many of my former and current clients reflected in the kinds of challenges faced by the characters at Tech Environments, i.e., it feels like a very real story with very familiar characters. The story gives us hope that a focus on the tools grounded in the shift to Values, Us, Curiosity and Aspirations will truly create the kind of future we seek to enable in others, and hope to secure for ourselves, going forward. A wonderful possibility indeed!

Volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous - VUCA - characterizes the type of change that each of us is experiencing today, no matter who or where we are. Those of us who wish not only to survive, but to thrive in our fast-paced, world will benefit greatly from the tools artfully presented by Ann in her book. She leverages the power of story-telling and asks the characters in her fable to reflect on their circumstances and dig deep to reflect on their values, connections with others, level of curiosity, and aspirations. Dive into the fable! See how you might react as you follow each character! At the same time, assess your grasp of VUCA tools! And get ready to try on a few new skills that will enable you to grow in ways you never imagined possible! Happy Reading!!!

In today's volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world (a glance at any day's headlines provides compelling evidence that this is where we live now), it's easy to become overwhelmed and reactive. VUCA Tools for a VUCA World provides a clear path for coping with and even thriving in this challenging environment. Delivered in the form of a lively fable with instantly recognizable characters, there are specific and practical ideas as well as an overarching and easily remembered framework (Values, Us, Curiosity and Aspirations) that point us toward healthy responses to the challenges we face. I am finding applications for myself and my coaching and consulting clients almost daily.

Ann V. Deaton is a very wise and enlightened woman. She generously shares her wisdom from the heart in a way that helps leaders and teams take their skills to the next level and create true transformation.

Vuca Tools for a VUCA World (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity) is an excellent book for individuals, teams, and leaders. Through the use of storytelling, Ann as an established Executive and Team Coach, creates an acronym for VUCA - Values, Us, Curiousity, and Aspirations enabling leaders and participants in teams to examine their skills to create a more effective organizational culture that characterizes success and change. I highly recommend this book for both coaches, consultants, and leaders.

Really insightful