VUCA Tools™ for coaches: Making it safe so you and your clients don’t have to play it safe.
.5 Core CCEU
.5 RD CCEU
Ann V. Deaton, PhD, PCC
VUCA-Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous. A term coined in the 1990’s by the US Army War College, VUCA is now used as an adjective to capture the rapidly changing terrain in our lives, i.e., we live in a VUCA world. Change is constant. Sometimes it’s all we can do to survive another day.
We coaches, and our coaching clients, often experience the volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity of VUCA as a threat. We therefore react in predictable, yet primitive, ways:
- Fight: We try to fight change, or deny it, even attacking those we hold responsible.
- Flight: We attempt to escape or avoid change, to flee its inexorable path.
- Freeze: We freeze in place, unsure of what to do and unable to make a move in any direction.
- Appease: And, in addition to the standard Fight/Flight/Freeze reactions, we try to survive the threat of VUCA through appeasing the powers that be, simply complying and bending to what others want without considering if it’s the right thing to do or what we are called to do.
When we label change as risky and experience VUCA as dangerous, we go to the most primitive part of our brains, where our actions are limited to survival responses. Faced with VUCA, when we most need to access our brain’s amazingly rich capabilities, we simply react.
VUCA Tools™--Values, Us, Curiosity, and Aspirations. VUCA Tools arose from the recognition that coaching embodies much of what it takes to respond effectively to a VUCA world. VUCA Tools begins with the possibility that our observation of VUCA is simply awareness. Recognizing VUCA as our new reality enables us to consciously engage with changing circumstances. VUCA Tools are four approaches that enable us to access the strategic and planful parts of our brains to respond thoughtfully, instead of just reacting.
This session provides coaches with an introduction to the concept of VUCA, and the framework and methodologies of VUCA Tools to enable your clients to thrive instead of just survive in the midst of challenging times. You’ll come away from the session with a new lens for what you offer as a coach, and tools to use to ensure that you, and your clients, flourish.
Ann V. Deaton, PhD, PCC
Ann Deaton, PCC is a leadership and team coach. Her work focuses on coaching individuals, teams, and groups who are experiencing significant change and growth. In addition to coaching, she facilitates workshops and team-building sessions for corporate, nonprofit, and government clients. Ann’s strengths are in creating the kinds of rich and open sessions that expand perspectives and ideas – and then holding clients accountable as they take action to realize their goals.
Ann has her doctorate in Clinical Psychology, with specializations in health psychology and neuropsychology, from The University of Texas. After a two-decade career in health care, she decided to pursue Leadership Coaching Certification with the Newfield Network and earned her Professional Certified Coach (PCC) designation from the International Coach Federation. Ann founded DaVinci Resources coaching practice in 2003, and co-founded The Bounce Collective coaching and consulting business in 2009.
In addition to her work with individual clients and teams, Ann facilitates leadership and coaching skills development courses for corporate, government and university clients. She is the author of two books: VUCA Tools for a VUCA World: Developing Leaders and Teams for Sustainable Results and Being Coached: Group and Team Coaching from the Inside (with co-author Holly Williams).
Contact Ann at:
Ann@wecanbounce.com
The Bounce Collective
412 Libbie Ave.
Lower Level, Suite #4
Richmond, VA 23226
804-955-4926
11:30am-12:00pm: Networking
12:00pm: Lunch
12:20pm: Announcements
12:30 – 1:30pm: Speaker presentation
1:30 – 2:00pm: Additional networking for those interested
