Introduction

 “There are two things we can say with certainty about the future: it will be different, and it will surprise. Now, more than ever, leaders have to navigate unfamiliar, challenging times, a quickening pace of change, increasing expectations, and a rising tide of rapidly-evolving conditions. This new and different environment (VUCA) is challenging leaders to find new ways to lead their organisations and achieve sustained success. As a result of these circumstances, there is a thirst for leadership, yet leaders face a whirlwind environment laden with remarkable opportunities and daunting challenges through which to lead their people and organisations.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) represents a combination of Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Cyber-Physical Systems and the Internet-of-Things (IoT). Leadership 4.0 is about leaders creating their own digital transformation strategy and ensuring that it is aligned with the business and growth plans of their business. This is achieved by demonstrating effectively the suite of nextgen leadership competencies which include critical thinking, innovative thinking along with emotional and social intelligence skills such as empathy and relationship management."

– Prof Sattar Bawany (2019) 

Leadership 4.0: How Ready are You to be a Digital Leader? Transforming NextGen Leaders Today. Leadership Excellence Essentials, Issue 02.2019

Leading in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) revolve around managing challenges in a business environment that it is highly disruptive, increasingly digital and predominantly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA). Technological advancements in artificial intelligence, robotics, sharing platforms and the Internet of Things are fundamentally altering business models and industries. These changes are taking place at unprecedented speed. Leaders at all levels need to develop the relevant competencies and skills to successfully adapt to new realities when leading in a disruptive VUCA World.

VUCA is an acronym that emerged from the military in the 1990s. It describes the “fog of war” — the chaotic conditions that are encountered on a modern battlefield. Its relevance to leaders in business is clear, as these conditions are highly descriptive of the environment in which business is conducted every day. Leadership as usual, including creating a vision, is not enough in a VUCA world.

• Volatile: Things change unpredictably, suddenly, extremely, especially for the worse.

• Uncertain: Important information is not known or definite; doubtful, unclear about the present situation and future outcomes; not able to be relied upon.

• Complex: Many different and connected parts: multiple key decision factors, the interaction between diverse agents, emergence, adaptation, coevolution, weak signals.

• Ambiguous: Open to more than one interpretation; the meaning of an event can be understood in different ways.

Leading in a VUCA world not only provides a challenging environment for leaders to operate and for executive development programme to have an impact: it also provides a much-needed range of new competencies. The new reality is resulting in the realisation that new and different capabilities are needed for leaders to succeed in this new normal.

About the Virtual Leadership 4.0 Masterclass Series

A series of highly practical Leadership Masterclass programmes are designed to develop the relevant competencies and skills for Board, C-Suite and Senior Level Leaders operating in today’s highly disruptive, VUCA World.

This Leadership 4.0 Masterclass Series will leverage on best-in-class practices and thought-leadership concepts, tools and techniques to drive organisational & leadership excellence.

The Courses are designed to provide Business and Functional leaders with a platform to develop from being ‘good’ to ‘great’.

They are being offered in response to the market needs to ensure that their senior-level executives possess the right competencies and skills to successfully adapt to new realities when leading in a disruptive, VUCA World.

The Virtual Leadership Masterclass Schedule:

• Masterclass 1: Leading in a VUCA Driven Era of Industry 4.0

• Masterclass 2: Leadership Challenges of a VUCA World

• Masterclass 3: Developing Cognitive Readiness Competencies

• Masterclass 4: Developing Social & Emotional Intelligence Competencies

• Masterclass 5: Results-Based Leadership™ (RBL) Framework

• Masterclass 6: Winning the War for Talent 2.0

• Masterclass 7: Managerial Coaching for Success

• Masterclass 8: Inspiring Your Multigenerational Workforce

• Masterclass 9: Building High-Performance Teams with SCORE™ Framework

• Bonus Course: Developing Your Blueprint for Leadership Success

Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of the complete Premier Leadership 4.0 Masterclass Series, the participant will be able to better appreciate and/or understand:

• What is the context for leaders in today’s VUCA business environment of Industry 4.0?

• How to resolve the leadership challenges in this new environment?

• What are the elements of Cognitive Readiness Competencies?

• Why are Emotional & Social Intelligence Competencies key drivers for success?

• How to achieve sustainable organisational results during these turbulent times?

• What is required to transform to be a ‘High-Performance Organisation’ (HPO)?

• How to transform your NextGen leaders to succeed in the VUCA world?

• How to deliver effective feedback and coach the team to success?

• How to build and engage a successful high-performance team?

• What is the role of leaders to build a robust talent & leadership pipeline?

The programme incorporates a number of unique features and works on a number of levels. It is specifically aimed at enhancing and developing the skills, knowledge and behaviours of the participants.

The participants will develop their understanding of Leadership Effectiveness and how it will lead to a creation of a sustainable competitive advantage for their respective organisations through the development of an organisational climate that will contribute towards enhancing employee engagement and productivity during challenging times when operating in a disruptive VUCA business environment.