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Leaders Make the Future
Book

Leaders Make the Future

Ten New Leadership Skills for an Uncertain World

Berrett-Koehler, 2012
First Edition: 2009 more...


Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Innovative

Recommendation

Three years into his latest 10-year forecast, noted futurist Bob Johansen believes his core analysis still holds true for a tempestuous world influenced by four factors: “volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity,” or “VUCA.” Johansen expands on his first edition with updated material about his prognostications, all neatly depicted in a colorful graphic. Johansen outlines emergent opportunities and provides new insights that he gleaned from more than 150 leadership workshops based on the 10 skills he considers essential for leaders of the future. Filled with examples of these skills in action, the text also includes a leadership skills "self-test." getAbstract believes astute leaders and students of leadership will find hope in these remedies for turning the daunting VUCA environment into a place of “vision, understanding, clarity and agility.”

Take-Aways

  • Effective leaders “listen for the future” while staying grounded in the present.
  • Indications point to a future world of “volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity” (“VUCA”) that will upset existing economic and social systems.
  • To change this dire future to a better path of “vision, understanding, clarity and agility,” use 10 cutting-edge leadership skills.

About the Author

Bob Johansen, author of several books, was president of the Institute for the Future from 1996 to 2004, is its current Distinguished Fellow and has created 10-year predictions for more than three decades.