Leadership in Chaos: 26th edition.

severed, soldier or scout?, future trust.

Hi 👋, welcome back to our 26th edition 🙌.

“Taking off is optional. Landing is not.”

Nassim Taleb

Culture: severed.

Season 2 of Severance is showing on Apple TV. It centres on a company (Lumon Industries) where job volunteers undertake a surgical procedure that splits their consciousness in two. Your work-you (your innie) and your home-you (your outie), which never meet. The work they undertake on the “severed floor” might be best described as one of David Graeber’s Bullsh•t Jobs. On one hand, Severance reflects the struggles many face in the modern office, balancing work and home life. As this piece suggests, life isn’t meant to be split, it’s meant to be whole. And who are we if we don’t bring all of ourselves to work. On the other hand, it reflects a deeper issue of meaning, the threat of dehumanisation, and the misuse of technology.

A thought for leaders: Severance is in it’s second season, and a popular watch. It represents some of the issues people feel and face today. As leaders, we can’t ignore that. Great leaders ensure people avoid feeling like that, by providing meaning and purpose. And as this 23 year old study on life satisfaction found, purpose is better for longevity, than life satisfaction. It’s nice to feel happy today, but it’s more important to have something to strive for tomorrow. Great leaders provide that meaning, and that “why”, and as Victor Frankl said “he who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”

Change: soldier or scout?

In today’s environment, with constant dizzying change, our intellectual operating systems get almost daily updates. Ideas we may have clung to, rapidly outdate. In this new world order, survival is more about intellectual flexibility and humility, than ever before. To understand whether you have it, Daniel Pink outlines here (from Warren Berger’s The Book of Beautiful Questions) 4 key questions you need to ask yourself :

Do you think like a soldier (defend beliefs at all costs) or a scout (explore new ideas)?
Do you want to win—or understand? Do you believe in truth, no matter the cost?
Do you seek out disagreement? Do you get uncomfortable & have your views challenged?
Do you enjoy changing your mind? Is it satisfying or soul destroying?

A thought for leaders: Some leaders still believe intelligence is about being right. But great ones know that it’s really about knowing when you’re wrong, and being open to changing your mind. As John Henry Patterson said, “Only fools and dead men don’t change their minds. Fools won’t and dead men can’t.” Today’s great leaders are great learners. They know that surviving and thriving in chaos, means constantly rethinking assumptions, revising opinions and thinking more like scout’s, than soldiers.

Leadership: future trust.

The World Economic Forum released their 2025 Future of Work Report outlining workplace trends in the next decade. Unsurprisingly, tech, AI and robotics dominate. It’s a scary read. The share of “people” tasks, for example, is expected to decline from 47% to 33%, while 39% of workers’ existing skills will become obsolete by 2030. At the same time, Edelman released their 2025 Trust Barometer. Also a scary read. Previous reports covered a collapse in trust. This one continues that trend. 2/3 now believe all leaders “lie to us for their own ends”. Trust in CEO’s has halved to 30%. And there’s a huge suspicion of innovation, with only 30% trusting the use of AI. The report also moves beyond a trust, to grievance. 40% of respondents now believe in hostile activism and 20% endorse violence (53% of 18-35). Chaos is taking it’s toll.

A thought for leaders: We focus so much on the need for companies to embrace change, but so little on the people we need to bring with us. Hyper-change is exciting for some, but for most it’s terrifying. That is now manifesting in many ways, including anger (and even violence). At this time leaders need to calmly guide and lead people brilliantly through the chaos. But that requires trust (positive relationships, consistency, and good judgment/expertise). Which is in ever shorter supply. Remember to keep charging the trust battery. You’ll need more and more of in the coming years.

Podcast: EP 67: How to Lead in an Age of Chaos and Disruption – Part 4: Inspire Commitment

This edition features one of our Leadership in Chaos podcast episodes from the vaults: EP 67: How to Lead in an Age of Chaos and Disruption—Part 4: Inspire Commitment. This episode focuses on the role of building trust in Leadership.

You can listen to it here.

Enjoy revisiting or newly discovering it 😊

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Hope you enjoyed and please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

P.S. This month’s featured artist is Polish photographer Paweł Piaskiewicz. In this series, ANO/MONO (2023), he tests the boundaries of anonymity. He questions how far a person can be stripped of their defining traits while maintaining their individuality. He leaves viewers asking if this was a person I knew, would I still be able to recognise them?