A new frame

I sometimes write posts for Distinct Impressions weeks before they are published and emailed to my list of subscribers. That’s a really good practice, since it allows me to edit and fine-tune my message. It’s even a better practice when it allows me to completely change the topic.

We are always at war. Somewhere, at some level, a war is being waged. We grieve that there are wars. We want them to stop. Yet, they go on. Many of us found ourselves in that grief and in that hope for peace as we’ve turned to Ukraine and to the Middle East.

This week, I had planned to begin publishing a short series on bringing interpersonal peace by doing small things — a topic I addressed on an earlier blog several years ago. As we watch the ongoing horrors of war, most vividly in Ukraine, Israel, and now, the Gaza Strip, that series and my approach seemed anemic. While the thoughts I planned to share are scaleable to almost any size conflict, it seemed, ironically, to be too small to think about while massive confrontations and suffering are at hand.

As I struggled with what to say this week, I was grateful to receive this week’s edition of Sketchplanations, by Jono Hey. Each week, Mr. Hey provides a simple sketch to portray an idea that could prove useful — or at least fun to know. I encourage you to click on the link above and subscribe. Not only are Mr. Hey’s sketches informative, he also provides a short narrative and is diligent about citing sources.

This week, Sketchplanations explains a strategic framework that was developed in the United States Army War College and memorialized in Bob Johansens’ book, Leaders Make the Future: Ten New Leadership Skills for an Uncertain World.

As I thought about the recent attacks on Israel by Hamas, Israel’s declaration of war, and human tragedy that has unfolded in Israel and in the Gaza Strip, I read article after article about the conflict. The issues faced are not simple and stretch back many years. It’s too easy to lay blame and choose a side without considering the deep interests that are at play. The “VUCA framework” is a great tool for thinking about difficult things.

Johansen notes that we live in a volatile (V), uncertain (U), complex (C), and ambiguous (A) world. How do we address the problems of such a world? More importantly, how do we create an environment that lends itself to positive, substantive progress?

Recognizing the VUCA elements, we can frame problems and situations in ways that allow us to experience a transformed VUCA world where:

• Volatility can yield to Vision.

• Uncertainty can yield to Understanding.

• Complexity can yield to Clarity.

• Ambiguity can yield to Agility.

Too often, I have looked at world problems like poverty, discrimination, terrorism, authoritarianism, and powermongering and have used the very words — volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. As a result, I’ve shrugged my shoulders and accepted what I viewed as the inevitable — things won’t change, people won’t change.

We know at every level of conflict management, a change in frame can make all the difference in whether a solution can be reached. Imagine what would happen if we looked at world problems and refused to accept a view that made solutions unlikely and, instead, viewed them:

• with a vision for what could be,

• with understanding and empathy for those involved,

• with a clear view of the interactions that perpetuate chaos, and

• chose to respond with ingenuity and agility with positive action.

It all begins with a vision.