Keynote: The DNA of VUCA: Coaching leaders to build agility and resilience in complex, disruptive times
Dr David B. Peterson PhD
In a world that is rapidly becoming more complex, and where change and disruption are accelerating, leaders are challenged to build new capabilities and mindsets just to keep pace. Many, however, are finding themselves disrupted and ill-equipped to thrive with each next new challenge. The paradox is that the best — perhaps the only way — to develop agile, resilient, future-ready leaders is through proactively increasing their experience with Diverse, Novel, and Adverse (DNA) circumstances — ideally in a supportive coaching context. In VUCA times (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous), leaders need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. David’s presentation describes the forces driving complexity and disruption, explores different ways leaders can respond, and offers practical guidance on how coaches can help leaders accelerate the capabilities they need to navigate successfully in challenging times.
Dr David B. Peterson, PhD has been recognized as a world-class executive coach and thought leader in leadership and executive development for over 25 years. In 2019 he was selected as the #1 Corporate Coach in the world. Prior to founding 7 Paths Forward, dedicated to helping good coaches become great coaches, David led Google’s Executive Coaching & Leadership team for 10 years, where he built one of the world’s most innovative and high-impact coaching programs. In addition to being a world-class coach, he is a highly regarded author — his books, Leader as Coach and Development FIRST have sold over 1,000,000 copies — and speaker, known for being on the cutting edge of the profession, challenging the conventional wisdom and constantly exploring provocative and compelling new ideas to help coaches and leaders have greater impact.