If you are an individual contributor or a mid-level leader in a global business, you may have noticed that your leaders - the people you’re report to - are angry.  They are frustrated, upset, short-tempered, and unsure of how to lead effectively in a world that is increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous, and is lacking of people taking on self-responsibility.

There are an infinite number of theories about what’s going on and why your leaders are becoming this way.  All too often they are hearing and experiencing their direct reports dip into the bucket of excuses about why mistakes are being made and why business objectives aren’t being met.  The general excuses fall into the following archetypes:

It’s no secret that we have now exceeded all reasonable expectations for what living in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous (VUCA) world should be like.  Basically, the chaos of the global business world and the global geopolitical world is the new normal and people and the stock markets seem to be adjusting just fine.

One area of immediate and potentially catastrophic concern for many business organizations is how to retain their best people during a volatile change in the business.  Volatile changes could include mergers, spinoffs, mergers then spinoffs, new start-ups, entrance of a new disruptive competitor to your market, or any other change that radically alters the way you go to market. In my opinion, the skills and tools required to be successful are based on strong Business Acumen and Business Leadership skills.  Based on years of research, observations, and talking with thousands of leaders and contributors of success, here are three ideas of how to leverage Business Acumen and Business Leadership skills to make sure your company, business unit, and team is retaining your great people in times of uncertainty.

Every Monday morning around the world, in millions of business offices, a version of the following conversation can be heard.

“How was the weekend?”

“It was ok, I spent most of it working for like the third weekend in a row just to catch up.  It feels like we work and work, but can’t get anything accomplished.”

The conversation then turns into a pity party about all the obstacles, issues, and challenges the company has, and how everyone must work extra hard to get anything done.