Over the past few weeks, the new model of learning has started to take hold. The new model to which I refer is a hybrid model that provides an optimal balance of self-driven study, live facilitated learning, experiential learning through business simulations, and the much needed and talked about live human-to-human networking and bonding.

It’s happening again. After years of mergers, acquisitions, and strategies of mega-revenue growth we are seeing a trend again of large companies deciding to break themselves up or spin out certain businesses. General Electric, J&J, and Toshiba are the latest joining DuPont, Merck, Pfizer, Dell, L Brands, IBM, and many others over the last year. 

All leaders have heard and used the concept of VUCA. VUCA of course stands for Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous. For the past several decades, millions of leaders and people like me who deliver business leadership training have used VUCA as a primary concept to help leaders move from Volatility to Vision, Uncertainty to Unity, Complexity to Clarity, and Ambiguity to Alignment.

But as we start thinking about 2022 and beyond, it’s time to retire VUCA and move to a more current and modern concept. It was a nice run, and it has helped thousands of leaders become better leaders because of it. The new concept leaders are using is called VUCAD and in the new framework, the D stands for Digital.

On the surface, you are probably wondering, “what’s the big deal?” It’s just one letter and we’ve been digital for years.” My response is don’t underestimate the impact of digital and how it changes everything you’ve ever learned or thought about leadership.

I had been planning for the Strategic Business Selling program for the past 2 months focusing on the hard skills needed to successfully sell in the new reality of the post-pandemic disrupted virtual world. I’ve been working with the same group of Sales Professionals every time this year for the past 4 years with a focus on building a complete suite of skills including how to leverage business acumen skills into the selling process to present a value proposition from the business perspective.

After 18 months of delivering virtual simulation-based Business Acumen programs to more than 5,000 participants, I was astounded by the results and outcomes coming from the High Potential Leader program just completed with a global audience of a specialty equipment manufacturing company.

What astounded me was the level of efficiency from the team of 4 representing four different functions within the business spread out over 3 different continents. When I talk about “efficiency”, I am referring to the ability of this one team of leaders to finish their learning experience, mainly a business simulation exercise where they were running their own business, in about 75% of the time allocated and with spectacular results. Most teams we work with run out of time because they don’t yet have the discipline to avoid analysis paralysis.

In all my years of conducting similar training programs, I have never seen anything like this. After the program was over, I set up an interview with the team to try to discover what made them so special and unique. What they shared are very valuable lessons of leadership development and business strategy execution.