ABSTRACT
The dominant view of leadership is that the leader has the vision and the rest is a sales problem. Leadership has moved from the good old command and control days to a more "visionary" "transformational" leadership. When things get messy, uncertain and unpredictable practitioners like to look up and see clear knowledgeable leaders who practitioners can trust. The real challenge for leaders is not only leading when they know, but also being able to lead confidentially and credibly when they do not know, enabling those who do know to take the initiative. Leaders need to learn to follow those they lead; followers need to learn to lead those they follow – a paradox and conundrum. Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous first appeared in the military – not surprising given the asymmetric warfare practitioners seem to be engaged in – but the term is gaining frequent use in business.
