Understanding the Shift from VUCA to BANI

For years, the business world has relied on VUCA—a framework that describes an environment characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. Originally coined by the military, VUCA helped leaders navigate an unpredictable world. However, as the pace of change accelerates and disruption becomes the norm, VUCA no longer fully explains the challenges we face.

In response, a new model has emerged: BANI. Coined by futurist Jamais Cascio in 2018, BANI captures the realities of today’s world, where systems and organizations are increasingly:

• Brittle – Fragile structures that appear strong but break under pressure.
• Anxious – Persistent uncertainty that fuels fear and indecision.
• Nonlinear – Disruptions that unfold unpredictably, making outcomes hard to anticipate.
• Incomprehensible – Complexity that defies understanding, even with vast amounts of data.

This shift in perspective forces leaders to rethink their approach. The strategies that worked in a VUCA world are now inadequate. To thrive in a BANI environment, leaders must cultivate new skills, foster resilience, and embrace adaptability. Let’s explore what each component of BANI means and how to lead effectively in this new reality.

Brittle: The Hidden Fragility in Our Systems

Brittle things often appear strong—until they suddenly shatter. Many business structures, supply chains, and economies operate under this illusion of strength. However, minor disruptions can have disproportionate consequences, revealing their fragility.

Consider these examples:

• A small earthquake in Japan disrupted the production of a single microchip, bringing automobile manufacturing in Detroit to a standstill.
• A CrowdStrike software update caused millions of Windows computers to crash, grounding flights and disrupting businesses worldwide.
• The Ever Given cargo ship blocked the Suez Canal, halting global trade and escalating costs for businesses worldwide.

How Leaders Can Respond

To counter brittleness, leaders must focus on resilience and redundancy rather than pure efficiency. Instead of optimizing for short-term gains, organizations should:

• Develop backup systems to ensure continuity when disruptions occur.
• Diversify supply chains to avoid over-reliance on a single provider.
• Foster adaptability in teams to encourage quick responses to unexpected challenges.

In a BANI world, resilience is a necessity, not a luxury. Organizations must prepare for disruptions before they happen.

Anxious: Leading Through Fear and Uncertainty

Anxiety in today’s world is not just occasional stress—it is constant. Unlike the uncertainty of VUCA, which allowed time for strategic planning, BANI’s anxiety is relentless. It affects individuals, teams, and entire organisations.

People worry about:

• Job security—Will AI replace my role?
• Economic stability—Can the business survive market shifts?
• Political changes—How will global conflicts impact our industry?

The Problem with Anxiety

When people feel overwhelmed, they often freeze. This leads to:

• Reduced innovation and risk-taking.
• Slower decision-making.
• Increased resistance to change.

How Leaders Can Respond

Leaders cannot eliminate uncertainty, but they can reduce its impact by:

• Communicating openly—Silence breeds speculation. Clarity eases anxiety.
• Empowering teams—Giving people control over decisions, even small ones, restores confidence.
• Creating psychological safety—Encouraging dialogue and experimentation without fear fosters resilience.

Above all, leaders must provide a steady presence. Empathy and optimism are essential tools in countering the paralysing effects of anxiety.

Nonlinear: The End of Predictability

In a traditional business environment, effort and outcomes followed a logical path—work harder, achieve better results. That assumption no longer holds.

Small events can now trigger massive, unpredictable consequences.

For example:

• The launch of DeepSeek AI in China erased trillions of dollars in market value almost overnight.
• A single tweet from a CEO can alter stock prices more than a company’s official earnings report.

How Leaders Can Respond

Since predictability is no longer an option, leaders must:

• Embrace agility—Rigid plans will fail in a nonlinear world. Flexibility is key.
• Experiment rapidly—Small, iterative changes reveal what works before major investments.
• Look for emerging patterns—Instead of predicting exact outcomes, focus on identifying trends and responding accordingly.

Success now depends on how quickly leaders can adapt to unexpected shifts. The ability to pivot is more valuable than a detailed long-term plan.

Incomprehensible: Making Decisions Without All the Answers

We are drowning in data, yet understanding it all is impossible. With AI advancements happening at an overwhelming pace, even experts struggle to keep up.

Every week brings a new breakthrough, making last month’s knowledge obsolete.

This presents a challenge: if leaders wait for complete clarity before making a decision, they will already be behind.

How Leaders Can Respond

To lead effectively in an incomprehensible world:

• Trust intuition and experience—Analysis paralysis is a real threat. Sometimes, gut instincts matter more than excessive data.
• Simplify where possible—Focus on the essentials rather than getting lost in complexity.
• Accept uncertainty—The goal is not perfect knowledge but the ability to act decisively despite ambiguity.

What Leadership Looks Like in a BANI World

To navigate this environment, leaders must develop five key competencies:

1. Visionary Thinking

In a rapidly changing world, leaders must craft compelling narratives about the future. A clear vision transforms uncertainty into direction and anxiety into hope.

2. Agility and Adaptability

Since the future is nonlinear, leaders must expect change and pivot when needed. Encouraging teams to experiment fosters resilience.

3. Innovation and Reinvention

Rather than waiting for disruption, leaders should challenge assumptions and drive reinvention before it becomes a necessity. Creativity is no longer optional—it is a survival skill.

4. Relationship Building

Strong networks, trust, and collaboration are more important than ever. Seeking diverse perspectives enhances problem-solving and fosters innovation.

5. Resilience and Perseverance

Setbacks are inevitable. Effective leaders view failures as learning opportunities and keep their teams focused on long-term goals.

Final Thoughts: The Unbridled Leader’s Role in a BANI World

The old leadership models no longer work. When systems are brittle, leaders must build resilience. When anxiety pervades, they must offer clarity. When change is nonlinear, adaptability becomes essential. And when reality feels incomprehensible, leaders must act with confidence despite uncertainty.

This is why I advocate for learning from nature, particularly from horses. Horses have thrived for 65 million years by mastering adaptability, sensing danger before it arrives, and leading through trust rather than control.

If you want your team to develop the leadership skills needed for a BANI world, let’s have a conversation.

📩 Reach out for a complimentary discussion on how to future-proof your leadership team.

As a leader, what will you do differently this week to prepare for the challenges ahead?

Show Notes:

Here are the highlights from this episode:

Welcome back to this week’s edition of IMPACTFUL Teamwork. I’m excited to have you here again, and I hope you’ve been enjoying the recent episodes and the amazing guests we’ve had on the podcast. Today, it’s just me, and I want to dive into a concept that’s really resonated with me lately, as it perfectly captures the challenges I see in leadership today.

At Business HorsePower, we are passionate about transforming leadership and business practices. We believe the traditional leadership models—especially those based on command-and-control hierarchies—simply aren’t fit for purpose in today’s rapidly changing world. It’s time to embrace a new approach to leadership, one that’s inspired by nature and designed for a world of constant change.

Recently, I came across a concept that perfectly explains many of the leadership challenges businesses face: Zombie Leadership. I absolutely love this term because it vividly describes a type of leadership that seems alive but is actually stuck in outdated, ineffective practices.

In this blog, I’ll unpack the concept of Zombie Leadership, discuss its impact on businesses, and offer insights into how we can shift to more effective leadership practices that are better suited for the modern business landscape.

What is Zombie Leadership?

Zombie Leadership describes leadership that’s disconnected from the needs of modern teams and organisations. It’s when businesses continue investing in leadership development without addressing the fundamental flaws in their leadership models. On the surface, everything seems polished, but when you look closer, the foundation is weak and crumbling.

At Business HorsePower, I see this happening time and time again. Organisations pour money into leadership training, yet they often fail to see the results they expect. Leaders might be trained, but the underlying principles guiding their leadership approach don’t change. As a result, they continue operating in an ineffective, outdated way.

The Crumbling Foundation

I recently came across an analogy from my friend Jude Germain, which perfectly illustrates Zombie Leadership. She compares it to inheriting a grand historic mansion. From the outside, it looks impressive. But once you step inside, you notice the walls are cracked, the floors creak, and the foundation is crumbling. No matter how many renovations you make, you can’t fix a weak foundation.

This analogy perfectly mirrors what we see in leadership today. Many organisations are trying to build their businesses on leadership models that were designed for the industrial era. These models focus on command and control, which worked in the past but no longer meet the demands of today’s dynamic business world.

Zombie leadership continues because it benefits those in power. It doesn’t survive because it works; it survives because it maintains old power structures and supports the outdated “leadership industrial complex.”

The 8 Axioms of Zombie Leadership

Research by Haslam, Arif, and Abo in 2024 identified eight key axioms that define Zombie Leadership. These axioms are deeply ingrained in many businesses and, unfortunately, continue to hinder progress. Let’s take a closer look at these axioms and reflect on how they might show up in your organisation.

1. Leadership is All About the Leaders

Zombie Leadership often places leadership solely in the hands of those at the top. It defines leadership as a top-down, hierarchical process. But the reality is that leadership is about influence, not position. Effective leaders engage with their teams and understand their needs, rather than relying on their formal authority.

Action Point: Challenge the traditional top-down model. Encourage leadership at all levels of your organisation.

2. Great Leaders Have Specific Qualities

Many organisations believe that great leaders must possess certain qualities—such as intelligence, charisma, or vision. However, the most important factor is whether the team perceives these qualities. A leader may have exceptional skills, but if the team doesn’t recognise those qualities, the leadership is ineffective.

Action Point: Focus on building trust and rapport with your team. Leadership is about being relatable and understanding their perspectives.

3. Great Leaders Do Specific Things

Zombie Leadership suggests that effective leaders exhibit particular behaviours, such as fairness or initiating change. In reality, great leadership requires flexibility. The best leaders adapt their approach to the unique needs of their team and the challenges they face.

Action Point: Develop your emotional intelligence. Learn how to adjust your leadership style based on the team’s needs and circumstances.

4. You Know a Great Leader When You See One

Many organisations believe that great leaders are immediately recognisable. While it’s true that some leaders stand out, this belief overlooks the potential of others who may lead quietly and effectively in the background.

Action Point: Rethink what makes a great leader. Look for leadership qualities within your team and empower them to step up.

5. All Leadership is the Same

Zombie Leadership assumes that leadership is one-size-fits-all. However, leadership varies depending on the individual, the team, and the situation. What works in one context may not work in another, and the key to effective leadership is adaptation.

Action Point: Embrace the uniqueness of each leadership scenario. Cultivate leadership that adapts to the circumstances.

6. Leadership is a Special Skill for Special People

In the past, many viewed leadership as an elite skill reserved for a select few. Today, we know that leadership is a skill that anyone can develop with the right guidance and environment. Leadership isn’t about being “special”; it’s about being effective.

Action Point: Encourage leadership development across your organisation. Everyone can learn to be a leader with the right support.

7. Leadership is Always Good for Everyone

Zombie Leadership assumes that leadership is always beneficial for everyone. However, bad leadership can create inequality and division. Leadership should promote inclusivity, equality, and diversity.

Action Point: Ensure your leadership practices foster equality and inclusivity. Be mindful of the impact leadership has on your team and culture.

8. People Can’t Cope Without Leaders

Zombie Leadership promotes the idea that people cannot thrive without a leader. However, many teams today are self-managing and thriving without a designated leader. In some cases, leaders can even hinder progress.

Action Point: Foster a culture of self-management and autonomy. Encourage teams to lead themselves and collaborate effectively.

Moving Beyond Zombie Leadership

Zombie Leadership is pervasive because it’s deeply ingrained in many businesses. It feels comfortable and familiar, but it no longer serves the needs of modern teams and organisations. To overcome this, we need to embrace leadership that’s adaptive, inclusive, and capable of driving meaningful change.

I believe we need leaders who are willing to challenge the status quo and foster innovation. These leaders—whom I call trailblazing leaders—are the ones who can break free from the constraints of Zombie Leadership and create new, more effective ways of leading.

At Business Horsepower, we advocate for a leadership model based on agility, adaptability, and emotional intelligence. This model draws inspiration from nature, where every member of the team has the opportunity to lead in their own unique way.

Final Thoughts

Zombie Leadership has given me much to reflect on, and I encourage you to think about these eight axioms. Where are they showing up in your organisation? What can you do to reinvent leadership and create a more dynamic, effective leadership culture?

If you’d like to discuss how you can evolve your leadership approach, I’d love to hear from you. Together, we can build a leadership framework that fosters innovation, agility, and growth.

Thank you for reading, and I hope this exploration of Zombie Leadership has offered some fresh perspective. Let’s create the future of leadership—one step at a time.

If you’re ready to rethink your approach to leadership, get in touch today.

Show Notes:

Here are the highlights from this episode: