Leadership in a ‘VUCA’ world – how in-house lawyers can thrive amidst volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity

Last November we were delighted to welcome a panel made up of Lara Oyesanya, Group General Counsel & Company Secretary at World Remit, Anthony Kenny, Assistant General Counsel Corporate and CBS at GSK, Dan Kayne, General Counsel at Network Rail and Mark Smith, Director of Strategic Markets at LexisNexis.

The panel discussed what skills and capabilities in-house leaders need in order to navigate their teams through the ‘VUCA’ (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity) environment. Legal professionals who attended the session also voted on a series of questions which provided a greater insight into leadership within the legal environment. View the poll here.

The panel discussion covered a range of topics, including:

Understanding and dealing with ‘VUCA’

Mark Smith, an expert in leadership and development, started off the session by delving into the four elements of VUCA, and providing a framework to help in-house leaders come up with concrete behaviours.

How can a legal team develop ‘Purpose’?

A legal team needs to be guided by a strong purpose. But how do legal leaders develop a clear, stable, purpose in a VUCA world? Our panel shared how they did just this. They also revealed their strategies for communicating and aligning this purpose with business stakeholders.

The agile workforce: Leadership and Management Challenges

The agile workforce is here to stay, but there will be leadership, cultural, and management challenges. Our panel went on to share their communication and collaboration techniques, including how they are embracing hybrid working.

Download the insights from the session here

Find out more about our Leading Edge forum:

Every quarter we bring together executive senior in‐house counsel in large organisations to share and develop best practice leadership. Working with peers, members explore cutting edge research‐based theory and experiences in a safe environment to enhance your leadership knowledge and practice. 

Each session is tailormade, the agenda formed by The Leading Edge strategic advisory board formed of highly experienced and respected in-house counsel.

Find out more about the Leading Edge forum hosted by LexisNexis by registering your interest here.

Additional Resources:

• The high volume of low-level, repetitive work is one of the biggest blockers that stops the majority of General Counsel and in-house lawyers from taking a more strategic function within their organisation and embracing digital transformation initiatives. Watch this short video 3 simple steps in-house lawyers can take to be more productive
• Our LexisPSL Guide to Leadership for In-House Counsel guide looks at a number of practicalities around leadership development, focusing on problems and opportunities faced by in-house counsel, such as understanding where to add value as a business partner. The guide is part of our dedicated subtopic on Management & Leadership within LexisPSL In-House Advisor. For full access, request a complimentary 7-day trial here.