For years, leaders have spoken about living in a VUCA world: volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. It gave us a framework to understand the turbulence of markets, technology, and politics. But now, a new term has emerged that feels even more accurate: BANI. It stands for brittle, anxious, nonlinear, and incomprehensible.
This captures today’s reality far more sharply. The rise of artificial intelligence, the acceleration of technological change, and the speed at which industries are being disrupted leave many leaders feeling anxious. The incomprehensible nature of these shifts makes it difficult to know how to plan. It is not just complicated anymore; it feels impossible to keep up.
One of the most difficult parts of leadership today is not just the presence of change but the pace of it. In many industries, shifts are happening at lightning speed. Revenue can be affected almost overnight. Competitors can be replaced by new entrants in weeks. Jobs once seen as secure are being automated at a rate that feels overwhelming.
Artificial intelligence is the perfect example. Some experts predict that each job could soon have ten AI agents supporting it. This suggests that workforces will shrink, certain skills will become redundant, and new roles will appear that we are only beginning to understand. It is exciting, but it also creates anxiety.
As leaders, the question is: how do you lead when you do not know what the next step looks like? In the past, you could make assumptions, strategize with data, and predict your competitors’ moves. Today, it feels like dancing on the same spot, because the ground keeps shifting.
Leadership has always required courage in uncertainty. Generals led armies without knowing if they would win the war. Entrepreneurs launched businesses without guarantees of success. But in those contexts, there was at least a rhythm, a pace you could work with. Now the speed is nonlinear, unpredictable, and often incomprehensible.
One way to think about leadership in this new era is to imagine a jacket. The jacket you have worn until now may no longer fit. You may need to sew on new pockets, redesign it entirely, or even create a jacket we have never seen before.
In practice, this means rethinking skills. Prompt engineering is becoming essential. Policies and security systems must adapt to AI risks. Teams will need retraining. Leaders themselves must be willing to learn new skills, even if they once thought their role was beyond that. Expertise is still necessary, but how we apply it is changing.
Despite all the uncertainty, some leadership principles remain the same. Cash still gives you time and options. Customer experience still matters. Compassion and honesty are still at the heart of leading people.
What is shifting is how these fundamentals are delivered. Customers may want faster solutions, smaller purchases, or entirely new types of services. Teams may need to dock with clients in new ways, much like a rocket aligning with a space station. The nozzle has changed, and so must we.