Business, Industry & Capability Insights

A blog discussing the amalgamation of boundaries including international law, global economy, geographical positions and communities needs and desires into which the fashion industry is placed.

- A brief reflective enquiry process to support personal and professional development - 

After my 17 years of learning, unlearning and relearning about myself, my relationship with the fashion industry and my place within the system, I can’t start talking about fashion without naming the external elements that allow this industry to exist. Just like any other business, fashion companies provide solutions to specified sectors of global communities answering their needs based on the individual and collective life continuum that the community requires to coexist.

Traditional concepts of leadership are fast becoming out-moded in today’s complex world.  In diverse global environments, where technology is breaking down barriers and revolutionizing the way we work, a new breed of leader is needed.

If organizations are to be able to innovate at speed and keep ahead of the competition, they need leaders who accept that they cannot possibly know all the answers themselves.  Succeeding against a backdrop of economic uncertainty, where customer expectations are greater than ever before, calls for humility, empathy and a high level of self-awareness.

There can’t be many of us who haven’t at some point in our working lives come across leaders who have a ‘dark’ side. Maybe in the past, you’ve worked for a manager who’s a bit of a narcissist – someone who truly believes they are head and shoulders above everyone else, is arrogant in the extreme and only happy when they are basking in the glow of admiration from others.

Or perhaps you’ve been unfortunate enough to encounter someone with Machiavellian tendencies.  A calculating, master manipulator, who has no morals and will do whatever it takes to achieve their goals.    You might even have come across a psychopath – a cold, unstable and aggressive leader who appears to be completely lacking in empathy and behaves in unpredictable ways.

The acronym often used to describe an environment of noise, mess, and doubt is VUCA. These four letters represent volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. It’s something that’s recognizable for many of us in our everyday lives.

Perhaps you’re managing a complex job with multiple pressures, and much of the day is spent doing a role that’s unrecognisable from the one you thought you’d signed up to. And maybe this is coupled with the responsibility you feel for your elderly parents who need attention. And your children, who not only want loving and feeding, but also need to visit the dentist and be to their swimming lesson on time.