Expert urges African leaders to apply strategic calm in terminating polycrisis

Caroline Lucas, Director Special Projects at TEXEM UK, the United Kingdom based leadership development organisation has urged African leaders and CEOs to apply strategic calm to terminate the present polycrisis ravaging the continent.

In a statement on TEXEM website, www.texem.co.uk, Lucas said in the face of the systemic volatility, the most potent asset a leader possesses is not speed, but strategic calm.

She said that in Nigeria and across the African continent, leaders are no longer navigating singular, predictable challenges, but are operating within a polycrisis.

Lucas said this is a landscape where economic volatility, climate shifts, social fragmentation, institutional strain, and security concerns do not merely exist side by side; but amplify one another.

“When crises interact, they create a feedback loop of instability that can easily overwhelm even the most capable organizations.

“For the African CEO and leader, the instinctive reaction to such turbulence is often reactive, a state of constant “firefighting” that drains reserves and blinds us to the horizon.
This is where strategic calm becomes imperative.

“Strategic calm is not passive, it is the discipline of maintaining a steady hand when the environment demands chaos.

“It is the intentional choice to decouple your decision making process from the noise of the immediate crisis. By cultivating this, you stabilize not just your organisation, but the ecosystems in which you operate,” she explained.

Lucas said some core pillars must be of top priority in order for leaders to lead effectively in the present volatile age.

She stated that Radical Prioritization is one of the major pillars.

“In a polycrisis, trying to solve everything simultaneously is a guaranteed path to failure. Strategic calm requires the courage to say “no” to secondary pressures so you can focus on the critical few levers that provide systemic resilience.

“You must distinguish between the noise of the moment and the structural shifts that define your long-term viability,” the TEXEM director explained.

Clarity of Communication is another pillar mentioned by the leadership development expert.

“Uncertainty breeds anxiety, and anxiety destroys productivity. Your teams are looking to you not for false certainty, but for a clear sense of direction. Transparent, consistent, and grounded communication cuts through the panic.

“When you articulate a vision that acknowledges the reality of the crisis while anchoring the team to a clear objective, you transform fear into focus,” Lucas said.

On Measured Decision Making, which is another pillar, she noted that hasty decisions made under the pressure of a polycrisis often trigger unintended consequences.

“A measured approach involves creating deliberate “pause points” in your governance. It means stress-testing your assumptions, consulting diverse perspectives, and acting only when the path is clear enough to minimize volatility,” Lucas said.

She said that the primary duty of African leaders is to become the stabilizer for their organizations and communities.

“By practicing Strategic Calm, you do more than protect your balance sheets; you provide the institutional grounding that our markets and societies desperately need,” Lucas said.

The statement also announced that TEXEM will be hosting African leaders and CEOs to a programme in Newcastle, United Kingdom on leadership during a polycrisis.

Speaking on the coming Newcastle leadership development programme titled, “Leading in an Age of Polycrisis”, Lucas said three reputable TEXEM faculty will handle them from 14th to 18th June.

The faculty are, Lord Jonny Oates, Prof. Roger Delves and John Peters.

Lord Jonny Oates is a
Member of the UK House of Lords, and former Chief of Staff to the UK Deputy Prime Minister.

He chairs and serves on parliamentary groups with strong Africa and international development focus.

He is an experienced communicator on governance, public policy and international affairs.

Prof. Roger Delves is a
Professor of Leadership Practice and served as Dean of Qualifications at Ashridge Business School, part of Hult International Business School.

He is a world-renowned, transformational leadership, EQ at work, authenticity in leadership, purpose, values and the role of integrity expert.

John Peters is a
former Chair of Association of MBAs (Accreditors of top Business Schools such as Harvard, London Business School, Stanford and IMD).

He is a world renowned Resilience expert and documentary on his life won Independent Documentary of the Year and was also nominated for a BAFTA award.

Interested participants in the June programme are expected to click on the link, https://texem.co.uk/leading-in-an-age-of-polycrisis/

The statement also shared testimonials from past delegates of TEXEM programmes.

“I regard the These Executive Minds (TEXEM) Executive Education programme as the best I have attended in recent times. Not one of them, but the very best as it was humanly perfect.

“My favourite thing about the programme would be … drawing our attention again to … change, which has been a constant in life experiences, you know, change in our lives, change, you know, in businesses … the evolution of businesses and the way we do things … discussions, for example, on cyber security and mental health, which is not just equipping us to know what is happening around us, even equipping us personally, our mental health, paying attention to also the ever evolving cybersecurity… Those are things I would say that made it very, very interesting”.
-Previous TEXEM delegate, Ifeanyi Ani CEO Total Pension CPFA

“TEXEM is a good platform for advancing leadership training, and I would recommend them for any organizations or institutions that are, desirous of improving their workforce in leadership and strategic policy making”.
– Previous TEXEM delegate, Prof. Olatunde Julius Otusanya, Hon. Commissioner, Tax Appeal Tribunal

“The program has been very interesting, exciting, facilitated knowledge sharing and it has actually brought about a greater insight into what leadership is.
– Previous TEXEM delegate, Akinwunmi Lawal, former MD/CEO of NPF Microfinance Bank.