Jamais Cascio, an American futurist and anthropologist, proposes it is time for a new term—BANI—Brittle, Anxious, Non-linear, Incomprehensible—to address our present context. Although these shifts disturb our personal and organizational equilibrium, Cascio proposes Positive BANI, a set of mindsets to counter the chaos:
- Bendable (to counter Brittle)
- Attentive (to counter Anxious)
- Neuroflexible (to counter Non-linear)
- Interconnected (to counter Incomprehensible)
Coaching in a BANI environment requires us to focus on "Capacity Coaching" (how to expand our capacity and options). Since coaches use powerful questions that move people from dependency to autonomy, we can adapt those to address the specific "fractures" BANI creates.
Here are specific coaching tips and adapted questions for each BANI pillar:
Coaching the "Brittle" (Fragility)
When a client feels their career or project is brittle, they are often paralyzed by the "all-or-nothing" trap. The goal in this situation is to build resilience and redundancy. The shift is from coaching for a "Perfect Plan" and to coach toward for "Portfolio Thinking"—multiple possibilities. Possible questions:
- "If this current system (job, responsibility) broke or was gone tomorrow, what is the one skill or asset you possess that remains untouchable?"
- "Instead of the 'right' way, what are three 'good enough' ways to move forward?"
Coaching the "Anxious" (Overwhelm)
Anxiety in a BANI world is often "ambient"—it’s always in the background. Traditional time management won't fix this. The goal is to facilitate mindfulness and agency. Shift from
from "Long-term visioning" to "Immediate control." Possible questions:
- "What is the real challenge here for you—is it the task itself, or the uncertainty surrounding it?"
- "What is one thing you can do this week that would make the biggest difference to your peace of mind?"
Coaching the "Non-Linear" (Disproportion)
Clients often feel frustrated because their hard work isn't yielding the expected results. The link between effort and outcome is broken. The goal of the coach is to foster adaptability and context. The shift is to reward the process and the learning, not just the measure of success. Potential questions:
- "If we treat this month as an experiment rather than a race, what is the most valuable piece of information we’ve gathered?"
- "And what else? What other hidden factors might be influencing this outcome that we haven't acknowledged yet?"
Coaching the "Incomprehensible" (Confusion)
When data and logic fail to provide answers, clients lose their sense of direction. The goal here is to strengthen intuition and purpose. Help the client shift thinking to values as the "North Star" when the map is unclear. Think about these questions:
- "When the outcome doesn't make sense, which of your core values feels like the safest anchor right now?"
- "If you couldn't fail—and you didn't need to understand 'why' yet—what would be your first step based purely on your gut instinct?"
In a BANI context, the action questions are more vital than ever. The idea is a sprint rather than a marathon. To coach effectively, shorten the feedback loop:
- Don't ask: "What is your goal for the next 6 months?" (Too incomprehensible).
- Do ask: "What is the smallest move you can make in the next 48 hours to test this idea?
How would you like to incorporate these into the leadership coaching frameworks you’re currently using?
The Condition | The Human Experience | The Communication Response |
Brittle | "I feel precarious." | Build Resilience. Focus on diverse skill sets and "safety nets" rather than single-point successes. |
Anxious | "I feel overwhelmed." | Practice Empathy. Acknowledge the stress. Communicate with transparency and "radical honesty" to lower the baseline fear. |
Non-linear | "I feel out of control." | Stay Contextual. Stop over-planning for 2028. Focus on "Next-Best-Action" and iterative feedback loops. |
Incomprehensible | "I feel confused." | Trust Intuition. When the data doesn't make sense, return to Core Values and Mission. They are the only things that don't change. |
(Developed with research by Google Gemini)
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