United Way Worldwide CEO Angela Williams on Turning Chaos Into Clarity

Angela Williams has spent decades reading the signs that most of us miss—the hairline fractures in systems we’ve long taken for granted. As President and CEO of United Way Worldwide, she leads a network that touches 35 countries and receives 45,000 calls for help every single day. That vantage point has given her something rare: a real-time view of how chaos is reshaping the landscape leaders must navigate. 

In her new book, Navigating the Age of Chaos, co-authored with futurists Jamais Cascio and Bob Johansen, Williams introduces us to BANI—a framework for leaders trying to make sense of a world that refuses to follow the old rules.

In this conversation, we explore why VUCA no longer serves us, how leaders can bend brittle systems instead of watching them break, and why the path through chaos requires attentiveness, flexibility, and intentional connection. It’s Angela Williams on The Business of Giving.