Small change: look around

There is no such thing as ‘all of a sudden’ in business. It’s cold comfort, perhaps, but that issue — that horrible, unexpected shock — didn’t come from nowhere.

This is easily proven. Take the 2008 financial crisis: the signals were there in the markets (which is why some astute investors cleaned up). COVID was not unprecedented: global pandemics occur roughly every few decades. Closer to home, events like the sacking of a senior leader might take colleagues by surprise, but the working relationship will have long been faltering.

What we pay attention to determines the quality of our decision-making. So, look around you. There are always clues about what might lie in wait.

Something to consider: what signals should I be noticing, in amongst the noise?

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