Best In Brief
Harvard Business Review: Predicting the unpredictable
Michael D. Watkins and Max H. Bazerman
Douglas WestUniversity of Westminster
Surprises are by their nature unpredictable, and leaders cannot always be blamed for lack of foresight. However, many damaging events are foreseeable and preventable, and this means more than just better environmental scanning or contingency planning. What is required is the 'RPM' process: recognition, prioritisation and mobilisation.
Problems in recognition occur when leaders remain oblivious to an emerging threat or problem. It can happen to the best executives. For example, Jack Welch was quoted as saying, 'You are...