Comments on: Blindsided. Who Will Put You Out of Business?

By: Dan

Dan — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 20:27:31 +0000

eM: When I see this I don’t know whether to join you in laughing or crying. And nowadays, it’s not just subtle things we miss, but also major shifts. The credit crisis, the housing meltdown, demographic changes, the rise of China, etc. are not small, but they were missed because of the myopic and narcissistic perspective of so many leaders.

Also, classic business training and experience lacks a focus on how to develop strategic foresight. That’s an area that I’ve been working in a lot over the last years. It’s not easy to develop, but develop it must.

Thanks, as always, for your contributions.

By: Dan

Dan — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 20:23:08 +0000

David: It’s amazing how often the signs are ignored. It seems like it’s only realized when it’s too late (but not always even then!). Humility. A willingness to argue vigorously against your own most cherished and hallowed beliefs and assumptions. A willingness to put yourself on the outside looking in. These and other steps are necessary to lead in this turbulent environment.

By: eM

eM — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 08:15:26 +0000

I sometimes laugh my head off when I see a business honcho being interviewed,…and all they talk about is the bottom-line,
….in a way that leaves you thinking,

…they are not aware of the small, imperceptible shifts and undercurrents that cumulatively alter the strategic competitive environment so dynamically as to make their businesses irrelevant every one or two decades.

Apart from maximizing productivity and profits, the Modern CEO must do serious and really critical and long term critical thinking about their business…whether and in what ways it is shaping, serving or responding to those undercurrents. it may not always be right even 50% of the time, but it is critical to business survival in an unpredictable environment.

By: David Rupert

David Rupert — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 11:07:00 +0000

Great analysis!

Getting blindsided is one thing — but stumbling oblivious is another. How many times do we just ignore the signs?

That’s what pride does — it makes you press on in a wild attempt to do what you think is best. You ignore the signs. You dismiss criticism. You know "the bridge is out," but you still catapult on in ignorance.

The bottom line for all of us is that there’s really no such thing as "All of a Sudden."

I blogged about ignoring signs in our own personal lives over at the Red Letter Believers blog:

http://redletterbelievers.blogspot.com/2010/01/theres-no-such-thing-as-all-of-sudden.html