Skip to content

Responding to early warning signals: don't ignore your 'helpful Cassandras' (24 August 2021)

Summary

Listen for weak signals to avert potential disasters, urges Columbia Business School professor, Rita Gunther McGrath.

We’ve all heard the stories. The multi-patent-holding chemist at Kodak who warned of the digital revolution. The experienced research and development person at Nokia who pointed out that the bean counters had taken over and the company couldn’t get new products out the door anymore. The scary-smart top engineers at General Electric who urged the company to bet on renewable energy rather than tying its fortunes to fossil fuels.

 It’s nearly always the case that someone, somewhere, saw a significant inflection point coming and tried to warn the ‘powers that be’ – to little avail. Ignoring these warnings imperils everyone. And yet, it happens over and over again. Let’s explore why, and what you as a leader might do about it.

Responding to early warning signals: don't ignore your 'helpful Cassandras' (24 August 2021) https://www.futuretalentlearning.com/en/future-talent-learning-blog/responding-to-early-warning-sign…

User Feedback

Recommended Comments

There are no comments to display.

Create an account or sign in to comment

Registered address: Patient Safety Learning, China Works SB203, 100 Black Prince Road Vauxhall, London, SE1 7SJ

Account

Navigation

Search

Search

Configure browser push notifications

Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.