Managing risk and resilience
The hour between dog and wolf: or risk taking, gut feelings and the biology of boom and bust – summary of a book by John Coates, ex-financial trader and now Cambridge neuroscientist. He describes what happens to our minds and bodies facing risk and pressure – the trouble with men and why women have less volatile hormonal reactions. Lessons for any leader facing tough, unpredictable decisions, with high stakes.
The resilient organisation
Summary of a book by Liisa Välikangas – in an unpredictable world we are in greatest danger when we are most successful. Against a less predictable future, business success will not be driven by strategy, planning and a focus on short-term performance, but by a culture of agility, responsiveness, and resilience. Avoid ‘fallen eagles’ and build the capability to look for ‘data bombs’, freight trains’ and ‘canaries’.
Danger – smart executives at work
Leadership and risk. Is it just banks where smart people make such poor strategic decisions? Or can it happen anywhere? What goes wrong and how to improve approaches to risk by shifting from less reliance on outside approvals towards more personal responsibility.
How the mighty fall
Summary of Jim Collins book on the risk of decline facing all large successful organisations from hubris, the undisciplined pursuit of more, and the denial of peril. The five stages of decline are described in detail, plus a few points on how to recover.