Year 2020: Navigating to your "Why"...

The Year 2020 is upon us and a new decade is at our doorstep.  Are you looking at how much you have accomplished this past year or reflecting on all the goals you were unable to achieve?

What is your "Why"?

The world around us is rapidly changing and we must recognize when we are deveating from our intended course.  All of us have our daily risk challenges with work, friends, spouses and kids or family, yet how effective are you at consistently navigating back on your true heading?

This will make all the difference in your life.

The difference between achieving your dreams and finding yourself in a different or unintended place, without vital key resources.

Where are you on your life map, at the end of this year and this decade?

How many books or articles of research have you read and studied this year that provides you even more insight, into your particular mission, craft, or trade or skill-set?

Guess what?  You are not as smart as you think you are.  You might not have as much context and experience as your parent, your teacher, your coach, your co-worker, or your partner.

On the dawn of a new decade known as 2020, maybe it is time for you to truly dedicate yourself to the science of your mission.  Your particular "Why."

Only then, will you begin to achieve the discipline you require each day, to navigate your true course.

Your life...wishing you a wonderful "New Decade"!

Christmas 2019: Look Around and Look Up...

"Let the true light of Christmas shine bright through you. You have received the greatest gift of all."

As your unique holiday season surrounds you this week, what will you be saying to yourself?  Why are you so joyful?  Who will you be celebrating with, as we sing together?

This time, of each year, we have the opportunity to reflect.  To Remember.  To Give.  To Pray.

As you look around the room at some gathering point, focus on why we all traveled to come together.  Are you a Mother or Father, a Son or Daughter, Brother or Sister, an Aunt or Uncle, a Grandfather or Grandmother?  Or just a Friend.

Think about where your life has taken you so far.  Yet wonder, about the future and what is next for you.

"Who among mortal men are you, good friend? Since never before have I seen you in the fighting where men win glory, yet now you have come striding far out in front of all others in your great heart..." --Homer, The Iliad

As you transcend through the thoughts and emotions of your journey so far, "Look Up"...

Godspeed!

The Risk of A Blueprint For Action: Heroes Yet Undiscovered...

Thomas P.M. Barnett's book was sitting there on the bookcase shelf last night gathering dust from 2006 and this is the next step in the "The Pentagon's New Map."

What an inspiring exercise in "Strategic Foresight" and a journey it was, well over a decade ago.  And yet now the journey begins again, to find our "heroes yet undiscovered".

What the author means is this.  Along the path through an uncertain and new worldview, we are going to encounter people who are hero's in the implementation of the bold concepts described in this insightful book.

Mr. Barnett gives us a few descriptions of who to look out for back then, and evermore so today:

• The four-star military police general:
• Japan's first combat casualty since World war II:
• The "Martin Luther King" of Islamic Europe:
• The "Serpico" who blows the lid off human rights abuses in the global war on terrorism:
• China's "JFK"
• India's "Bill Gates":
• The first female leader of an Arab state:

His unreasonable ideas that sound at first to be far fetched are by design, to make us think deeper about the impact of globalization and the future.  In fact, they are upon us today.

"All things being equal, no one chooses the informal economy over the formal economy. Because the efficiency and security of the latter are undeniably a better deal." Page 262

"In the end, the Gap (non-core countries outside the G-20) is plagued not so much by bad governments as by simply the lack of good ones. Our goal in shrinking the Gap must entail, therefore, increasing the number of good governments there, governments that extend the rule of law, develop the human capital of all citizens (and especially that of young females), and ---most specifically---foster entrepreneurial opportunities by recognizing property rights and expanding contract case law." Page 262

The real risk of "A Blueprint For Action" is that our world leaders in 2020 still have not converged on this remarkable book and discussed it over their next dinner together.

If they do, then we will be on our way to a trusted future worth creating...

Operational Continuity: Top Ten...

As your Board of Directors Meeting agenda is prepared for your next conference call, Operational Continuity should be near the top of the list of priorities.

"Californian utility giant Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) has agreed a $13.5bn (£10.2bn) settlement with victims of wildfires in the state.  The company's equipment has been linked to several blazes including the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in state history, 2018's Camp Fire."

The risk of a significant business disruption is increasing and shareholders are increasingly asking for additional oversight by boards, to make sure that executive management is on top of Operational Risk Management (ORM) issues.

Catastrophic losses may be caused by natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, flooding, drought, tornados, fires and winter storms or man-made events.

Workplace Violence and/or Terrorist acts are tragic and complicated, taking an awful toll in human lives and resulting in insurance claims that run into the millions or billions of dollars and, often, litigation.

Here is a top ten list for your board to consider. If you can answer "Yes" to these items then you are well on your way to a high level of "Operational Continuity" in your organization:

__1. The Board of Directors reviews and approves company-wide contingency plans annually.

__2. Formal documented guidelines, policies, and procedures exist for the development and maintenance of business Continuity/Disaster Recovery, Emergency Response (evacuation and life safety) and Crisis Management plans (public relations and communications).

__3. An Operational Risk Assessment that categorizes potential threats (internal and external) has been performed on all corporate facilities for both information technology and work areas.

__4. There is a current (updated annually) Business Impact Analysis that determines recovery time objectives (the maximum tolerable time to recover critical business functions) and existing resources supporting each function.

__5. Recovery strategies exist for the resumption of critical business processes and support services.

__6. The Operational Continuity Plan and the recovery efforts are driven by the business requirements of the Business Impact Analysis.

__7. A Gap Analysis has been performed to identify the differences between Business Impact Analysis (business requirements) and the current environment.

__8. Business recovery strategies have been developed for all essential business functions.

__9. Manual workarounds exists for processes that could be completed in the absence of automated systems.

__10. Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery plans are exercised and tested bi-annually.

If you answered "No" or "Don't Know" to any of these ten, then your organization is at risk to a myriad of threats including shareholder legal actions...