My colleague Bill Welter, owner of MindPrep Resource Center recently shared the six characteristics of predictable surprises, from the book Predictable Surprises: The Disasters You Should Have Seen Coming and How to Prevent Them, Bazerman and Watkins, 2008.

They are:

1. That leaders knew a problem existed and that the problem would not solve itself.

2. Organizational members recognize that a problem is getting worse over time.

3. Fixing the problem would incur significant costs in the present, while the benefit of action would be delayed.

4. (related to 3) Addressing predictable surprises typically require incurring a certain Continue reading →