Threats of fire, natural disasters, and supply chain disruptions don’t take breaks. They don’t necessarily come one at a time. Risks are mutually exclusive. They can occur simultaneously.
Ongoing threats make our lives complicated. We are constantly stretching resources to keep workplaces and homes safe and secure from risks. We need to always consider that bad things may happen never mind if we have fewer people to count on and less time to allocate.
Individuals make up organizations and each individual has his or her special role that contributes to the collective success of the organization. It is in our individual role that we also anticipate, mitigate, and manage the particular risk that each of us would first encounter.
- It is the information technology expert who updates software security to protect against cyber threats;
- It is the engineer who designs facilities for adequate protection against fire and earthquakes;
- It is the technician who conducts preventive maintenance to minimize unscheduled equipment shutdowns;
- It is the security officer who sees to it that offices and personnel are protected;
- It is the human resource professional who checks on the morale and health of employees.
If all of us do our part, we keep risks at bay. Not just one risk. But all risks. Even if they come all at once.
Ellery's Essays 