For the past few weeks, I’ve talked about three lenses that go into my “magic kaleidoscope.”  Today, we’re diving in to putting it to use.

For me, the three lenses in the kaleidoscope help diagnose underlying causes…and help me shift onto a more productive pathway.  Today’s diagnostic situation deals with the feeling of being blindsided by unforeseen circumstances.

Where did that come from?

Ever feel like obstacles are jumping into your pathway intent on wreaking havoc in your perfect life?  Like, in the movie The Avengers, you’re one of the unsuspecting, innocent bystanders in New York City during the Chitauri invasion?  Ever have a “Holy Crap!  What the ???” moment? 

If you feel like obstacles keep jumping into your path, ask yourself these questions.

• What would it take for me to be resilient through this event?
• What would it take for me to predict this event?
• Am I willing to shift?
• So where do we go from here?

What would it take for me to be resilient through this event?

In the early 2000’s, a hacking group tried to take down Amazon.com.  For the first time in the hacking group’s history, they were not successful.  They made several attempts, bombarding the website with bogus traffic through a DDoS attack.  They failed.

How is that possible?  They were the premier hacking group of the day.  They destroyed every other target.

The analysis of that incident went something like this.  “We [the hacking group] eventually realized that Black Friday is a DDoS attack on Amazon.com.  And a large part of the reason Amazon is so successful is precisely because they’ve built their platform around the idea of elasticity – the ability to dynamically expand and contract without impact to operations.”

Most organizations at that time focused on perimeter security – things that make sure nothing bad gets in.  Amazon, on the other hand, built a resilient system – one that absorbed all the bad stuff and still functioned.  And, when hundreds-of-thousands of dollars of profit are on the line every minute, Amazon can’t afford not to be resilient.

Amazon didn’t take the conventional approach of the day.  They didn’t constrain their thinking with what was feasible or what was best practices.  When you’re asking yourself this question, don’t even allow yourself to consider whether “what it would take” is “feasible.”  We’ll get to that later.

What would it take for me to predict this event?

Prediction is different from resilience.  Using an automobile analogy, resilience is the ability to survive an accident.  Prediction provides an opportunity to adjust Thrust and Vector to avoid the collision in the first place.

Which do you want?

From my perspective, it’s not an either-or.  I don’t want one or the other.  I want one and the other.  I want good visibility, good traction, good brakes so that I can avoid an accident.  And I want good seatbelts, airbags, and a sturdy frame to survive an accident.

Prediction presumes a view into the future.  How far into the future do you want to see?  I recall in driver’s ed, they told us to have at least two seconds between you and the vehicle in front of you.  In driving, two seconds is the minimal amount of time it takes to react to have any hope of avoiding a collision.  Flying a plane and piloting a ship have different minimal reaction times.  Minimal reaction time depends on the vehicle and the environment.

What minimal reaction time do you want for your business?  And what would it take to get to the point where you had it?  Again, when you’re asking yourself this question, don’t even allow yourself to consider whether “what it would take” is “feasible.”  We’ll get to that later.

Am I willing to shift?

And here is the “later.”  This is where you look at what it would take and assess whether it’s worth it.  Whether it’s something you’re willing to commit to.  Whether, having twisted the kaleidoscope, the picture presented is beautiful to you.  And whether this different view of Communications & Visibility, Thrust & Momentum, and Vector & Direction is something you’re willing to shift and move toward.

So where do we go from here?

Welcome to the crucible.  Now that you have your gnosis from having dia’d the situation, what are you going to do with that information? 

And realize that there is no right or wrong answer.  There is only your answer, and your commitment to that answer.

You can choose to completely ignore the diagnosis.  That choice has costs and benefits.  You can choose to get a second opinion, hire an outside consultant, etc.  And those choices have costs and benefits.  You can choose to significantly alter your Communications & Visibility, Thrust & Momentum and Vector & Direction.  And that choice has costs and benefits.  You can choose to completely give up.  And that choice has costs and benefits.  You can choose whatever you want.  And that choice has costs and benefits.

So…what’s your choice today?