February 2013

I recently read Resilience: Why Things Bounce Back by Andrew Zolli & Ann Marie Healy.

The authors take a look at why some systems, people and communities fall apart in the face of disruption, and ultimately how they can learn to bounce back. They define resilience as “the capacity of a system, enterprise or a person to maintain its core purpose and integrity in the face of dramatically changed circumstances.”

The book presents a philosophical and interesting look at personal resilience, as well as resilience in communities and systems such as cultures, corporations, the military, and even our own genetics.

I enjoyed reading a remarkable story about a collaborative response to the earthquake in Haiti. Volunteers all over the world worked together to monitor social media to map the disaster and develop a digital disaster response system. They organized radio broadcasts to inform Haitians of a special text message number. Victims needing food, water or medical attention could send texts to this number for help. Over 100,000 texts were received, translated, mapped, and connected to the emergency first responders. This was a huge, immediate collaborative effort, using and adapting existing digital technology in new ways in response to a new situation.

Not a fast read, but a thought provoking change from the ordinary.

Alarm bells should sound in your head the minute you hear anyone on your project utter the word “surely”, as in:

• Surely everyone understands.
• Surely you can do that without any more effort.
• Surely they’ll fix it if I tell them it’s broken.
• Surely you don’t mean now.
• Surely you allowed time for three review cycles.
• But you’re the expert. Surely you knew this was required.

Your immediate response should be to stop, check, and verify. Assumptions like this can derail a project quickly if they turn out to be false. Whenever you hear the word surely, this should be your cue to take a closer look, and get confirmation.

Think of it as an old friend Shirley. She can pop up any time, anywhere on any project. Watch out for Shirley. Because Shirley is not your friend.