Curve Benders

Chapter 4Curve Benders as Risk Mitigators in Your Personal S-Curve

Risk is like fire: If controlled, it will help you; if uncontrolled, it will rise up and destroy you.

– Theodore Roosevelt, 26th president of the United States, 1901–1909

In a future clouded with uncertainty, your strategic relationships become a lighthouse to help you see and act clearly. In this chapter, we focus on the strategic value of Curve Benders as risk mitigators, and the fundamental need for your continued reinvention via your personal S-curve.

The risk landscape for global leaders is rapidly changing in its composition and impact. Risk management, as a discipline, is evolving, affecting how leaders identify the early stages of potential risk and manage the risk profile and its ultimate consequences. P&L leaders no longer simply aim to minimize risk, but view risk as a value-creation tool to achieve higher performance levels, accelerate their execution, and drive greater results.^`

Curve Benders serve as risk mitigators by helping you continuously ask yourself: Will I be able to quickly harness trends to increase my market value, expand my portfolio of relationships, and become more resilient in the face of uncertainty? (See Figure 4.1.)

Figure 4.1 Which Approach Do You Believe Would Most Help in Anticipating Risk?

Relationship Intelligence

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