Mastering Strategic Risk: A Framework for Leading and Transforming Organizations

Introduction Mastering the Complexities of a New Age

On a cold and silent January morning I jolted awake. Startled, I sat up and peered through my bedroom window. The darkness engulfed everything, save the light dusting of snow blanketing the treetops and frigid ground below. It was still, and the solitude of the early morning hour seemed deafening—so deafening, those moments reverberate ever so loudly to this very day.

What time was it? As I glanced at my phone lying on the nightstand next to the bed, I saw that it was only 3:00 A.M. Though exhausted from a long week, I was wide awake. I’m not certain what woke me up so suddenly, but my mind was racing at a feverish pitch as a clear image came into full view.

Reflecting on what I saw, I stumbled out of bed, sprang to my feet, and rushed to the dining room table. As a deluge of thoughts poured through my head, I began to furiously map a framework of an idea. Unbeknownst to me, what I saw on that fateful January morning would eventually become the very foundation of Mastering Strategic Risk.

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In contemplating my epiphany, I wonder: Where did it come from? How did these concepts come to me, and why did they come with such clarity? I never, prior to that day, consciously thought of the concepts, let alone aspired to write a book. Only after several months of prodding from a good friend did I take the agonizing step of putting pen to paper. I’ve been writing ever since.

What I do realize is that I was in a state of flux. ...