In the book ‘Great by Choice’, author Jim Collins gave example after example of organisations that became great despite encountering similar levels of difficulties as their direct comparison.
He outlined three things that made the difference between successful organisations and their direct comparison that failed to make the leap:
- Fanatic discipline
- Productive paranoia
- Empirical creativity
Fanatic discipline
Fanatic discipline entails extreme consistency of action—consistent with values, goals, performance standards, and methods.
Relentless and unbending focus on the goal.
Productive paranoia
Successful companies are hyper vigilant, staying highly attuned to threats and changes in their environment, even when—especially when—all’s going well.
They assume conditions will turn against them, at perhaps the worst possible moment.
They channel their fear and worry into action, preparing, developing contingency plans, building buffers and maintaining large amount of cash reserves.
Empirical creativity
Successful organisations also rely on empirical creativity to make decision.
Their decisions are based upon direct observation, practical experimentation and direct engagement with tangible evidence.
They make bold, creative moves from sound empirical base.
Responsible Leaders Prepare for Cyber Attack
As outlined in the book, success and failure is not a matter of luck.
It’s the result of consistent and disciplined actions practiced over time.
In good time and in bad time, organisations must prepare for the worst.
Those organisations that leave their fate to chance are the ones that are surprised when they experience cyber attack.
Cyber attack has become the new normal.
Any organisation of any value will suffer cyber attack sooner or later.
The impact of the attack on each organisation will depend on the level of preparation.
One effective way of preparing for cyber attack is through penetration testing.
Penetration testing enables organisations to identify vulnerabilities within their network before it is spotted by hackers.
Hackers spend their days searching for vulnerabilities to exploit.
By conducting periodic penetration testing of your network, you reduce the chances of making your network enticing to hackers.
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