Everyone loves success and hopes it will continue, but people sometimes make mistakes or misunderstand their situations, and everything goes awry. People and companies make bad choices, and accidents happen, sometimes with dire consequences. However, you and your company can mitigate and manage your risk, build collaborative risk management into your culture, and even prevent some of those consequences if you understand the underlying causes of bad outcomes.

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Sustained success over time is the only way to demonstrate reliability.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Leaders must recognize and understand risks.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">A system’s design creates the boundaries within which it is reliable. </li><li class="ql-align-justify">People are fallible.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Achieving organizational reliability requires a combination of human and systemic factors.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">You can predict human and organizational reliability – within limits.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Today’s global risks can seem overwhelming, but you can meet them.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">People and organizations can achieve reliable sustained success.</li></ul>

Key Points

If you strive to be reliable, doing something just once in a while is insufficient – even when you do it well.“To be reliable, high performance must be sustainable.”Reliability isn’t perfection. Mistakes and accidents happen. Unexpected and unpredictable circumstances arise. Even performing solidly over time doesn’t guarantee future flawless performance. The risk of failure doesn’t magically disappear. Whether you are analyzing everyday tasks, creating presentations, flying jets, or performing surgery, the risk of failure is always present.

Sustained success over time is the only way to demonstrate reliability.

To manage an organization’s risk, leaders must pay attention to each level of its operations. Risk management first requires perceiving and grasping the presence of a risk. “One of the biggest challenges you face as a business leader is preparing for hidden risks.”A leader wrestling with multiple competing priorities might miss non-obvious risks. Indeed, sometimes the risks a leader recognizes are just the “tip of the iceberg,” and graver risks remain hidden under the surface.

Leaders must recognize and understand risks.

Sometimes systems fail, whether due to human error or technological or systemic flaws. To manage systems and make them reliable, leaders need to understand how they work both when they are functioning properly and when they fail. “How can we predict and manage system performance? The answer begins with understanding what shapes system performance – the influences that determine the results systems produce.”Systems should optimize their core functions, like making calls or sending email messages, while also heeding the functions they may deem less important.

A system’s design creates the boundaries within which it is reliable.

One of the principal socio-technical risks is a simple, unavoidable fact about human beings: they make mistakes. But, as with system failures, organizations can manage and minimize human failures – if their leaders understand how performance works and what motivates and shapes it.“Most days, the socio-technical combinations of system and human performance produce positive results. Ironically, these same combinations also cause disasters.”

People are fallible.

“Highly reliable organizations continuously try to see and understand risk, including internal and external factors influencing their performance.”

Achieving organizational reliability requires a combination of human and systemic factors.

Leaders must manage and understand their organizations, employees, and systems. They can’t predict the future, but they do have several ways to assess future risks, including investigations, audits, inspections, employee reports, and “predictive risk modeling.” “All methods of seeing and understanding risk have systematic limitations and are subject to human interpretation bias.”

You can predict human and organizational reliability – within limits.

The world has changed dramatically over the past 100 years, from the dominance of cars and airline travel to the internet, with all its upsides and downsides. Dangerous forms of nationalism have arisen and could lead to disruption and conflict. Climate change presents tremendous risk. Still, individuals and organizations are not helpless; they can help mitigate these global risks.“We live in a dangerous world. Many of the things you and I do in our everyday lives – fly in an airplane, get treated in a hospital, or drive a vehicle, for example – bring with them inherent risks.”

Today’s global risks can seem overwhelming, but you can meet them.

“If we are to manage risk optimally, we must take a deeper dive into the realities of socio-technical risk and think differently.”

People and organizations can achieve reliable sustained success.

Dealing with risk, from your private life to your industry, requires a systematic, scientific approach.  The best ways to address risk vary depending on the particular risk. The hazards in your personal life aren’t the same as hazards facing your company or industry. Use the Sequence of Reliability as a framework in all instances – by discovering and analyzing risk, and managing your systems and people to prevent harm – while varying your hypotheses, analyses, and solutions to fit the scale and circumstances at hand.

Final Closure

A Proven Method to Build Resilience and Reliability.

Be prepared for the dangerous and largely unknown risks that threaten your business and learn how to survive and thrive when uncertainty hits.Leaders today must navigate their teams and organizations through unprecedented levels of uncertainty. It feels like every year there is some-game changing technology or catastrophe that gives rise to a “new normal” and sends businesses scrambling for how to rethink themselves to operate under these new conditions. In The Leader’s Guide to Managing Risk, K. Scott Griffith, a former airline pilot, socio-technical physicist, and author of the first independently-audited high reliability and just culture model offers practical and proven methods to build processes that will withstand the winds of uncertainty while driving success. By understanding that organizations are people operating within systems, leaders of all kinds will build reliability and resiliency into their culture and set up their business to withstand the next big changes that come their way.<ul><li> Learn a new way of seeing, understanding, and managing risk.</li><li>Understand how people and systems interact in organizations and how to build processes that increase resilience and performance.</li><li>Collaborate with all stakeholders, including employees, to help you foresee dangers and achieve sustainable reliability.</li><li>Implement proven methods from Scott’s award-winning model that is being used in some of the most prestigious healthcare, EMS, and transportation companies in the world.</li><li>Achieve independent validation of success through certification.</li></ul>

strategy

Strategy

entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship

business

Business

humanresources

Human Resources

leadershipandmanagement

Leadership & Management

K. Scott Griffith

The Leader's Guide to Managing Risk

Always make those above you feel superior. Avoid showing off your talents too much.

Never Outshine the Master

Friends may betray; enemies are often more dependable.

Never Put Too Much Trust in Friends; Learn How to Use Enemies

Keep people off-balance by hiding your plans.

Conceal Your Intentions

Powerful people impress by speaking little.

Always Say Less Than Necessary

So Much Depends on Reputation—Guard It with Your Life

Stand out to avoid being overlooked.

Court Attention at All Costs

Leverage others' knowledge and skills.

Get Others to Do the Work for You, but Always Take the Credit

Play the waiting game to keep control.

Make Other People Come to You—Use Bait if Necessary

Actions are more persuasive than words.

Win Through Your Actions, Never Through Argument

Emotions and mindsets are contagious.

Infection: Avoid the Unhappy and Unlucky People

Make others rely on you for their own success.

Learn to Keep People Dependent on You

A small gesture of kindness can break down defenses.

Use Selective Honesty and Generosity to Disarm Your Victim

People are more likely to help if it benefits them.

When Asking for Help, Appeal to Self-Interest, Never to Mercy

Gather information to stay in control.

Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy

A threat that is not fully eliminated will return stronger.

Crush Your Enemy Totally

Limited presence increases your value.

Use Absence to Increase Respect and Honor

Being unpredictable keeps others wary.

Keep Others in Suspended Terror: Cultivate Unpredictability

Stay involved with people, Isolation is Dangerous

Do Not Build Fortresses to Protect Yourself

People react differently; be cautious.

Know Who You’re Dealing With—Do Not Offend the Wrong Person

Keep people off-balance by not being loyal to anyone.

Do Not Commit to Anyone

summary of the 48 Laws of Power, as written by Robert Greene in his book The 48 Laws of Power. Each law is concise and presents a concept on influence and control.

Amoral, cunning, ruthless, and instructive, this multi-million-copy New York Times bestseller is the definitive manual for anyone interested in gaining, observing, or defending against ultimate control – from the author of The Laws of Human Nature. In the book that People magazine proclaimed “beguiling” and “fascinating,” Robert Greene and Joost Elffers have distilled three thousand years of the history of power into 48 essential laws by drawing from the philosophies of Machiavelli, Sun Tzu, and Carl Von Clausewitz and also from the lives of figures ranging from Henry Kissinger to P.T. Barnum.   Some laws teach the need for prudence (“Law 1: Never Outshine the Master”), others teach the value of confidence (“Law 28: Enter Action with Boldness”), and many recommend absolute self-preservation (“Law 15: Crush Your Enemy Totally”). Every law, though, has one thing in common: an interest in total domination. In a bold and arresting two-color package, The 48 Laws of Power is ideal whether your aim is conquest, self-defense, or simply to understand the rules of the game.

philosophy

Philosophy

motivationandinspiration

Motivation & Inspiration

politics

Politics

Robert Greene is an American author of books on strategy, power, and seduction. He has written six international bestsellers, including The 48 Laws of Power, The Art of Seduction, The 33 Strategies of War, The 50th Law, Mastery, and The Laws of Human Nature.

Robert Greene

The 48 Laws of Power

"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment."

The ICOR® Execution Beast is a productivity workflow designed to bridge the gap between strategy and execution. It helps busy professionals ensure that every task they tackle aligns perfectly with their big goals, allowing them to make meaningful progress every day without excuses or distractions.

The Power of the ICOR® Execution Beast

Weekly Goals are tasks planned for completion or significant progress within the week. They serve as a crucial link between daily actions and long-term objectives, creating a clear roadmap that anchors focus and connects each day to the broader vision.

Defining Weekly Goals for Laser-Focused Action

A well-structured planner is more than just a task list; it's a tool to organize both your week and day. It helps maintain focus while adapting to unexpected challenges, ensuring you stay aligned with your goals even when faced with daily surprises.

Leveraging Your Planner as a Secret Weapon

Choosing just three primary tasks each day prevents overwhelm and channels energy toward what truly matters. This approach keeps you sharp and energized, allowing you to make significant progress on your most important objectives without spreading yourself too thin.

The Three-Task Daily Focus Strategy

"A goal without a plan is just a wish."

Sunsama stands out as a powerful planner that structures time around sequentiality. By organizing tasks into specific blocks, it helps avoid multitasking and maximizes productivity. This tool allows for flexible weekly planning while keeping you aligned with your goals.

Sunsama: The Ideal Tool for Time-Blocked Planning

Raycast Notes brings absolute focus to must-do tasks. Its simplicity helps maintain laser focus on up to three key tasks daily, including a Highlight of the Day directly linked to a Weekly Goal. The Quicklink feature provides instant access, centering you when the day gets overwhelming.

Raycast Notes: The Non-Negotiable "Task Manager"

"The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities."

The combination of Sunsama and Raycast creates a powerful synergy between strategy and execution: <ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Sunsama plans the ideal day, adapting to changing circumstances.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Raycast focuses on non-negotiable tasks that must be completed.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Together, they maintain both big-picture goals and immediate focus.</li></ul>

Synergy Between Sunsama and Raycast

"Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out."

The ICOR® Execution Beast seamlessly integrates with team workflows at the Paperless Movement®: <ul><li class="ql-align-justify">ClickUp outlines big goals, breaking them into Projects, Workstreams, and Operations.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Weekly Goals are set during weekly Agenda Meetings.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Team members plan their week in Sunsama, aligning with priorities.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Raycast Notes provides an extra layer of daily focus.</li></ul>

Aligning Individual Focus with Team Goals

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Alignment and purpose: Ensures each task contributes to long-term goals.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Unbreakable focus: Provides a structure that keeps you on track despite chaos.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Burnout prevention: Limits daily tasks to maintain peak performance without overwhelm.</li></ul>

9. The Three Pillars of Execution Beast Success

"Goals are dreams with deadlines."

The ICOR® Execution Beast transforms how you approach productivity by ensuring every action counts and every day aligns with your goals. It provides a structured yet flexible system that allows you to make consistent progress without losing control, bridging the gap between your daily tasks and your biggest aspirations.

Transforming Daily Actions into Goal Achievement

Take our <a href="https://paperlessmovement.com/">FREE Productivity Quiz or buy the ICOR® Journey Book</a> to get started!

Boost your productivity now!

Transform chaos and daily tasks into powerful goal-driven progress

productivity

Productivity

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

timemanagement

Time Management

From Vision to Action: How I Use Sunsama and Raycast to Achieve All My Goals

Busy professionals often find themselves overwhelmed by mounting tasks and looming deadlines. This struggle to maintain productivity can lead to stress and burnout. However, there's a solution that doesn't involve simply saying "no" to new responsibilities: <ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Implementing a well-structured productivity system.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Organizing tasks effectively.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Communicating capacity clearly to team members.</li></ul>

The Productivity Dilemma

"It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it."

Rejecting new tasks outright can damage professional relationships and create a perception of incapability. Instead of declining, busy professionals should: <ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Present objective information about their current workload.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Suggest adjustments that benefit both individual and team goals.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Use a productivity system to facilitate these conversations.</li></ul>

The Pitfalls of Saying "No"

"The art of leadership is saying no, not yes. It is very easy to say yes."

A well-crafted productivity system serves as a protective barrier for your time and energy. It allows you to: <ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Organize and prioritize tasks based on importance and goal alignment.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Provide transparency about your current capacity.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Shift conversations from rejection to collaborative problem-solving.</li></ul>

Productivity Systems as Workload Shields

By using tools that map out projects and tasks, busy professionals can offer a clear, objective view of their workload. This approach: <ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Transforms subjective feelings of being overwhelmed into concrete data.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Facilitates more productive discussions about task allocation.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Helps identify areas where workload adjustments can be made.</li></ul>

Data-Driven Task Management

Instead of saying "no," a productivity system enables professionals to propose solutions: <ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Extend deadlines for less urgent tasks.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Reallocate responsibilities within the team.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Focus on high-priority projects that align with overall goals.</li></ul>

From Rejection to Realignment

A structured productivity approach allows busy professionals to maintain control while supporting team goals: <ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Fosters better team relationships through transparency.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Reduces stress by clearly defining capacity limits.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Encourages a collaborative approach to workload management.</li></ul>

Balancing Workload and Collaboration

More than just willpower, busy professionals need a systematic approach to succeed: <ul><li class="ql-align-justify">A productivity system acts as a secret weapon for managing workload.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">It provides structure to stay on top of tasks without burning out.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Enables professionals to make real progress while maintaining team harmony.</li></ul>

The Power of Structured Productivity

A well-implemented productivity system changes how workload discussions unfold: <ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Moves from subjective feelings to objective data.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Encourages proactive solutions rather than reactive responses.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Empowers busy professionals to take control of their time and energy.</li></ul>

Shifting the Productivity Conversation

By providing clear insights into your workload, you can: <ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Build trust with team members and managers.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Facilitate more effective resource allocation.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Identify opportunities for process improvement and efficiency gains.</li></ul>

Transparency as a Productivity Tool

"Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things."

Implementing a productivity system is about more than just managing tasks; it's about creating a sustainable work environment: <ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Reduces long-term stress and prevents burnout.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Improves overall job satisfaction and performance.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Sets the stage for continued professional growth and success.</li></ul>

The Road to Sustainable Productivity

Boost efficiency and maintain team harmony without saying "no"

Revolutionize Your Task and Project Management Without Burning Bridges

I no longer have a manager. I can’t be managed

I need a room full of mirrors so I can be surrounded by winners.

How to NOT kill yourself pt 1Avoid being around people who make you want to kill yourself

You May be talented, but you are not Kanye west

I hate when I’m on a flight and I wake up with a water bottle next to me like oh great now I gotta be responsible for this water

I am the number one human being in music. That means any person that’s living or breathing is number two.

I am God’s vessel. But my greatest pain in life is that I will never be able to see myself perform live.

Yo, Taylor, I’m really happy for you, I’ll let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time.

Understand yourself and those around you.

psychology

Psychology

communication

Communication

Kanye west greatest Quotes

The Power of Meaning: Beyond money, meaning drives us. People thrive when they see the purpose in what they do.

Importance of Acknowledgment: Simple recognition boosts motivation. Ignoring effort, even subtly, can drastically reduce engagement.

Effort and Pride: We value things more when we put effort into them, as shown by the “IKEA effect”—we cherish what we build.

Loss Aversion: People are highly motivated to avoid losses. Highlighting potential loss can be a strong motivator.

Avoiding Over-Reliance on Financial Incentives: Money as a sole motivator can backfire, decreasing intrinsic motivation over time.

Connection and Community: Knowing how our work helps others creates a sense of belonging and enhances motivation.

Behavioral Factors Over Logic: Motivation doesn’t always follow logic. Often, small tweaks can shift our drive significantly.

The Pain of Ignored Effort: If contributions are disregarded, motivation plummets. Recognizing effort is vital.

Personal Identity in Work: We’re motivated when work aligns with our self-identity, making us feel authentic and valued.

The Complexity of Motivation: Motivation is multi-layered, requiring empathy and an understanding of personal and emotional factors.

Discover what truly drives us in Payoff—from meaning and pride to the power of recognition.

Bestselling author Dan Ariely reveals fascinating new insights into motivation—showing that the subject is far more complex than we ever imagined. Every day we work hard to motivate ourselves, the people we live with, the people who work for and do business with us. In this way, much of what we do can be defined as being “motivators.” From the boardroom to the living room, our role as motivators is complex, and the more we try to motivate partners and children, friends and coworkers, the clearer it becomes that the story of motivation is far more intricate and fascinating than we’ve assumed. Payoff investigates the true nature of motivation, our partial blindness to the way it works, and how we can bridge this gap. With studies that range from Intel to a kindergarten classroom, Ariely digs deep to find the root of motivation—how it works and how we can use this knowledge to approach important choices in our own lives. Along the way, he explores intriguing questions such as: Can giving employees bonuses harm productivity? Why is trust so crucial for successful motivation? What are our misconceptions about how to value our work? How does your sense of your mortality impact your motivation?

career

Career

books

Books

artsandculture

Society, Arts & Culture

Dan Ariely is the James B. Duke Professor of Behavioral Economics at Duke University. He also holds an appointment at the MIT Media Lab where he is the head of the eRationality research group. He was formerly the Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Behavioral Economics at MIT Sloan School of Management.Dan Ariely grew up in Israel after birth in New York. He served in the Israeli army and when 18 suffered third-degree burns over 70 percent of his body from an accidental magnesium flare explosion during training.Ariely recovered and went on to graduate from Tel Aviv University and received a Ph.D. and M.A. in cognitive psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Ph.D. in business from Duke University.

Dan Ariely

Payoff

“I'm convinced that about half of what separates successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.”

“A vision is something you see and others don’t. Some people would say that’s a pocket definition of lunacy. But it also defines entrepreneurial spirit.”

“Ideas are cheap. Ideas are easy. Ideas are common. Everybody has ideas. Ideas are highly, highly overvalued. Execution is all that matters.”

“Be ready to revise any system, scrap any method, abandon any theory, if the success of the job requires it."

“Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough."

“One of the only ways to get out of a tight box is to invent your way out.”

“I think it is often easier to make progress on mega-ambitious dreams. Since no one else is crazy enough to do it, you have little competition.”

“Players should never fight. A real businessman or entrepreneur has no enemies. Once he understands this, the sky's the limit."

“If we tried to think of a good idea, we wouldn't have been able to think of a good idea at all. You just have to have a solution for a problem in your own life."

“If you’ve got an idea, start today. There’s no better time than now to get going. That doesn’t mean quit your job and jump into your idea 100% from day one, but there’s always small progress that can be made to start the movement.”

Looking for some inspiration to take your career to the next level? Look no further than these 10 top business tycoons.

Looking for some inspiration to take your career to the next level? Look no further than these 10 top business tycoons

creativity

Creativity

startup

Startups

10 Motivational Quotes From Famous Entrepreneurs

Define the Problem Clearly: Always start by defining what you’re solving. This sharpens focus.

Separate Facts from Opinions: Critical thinking hinges on distinguishing evidence-based facts from subjective views.

Question Assumptions: Challenge assumptions behind decisions to ensure accuracy and avoid pitfalls.

Analyze from Multiple Perspectives: Seeing a problem from diverse angles reveals overlooked solutions.

Master the art of smart decision-making with critical thinking insights from HBR’s essential guide.

Tackle complex situations with critical thinking.You're facing a problem at work. There are many ways you can approach the situation, but each comes with its own pros and cons. How do you sort through all the information so that you know you're taking the right path?The answer is in how you think. The HBR Guide to Critical Thinking will help you navigate your most challenging issues, from difficult problems to tough decisions to complex scenarios. By carefully observing the situation, gathering information, inviting other perspectives, and analyzing what's in front of you, you can move forward with confidence while building this crucial leadership skill.You'll learn how to:<ul><li>Question your assumptions</li><li>Keep an open mind to opposing viewpoints</li><li>Sidestep cognitive biases</li><li>Use data—when appropriate</li><li>Grow comfortable with ambiguity</li><li>Find innovative and creative solutions</li></ul>Arm yourself with the advice you need to succeed on the job, with the most trusted brand in business. Packed with how-to essentials from leading experts, the HBR Guides provide smart answers to your most pressing work challenges.

HBR Guide to Critical Thinking

Find 100+ Facts about Leadership - Curated from inspiring sources like Books, Podcasts & Articles - Genuine Insights from like-minded Users like You!

The Leader's Guide to Managing Risk

The 48 Laws of Power

From Vision to Action: How I Use Sunsama and Raycast to Achieve All My Goals

Revolutionize Your Task and Project Management Without Burning Bridges

Kanye west greatest Quotes

Payoff

10 Motivational Quotes From Famous Entrepreneurs

HBR Guide to Critical Thinking

The Business of Changing the World

Unlocking Leadership Potential: How ICOR® Redefines Productivity for Leaders

It's time to
Read like a Pro.

The Leader's Guide to Managing Risk

The 48 Laws of Power

From Vision to Action: How I Use Sunsama and Raycast to Achieve All My Goals

Revolutionize Your Task and Project Management Without Burning Bridges

Kanye west greatest Quotes

Payoff

10 Motivational Quotes From Famous Entrepreneurs

HBR Guide to Critical Thinking

The Business of Changing the World

Unlocking Leadership Potential: How ICOR® Redefines Productivity for Leaders

It's time to Read like a Pro.

It's time to
Read like a Pro.