Gaining Clarity From Adversity
For all that has been said and written about uncertainty since COVID-19 emerged into public view, the global pandemic has had a clarifying effect. It has highlighted weaknesses in our planning, priorities, and systems, and it has revealed individuals’ and institutions’ true values. We now see how many of us have been working without a sufficient net. For business, the pursuit of efficiency may have cost a great deal more than we expected in terms of operational resilience. A narrow view of risk management left too many unprepared and undercapitalized despite decades of well-founded warnings that a pandemic event was inevitable. And many nations have allowed social safety nets to fray, leaving unprotected those at the margins, who are now suffering disproportionately from both disease and financial insecurity. The crisis has held…