When Control Becomes a Blind Spot: Why Leaders Need to Anticipate Risk
The higher the level of responsibility, the greater the temptation to underestimate risk.
People who have led, decided, and navigated complex situations successfully for many years naturally develop a strong confidence in their ability to remain in control. Yet that very confidence can become a blind spot.
I recently exchanged with a security organisation specialising in the protection of high-level individuals. What struck me was how often even highly exposed individuals underestimate the risks they, their reputation, or their families may face—precisely because potential threats often develop quietly and remain invisible for a long time.
I see a similar dynamic in the professional environment.
Problems rarely begin at the moment they become visible. Critical situations often develop gradually, below the threshold of attention. Meanwhile, the system continues to function. Decisions are made, businesses continue to operate, and responsibility is carried. This can easily create the perception: I have this under control.
But control over the day-to-day does not necessarily mean control over developments taking shape in the background.
At the highest level, therefore, the ability to anticipate matters as much as the ability to respond.
The question is not only:
How well can I handle a crisis?
It is also: How early can I recognise that one is developing?
In my work, I help leaders identify the dynamics that may remain invisible while they are still operating successfully—before an emerging risk becomes an actual threat.
Sometimes, the most important risks are the ones we have not yet recognised.
Praxis Dr. med. Siegrun Maas GmbH
Haldenstrasse 5
CH-8700 Küsnacht, Switzerland
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