Week 32, 2023

Read on a PWC publication that leaders at a UK-based housing-management company thought that collecting rents via its app was the key to its business continuity. But C-suite discussions around the question What if? revealed that paying its suppliers promptly mattered more. If the app crashed, rental payments would be late, but the company could withstand that longer than it could live with customer anger caused by disrupted third-party services like heating and repairs.

The outcome? Don’t try to anticipate all risks. Look to where plausible risks could materialize and hurt customers—and you—the most. This is a true pan–C-suite exercise that requires candor, trust, transparency, and the courage to challenge assumptions.