A story of the surprises that threaten your startup

“Should I swerve or drive right over it?” I had a few milliseconds to decide.

An orange cone that was designed to promote traffic safety was suddenly threatening to cause a traffic accident.

The cone was out of place, tipped over and lying in the middle of the road. It wasn’t where it was intended to be, and it wasn’t doing what it was intended to do.

Surprise hazards can be devastating

Organizations are threatened by surprise hazards, too. A surprise hazard is anything within an organization that was originally intended for good but, in its current form, is harmful to the organization’s ability to achieve its vision, mission, and brand promise.

For a startup with little or no room to swe...