Perceiving Threats

Watch For Coyotes

I awoke this morning to a gruesome scene.  Our normally docile dog was barking ferociously, and the neighbor's sheep were running and bleating wildly.  The reason, a dreaded coyote, was in the flock.  By the time I got outside, the damage was done.  A beautiful ewe lay dead in a pool of blood.  I felt terrible because yesterday we had seen a coyote and had done nothing about it.  In the picture, you can see foothills in the distance.  We were riding horses in those hills when we spotted the coyote.  Some in the group suggested we go back and get a gun, but we quickly dismissed the idea.  We were too busy, and the predator seemed a long way off.

A crucial duty of leaders is to perceive far-off threats and have the courage to address them before it's too late. Blockbuster's decision to pass on buying Netflix for 50 million dollars is a classic example.   Their CEO was content with running retail stores, so he dismissed Netflix's offer with the statement, "The dot-com hysteria is completely overblown." Our family was living in Canada and regularly visited our local Blockbuster.  When we returned to the States just two years later, we were surprised to find all the stores were closed, lying dead and bleeding in the field.