Until It Isn’t

I’ve been paying close attention to what is happening in Africa.  Partially it’s because, among other things, I’m Regional Manager Africa for the Wharton Global Consulting Practicum, but mostly it’s because I’ve been fascinated by seeing the varying ways heads of state have reacted to what’s going on.

In some cases we have the example of the head of state clearly only concerned for their own power and wealth…think Libya.  In these cases the head of state cares nothing about destruction of their country and the death or injury of large numbers of their people.  Better to destroy all than to lose power.

In other cases the head of state has stepped aside rather than destroy their county and people…think Egypt or Tunisa.

Even in situations where there have been legitimate elections this has occurred.  In Cote d’Ivoire the loser refused to leave leading to civil war while in Nigeria the president by accident won a resounding victory in a fair election and other candidates have accepted the result, hopefully calming the country.

It’s been fascinating to watch as these changes have unfolded across Africa.  If you pay close attention you get to see not only how the leaders in the affected countries act but also how other leaders around the world respond.  For leaders outside of the affected countries it’s mostly been an exercise in confusion and prevarication while waiting to see which way the winds blow.

In some ways it reminds me of the BP oil well disaster in the Gulf of Mexico…whose one year anniversary just happens to be today…and the ongoing Japanese nuclear disaster.  Total unpreparedness.

Just yesterday I heard a nuclear engineer explaining that the new AP1000 nuclear reactor design is totally safe and it is “impossible to imagine” one undergoing a nuclear disaster.  Lack of imagination.

If one thing has emerged from these varying situations it’s that leaders need to think about the unthinkable, imagine the unimaginable…and plan for both.  This collection of world changing events have shown that things don’t roll along smoothly just as you thought they would…and prepared for.

The amazing thing is how after all this we still have those in positions of power and authority stuck in denial…as near as I can tell, most people fall into this category.  What an opportunity for those with the foresight to be prepared for the unimaginable.  And how much better for all those counting on them for leadership…and for the rest of us.

 After all, even after over the years a number of different nuclear reactors have experienced a disaster…the AP1000 is different.  Until it isn’t.