Speaker Dirk Beveridge Examines
‘THREE PILLARS OF LEADERSHIP’ To Meet The Challenges Of Today’s ‘Black Swan Event’
By Harrell Kerkhoff | Broom, Brush & Mop Editor
or everyday life, and business in general, the COVID-19 pandemic created what is known as a “Black Swan Event” — something rare and extreme, an outlier outside the realm of regular expectations, and a carrier of extreme impact. The global event, which some thought would last just a few months — or half a year at the very most — continues in North America. And although signs of recovery continue, there remains many life and business lessons to be learned from this true Black Swan Event, according to Dirk Beveridge, founder of UnleashWD (www.unleashwd.com). Beveridge presented his information at a recent ISSA Show North America. The event was held virtually for the first time in its long history, due to the pandemic. The first of his four related educational sessions
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at the ISSA Show was titled, “The Three Pillars of Leading During Uncertainty.” The overall theme of his four sessions at
Dirk Beveridge
ISSA was, “The Calling of Leadership During Unprecedented Uncertainty.” The theme was based on what has transpired, across the world, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In his first session, Beveridge listed other Black Swan Events that have taken place within the past 40 years, testing individuals and businesses alike. They included the fall of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s, the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States, and the U.S. financial crisis of 2008-2009. “Each of those Black Swan Events created its own form of crisis and opportunity. They were rare, extreme and people never saw them coming. Such events are beyond the realm of expectations, and in the end, carry extreme impact,” Beveridge said. “COVID-19 is certainly a Black Swan Event. Much of the world seems to have BBM MAGAZINE | March/April 2021
