“It couldn’t happen where I live.” Many in the United States probably thought that when watching the horror occurring in Flint, Michigan, from 2014 to 2016.

You would expect water in a hospital to be safe. But, far too often, water in hospitals and other health care facilities can put patients at risk of severe illness or death.

As the year comes to a close, I have been reflecting on the past year, one filled with challenge and growth for me. In order to grow, we have to learn how to overcome challenges. 

An electrician walked into the equipment room to diagnose and repair an electrical problem in the school. It didn't take long for the carbon monoxide inside the boiler room to fell the man. The source of the carbon monoxide leak was a faulty boiler installation. 

I worked for a manufacturers’ rep when I was first learning about hydronics. A guy I worked with was 15 years older than me. He knew that I had absolutely no training as an engineer so he took a different tack with my education.

Over the last year, during several webinars and in-person events, I've spoken about the idea of systems-based thinking, which incorporates the ideas of strategic thought in the form of focus (“saying no”) and identifying and executing on coherent actions. In many ways, systems thinking (a.k.a. strategy) incorporates pattern identification. 

What does the CSO role look like at smaller companies, such as an engineering firm? 

Of all the topics I’ve covered in my column, strategy is the one to which I keep coming back. Astute readers might be asking at this point, “Why?” Especially when we hear so often that “culture eats strategy for breakfast,” and other axioms that denigrate strategy. Why does Christoph keep on writing about this “outdated” topic more than others?

Last year, during the initial phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, I wrote a couple of articles that touched on the subject of organizations coming up with solutions during chaotic situations. 

In my last column, we discussed #growthmindset and how it is necessary to take intentional steps during your career (and life) to improve.