Author: Michele Wucker

Future blog posts will appear at The Gray Rhino Wrangler on Substack. A gray rhino is an obvious, probable challenge, like a giant two-ton beast with its horn pointed your way, snorting and pawing the ground and getting ready to charge. We humans neglect gray rhinos at our peril, yet only some of us pay attention and respond effectively. This newsletter focuses on these gray rhino risks and what it takes to be among the humans who pay attention and deal with the obvious dangers in front of us instead of looking away and getting trampled. I coined the term…

Will things get better in 2024 or are we just jumping from the frying pan into the fire? Here are some gray rhino risks and responses for 2024.

Janice Ellig, CEO of the executive search firm Ellig Group, talked with Fast Company’s Stephanie Mehta about how corporate boards have sharpened their focus on gender and racial diversity when considering CEO candidates. “The surge in women CEOs is no coincidence“ was published May 1, 2023. GRAY RHINOS, NOT GLASS CLIFFS Preparation may not be the only reason women are finally gaining ground. Ellig believes women are getting the nod specifically because companies are facing challenging times. “I think the demonstrated rise of women to lead companies during the pandemic shows they did well as leaders without a playbook, which is…

Chapter Zero Italy and NED Community hosted a panel discussion on Assessing Long-term Climate Impact Scenarios

It’s too soon for a definitive list, but as early autopsies of Silicon Valley Bank and others accumulate, several key takeaways already have emerged. It’s not too soon to talk about some of these.

Recent bank failures are merely a symptom pf the end of the “everything bubble.”

What would the world look like if we were to pay more attention to the damage that our stereotypes about gender and risk are doing, and then cast them aside? 

Food companies need trust when they market to gluten-free and other “free-from” allergen consumers. So why don’t they take food safety more seriously?

JANUARY 10, 2022 Bill Yeargin, CEO of the custom boat company Correct Craft and author of the book Education of a CEO, wrote about gray rhino risks, both past and present, in his industry in an article for the Trade Only website entitled “Charge of the Gray Rhinos” and published January 10, 2022. “Our team has reviewed a lot of deals where the business owner (the seller) ignored a gray rhino until it was too late,” Yeargin wrote. “By the time I met with the owner, he was trying to sell a company that either had a gray rhino charging or the damage…

Trusting often feels like a big risk. But not trusting clients and suppliers can be a big risk as well for companies.