In his essay, Eric Markowitz emphasizes the importance of "slack" in maintaining resilience in business and life. Drawing on personal experience post-surgery, he highlights how the brain's ability to reroute and adapt mirrors the necessity for businesses to have excess capacity rather than focusing solely on efficiency. The article provides historical context by referencing a crisis Toyota faced in 1997, where a lack of slack almost led to global production halts. Markowitz argues that creating wiggle room is crucial for thriving amidst uncertainty.
"When the storm hits—and it always does—what keeps you afloat isn't optimization. It's excess capacity. Wiggle room. Optionality. Margin for error. It's slack."
"The brain has a remarkable capacity to reroute and rewire. It carries redundancy in its circuits. It doesn't always rely on the same neural pathways. It has 'slack' built in."
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