“You can choose to exist in a dark closet of ignorance or the light of knowing.” — Author’s  Observation

The core of environmental scanning is detecting and monitoring changes that could impact your life. If you see dark clouds, hear the wind picking up, feel rain drops on your head, you best take action and get an umbrella. However, some situations are more ambiguous, like in this picture.

It pays to pay attention to what’s happening around you. As told in the book “The Big Short,” by the year 2007 it was clear to some that a deep recession was on the horizon for Europe and America. The book documents how a small group of investors saw what few government policy makers, bankers, businessmen or consumers perceived, shorted the market, and made hundreds of millions of dollars. But for millions in America and Europe who failed to scan the environment for economic trends, it resulted in jobs forever gone, homes lost, and businesses shut down.

Detecting threats is a major reason you want to engage in environmental scanning. The final other reason? It helps you find opportunities.