Managing Uncertainty

In this episode of the Managing Uncertainty Podcast, Bryghtpath Principal & Chief Executive Bryan Strawser explains why a clean compliance audit and a resilient organization are not the same thing. Compliance proves what you did in the past. Resilience is what you execute under pressure in the future. Bryan walks through why a 300-page binder is no substitute for rehearsed leadership, with lessons from last year’s AWS outage. He explains why resilience programs go obsolete when they sit adjacent to executive strategy instead of moving with the business. And he reframes what boards should actually measure, shifting from plan revisions …

Your business continuity program was built for one crisis at a time. That world is gone. In Episode 325 of the Managing Uncertainty Podcast, Bryan Strawser of Bryghtpath unpacks the polycrisis and why concurrent, compounding crises break the programs most organizations rely on. Bryan walks through the ten threats driving the polycrisis era and the four places where legacy programs fail under concurrent stress. He introduces the four capabilities every resilience leader needs to build next: Sense, Decide, Respond, and Recover and Learn. He closes with a four-phase roadmap to move from a single-scenario program to a real operating model. …

Bryan Strawser challenges a common but damaging leadership instinct: the urge for executives to take over and micromanage during a crisis. He explains that this kind of performative leadership creates bottlenecks, slows decision-making, and undermines the expertise of the crisis team when speed and clarity matter most. Strawser emphasizes that effective crisis leadership requires nuance—balancing time in the weeds with a strategic, enterprise-wide perspective. Leaders must resist ego-driven behavior, trust their trained teams, and focus on aligning the organization, communicating effectively, and protecting long-term business outcomes. The episode underscores a critical truth: if leaders cannot trust their teams to manage …

In Episode #323: The Fog of War, Bryan Strawser explores the reality leaders face in the first moments of a crisis—when information is incomplete, conflicting, or entirely absent. Drawing on his experience during the Boston Marathon manhunt, he emphasizes that waiting for perfect information is a losing strategy; leaders must act decisively based on what they know while clearly acknowledging what they do not. The episode introduces a practical decision-making framework grounded in “known knowns,” “known unknowns,” and the critical risk of “unknown unknowns.” Strawser reinforces that silence is not neutral—it is a decision that creates space for others to …

Six weeks into 2026 is the right moment to pause and assess whether your resilience program is aligned with how your organization is actually operating today. In this episode of the Managing Uncertainty Podcast, Bryan Strawser challenges leaders to revalidate their risk landscape, critical process priorities, and crisis readiness before the year accelerates. Early-year course correction is far easier than mid-year crisis recovery. Bryan outlines the key questions every resilience leader should be asking now, from whether your Business Impact Analysis still reflects reality to whether your exercise calendar targets enterprise-level risk. He also explores how cyber threats, geopolitical instability, …

In this episode of the Managing Uncertainty Podcast, Bryan Strawser explores how Chief Risk Officers and resilience leaders can develop the next generation of risk talent—by focusing on business fluency as a core leadership capability. As the risk function continues to evolve, technical excellence alone is no longer enough. The most effective leaders are those who can translate risk into strategic advantage and influence decisions at the highest levels. Bryan unpacks insights from a recent McKinsey article and ties them to Bryghtpath’s own white paper, The Strategic Edge: Wielding Influence as a Resilience Leader. He shares practical strategies for cultivating …

In this episode, Bryan Strawser explores how resilience and business continuity leaders can effectively champion their programs by communicating with influence. He outlines how to keep executives informed, explain the real business value of your program, and share meaningful metrics that demonstrate progress. Bryan also discusses the importance of storytelling and using impact-focused communication to build credibility. Drawing from Bryghtpath’s The Strategic Edge whitepaper, this episode reframes communication as a leadership tool—not just an update mechanism. You’ll learn practical techniques to shift from simply reporting activity to driving engagement, alignment, and strategic investment. Whether you’re just gaining traction or advancing …

In this episode of the Managing Uncertainty Podcast, Bryghtpath CEO Bryan Strawser shares lessons from a recent week of paramedic skills training. As he practiced high-stakes procedures like IV insertions and airway management, Bryan was reminded of a fundamental truth: repetition builds muscle memory—and that muscle memory saves lives. This insight directly applies to how we approach crisis management and organizational resilience. Bryan draws a clear connection between clinical skill repetition and the value of regular crisis exercises. Just as paramedics must perform under pressure without hesitation, Crisis Management Teams must respond with clarity and speed when it matters most. …

In this episode of the Managing Uncertainty Podcast, Bryghtpath CEO Bryan Strawser explores why resilience leaders must have total command of their own programs to maintain credibility and influence. When executives ask pointed questions about recovery time objectives, critical processes, or current risks, hesitation or vague responses can quickly erode trust. You don’t need to recite every line of a continuity plan—but you must understand the strategy, current state, and gaps of your program cold. Bryan outlines what you need to know without reference material, how to build that command over time, and why this level of preparedness is essential …

In this episode of the Managing Uncertainty Podcast, Bryghtpath Principal & Chief Executive Bryan Strawser explores key insights from Forrester’s 2025 report, Building a Security Org for the Future. Bryan breaks down how cybersecurity leadership is shifting from tactical execution to strategic influence—where CISOs are now expected to lead through credibility, relationships, and alignment with business outcomes. The episode offers a clear perspective on why traditional control-based security models are no longer enough. Bryan outlines the essential transformations security leaders must prioritize: building federated teams, communicating risk in business language, and aligning investments to enterprise performance and trust. He shares …