You’ve probably heard of the boiling frog syndrome: the reality that a frog placed into a vat of water and then placed over heat will not adjust to the rising temperatures quickly enough and will literally boil to death. While a bit grotesque, it is an apt metaphor for our own propensity for getting ourselves into stressful situations and failing to recognize the conditions and their affects quickly enough to adjust.

This metaphor holds true both for individuals as well as organizations.