An Excerpt from Crisis Capable

Whether living in a war zone or combating professional blockades, those who know how to interpret the circumstances in play are better able to take decisive action.

Fabiana Lacerca-Allen, a risk management expert, shares anecdotes from her own volatile personal and professional experiences to offers readers advice on how to be aware of their surroundings, lean into their intuition, and improve their leadership strategies.

In this excerpt, Lacerca-Allen recounts a chilling moment from her childhood in Argentina, sharing how her intuitiveness and awareness of her surroundings led her to safety. This serves as a powerful reminder to readers to trust their instincts whenever something feels wrong in any aspect of their lives.

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Better Decision Making Relies on Trusting Your Instincts

During the 1970s in Argentina, the military dictatorship in power went after those who threatened their rule and who did not share their thinking or values. Though my father didn’t subscribe to harmful acts, he was a leading figure and businessman during that time, and he held influence in many circles. His views, which differed from the military, put him and our family at risk.

Because of my upbringing during this time in Argentina, I learned to trust my instincts when a situation didn’t seem right or something seemed amiss. 

Whenever you sense something is off, lean into what your senses are telling you. If the situation is at work, it could mean speaking up and sharing your concern with others. If it occurs in your personal life, it could be a sign that you should leave the setting or get help.

This skill, which is often touted as important but may not be as readily taught as multiplication and division in school systems, can help you do more than pass your tests. It could save your life, put you in a position of leadership, or help you decide who to choose to be in a position of authority. In your personal life, knowing how to navigate critical situations and understanding ways to avoid risk can enable you to develop healthy, productive relationships with others who support you and your goals.

When I was about fourteen years old, I flunked math while attending school in Argentina. My father soon learned of the news, and he approached me to talk about it. He had always emphasized the importance of planning for everything. So, when the topic about my poor math grade came up between us, he asked me, “What’s your plan?”

At the time, I didn’t have a great strategy outlined. The discussion between us over my math scores turned to one of my father’s other key teachings, which was, “If you don’t have a plan, someone else will have a plan for you, and you might not like it.” To deal with my flunking math, he set up an arrangement to help me catch up on my studies. And, as he predicted, I wasn’t thrilled by it.

I had to go twice a week to the tutor’s home to study math. We set up a schedule which involved a driver taking me to her place and picking me up. Occasionally, my father would drop me off and come to get me. If he did, it was always arranged well ahead of time. We had to keep procedures clear for security purposes. My new situation created a change in schedule. Moreover, it proposed a risk we would have to deal with. Getting dropped off and picked up from the same point, during the same days every week and at the same times, meant that others could track my route.

Everything had to be arranged with care, including the scheduled math sessions, who would be taking me, and who would pick me up. It was important to communicate in detail with everyone involved, because that way we would all know what to expect and could be prepared.

One day, I was dropped off at the usual 5 p.m. by our family’s driver. Getting inside the math teacher’s place was simple and straightforward. I arrived on time, rang the bell, and was let inside, and the tutoring session began. I planned on staying until 6 p.m. when the lesson would end, and I would be escorted home.

That day, however, the bell rang at 5:45 p.m., fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. The sound resonated for an unusually long time. It was a loud ring, as if someone was pressing hard on the buzzer.

The teacher got up and went to speak into the intercom. When she came back, she said, “It’s your father. He’s outside, waiting for you.”

I remained sitting. Looking at my father’s former math teacher, I replied, “It’s not my father.”

Returning my gaze, she said, “Who are you to tell me it’s not your father?”

Still, I didn’t shift. Instead, I explained that whoever she had spoken to, I was sure it wasn’t my father. I explained my reasoning. “First, he would never ring the bell that way. The sound was a long beep, which is much longer than my father would ring.” I knew that my father, a respectful man, would consider it polite to ring quickly. Holding the bell for an extended period and ringing loudly were not actions I had ever seen or heard him do. I added that the driver was supposed to come for me up that day.

“Also,” I continued, “my father would never, ever pick me up early from a class.” Again, I knew how he would think and act. My father was the type to adhere to schedules.

In the end, I refused to go at 5:45 p.m. and insisted on waiting until 6 p.m., which was the time the session was scheduled to finish. When the clock turned to the hour, my math teacher and I looked out the window. On the street below, we could see the driver pull up — just as he always did. Then, he entered the lobby and rang the bell, exactly as planned. 

As it turned out, it had not been my father who had arrived early and tried to take me out of class fifteen minutes early. That day, when someone else tried to pick me up from the tutoring session, if I had not relied on my senses and previous knowledge, the outcome could have been very different. 

A certain feeling, or intuition, can be hard to quantify. It’s not the same as writing out a multiplication table or memorizing a series of facts. Still, it is a skill that is so important.

Excerpted from Crisis Capable: Building Your Capacity to Survive and Succeed in Every Environment by Fabiana Lacerca-Allen, published by Advantage Books. Copyright © 2024 by Fabiana Lacerca-Allen.