Column Pieter Vos: Still Thriving

A mountaineer discussed his sport and the often extreme conditions he faces while climbing the world's highest peaks in an interview. He talked about the significant risk of not surviving a descent. He said, "I didn't learn much from my successes. From crisis situations, much more."

This instantly reminded me of the food sector. Imagine dealing with a contamination. Your business shuts down. For days, you can't produce, and your reputation is at stake. Protocols and procedures are tightened, improvements made, more sampling spots added. Everyone is focused: this must never happen again! For a long time, nothing is found. The crisis story fades, the pain subsides. Then, a new crisis arises, this time economically. The pressure to cut costs increases. Because nothing has been found for so long, questions arise: "Why do we analyze so much? It can surely be less."

You might have heard of the five monkeys experiment. A banana hangs at the top of a cage, with a ladder beneath it. When one monkey climbs the ladder to grab the banana, all monkeys are sprayed with water. Monkeys dislike this, so when a second monkey tries and they're sprayed again, they start to see patterns. Now, if any monkey attempts to climb, the others stop it. Then, the monkeys are replaced one by one. Surprisingly, each newcomer, approaching the ladder, is pulled away by the others. Eventually, there are five new monkeys. None know the connection between climbing and being sprayed. Yet, they keep pulling away any newcomer who tries to grab the banana. An unthinking habit has formed. This also happens in many companies. Questions about 'why' cease: "That's just how we do things here." That attitude is fatal to progress.

My lesson? Keep telling the story of a lived-through crisis, don't discard that knowledge! This way, you keep the crucial lessons from that situation alive for everyone.

Pieter Vos 
Director Nutrilab