Leading through adversity

Hoards of cash on balance sheets and a preference for buybacks over investment suggests a growing aversion to risk at many companies. But in a Time/CNNMoney panel at the World Economic Forum, Orit Gadiesh, chairman, Bain & Company, noted that "A lot of what feels risky is actually unfamiliar." Cash, once scarce, is now abundant. Skilled employees, once expendable, are now in short supply. Business leaders can learn how to measure and analyze risk in this unfamiliar environment, but it shouldn't stop them from moving.