You can’t always see trouble on a balance sheet. The numbers add up and the reports check out, but something still feels off. That uneasy undercurrent is exactly what Mark J. Concannon built his consulting career around. For nearly two decades, the CEO of Concannon Business Consulting (CBC) has helped organizations surface hidden issues before they erupt into full-scale problems.
Watch The Gaps Between Processes And Execution
Concannon knows the warning signs. “One of the first is when processes look perfect on paper but collapse in practice,” he says. You’ve seen it before: the flowchart says one thing, but reality is a mess. Workflows don’t align, execution veers off course, and delays appear without a real explanation. Many leaders dismiss these as growing pains. That’s a mistake. “Misaligned workflows, inconsistent execution, or unexplained delays are often more than inefficiencies. They are signals that something deeper is misfiring,” Concannon explains. His firm doesn’t just patch these issues. They redesign processes to expose breakdowns before they become expensive failures.
Listen To Your People, Not Just The Metrics
Data tells you what happened. Your employees tell you why it happened and what’s coming next. “Dashboards can show performance trends, but your employees explain what those metrics really mean,” Concannon says. High turnover often gets blamed on market conditions. Teams that seem disengaged are written off as attitude problems. Silent meetings get mistaken for efficiency. In reality, these are early warnings that cultural risks are taking root. Concannon’s approach goes further than filling open roles. “We integrate adaptive learning and staffing strategies to build resilient teams, not just replace headcount,” he explains. The distinction makes all the difference when pressure mounts.
Pay Attention To What’s Missing
Sometimes the biggest red flags are the things that aren’t there. Missing documentation, unclear responsibilities, and constant crisis management usually signal structural problems rather than individual performance issues. “The biggest risks are often in what’s not being said. Lack of documentation, unclear accountability, or firefighting mode point to missing structure, not missing effort,” Concannon explains. His team moves quickly to plug those gaps. Whether in contract management, technology execution, or program delivery, they address what’s missing before it grows into a system-wide problem. The goal is to get ahead of issues instead of always playing catch-up.
Technology and tools can only take you so far. Real risk identification requires something harder to quantify. “To uncover hidden risks, you need more than tools. You need awareness, alignment, and a partner who can bring clarity where there’s chaos,” Concannon says. The comparison he uses resonates. “Have you ever walked into a quiet room and sensed something was off, even though no one said a word? That’s how hidden business risks work. You can’t always see or hear them, but if you know how to read the room, you’ll catch them before they escalate.” Companies that build this kind of awareness transform potential problems into advantages. They detect issues early, adjust course, and prevent small disruptions from becoming costly disasters. It is the difference between reactive management and strategic leadership.
Connect with Mark J. Concannon on LinkedIn to learn more about turning hidden risks into growth opportunities.
