We live in times of unprecedented turbulence and complexity. Time and time again unexpected events take business and political leaders by surprise. Though we may not know their details, we do know that such events are inevitable.We spend years building our businesses or climbing our career ladders only to risk being brought down by unexpected events that 'were not in the plan'. Is this also inevitable?Graham Robinson and John Harris, who between them have over forty years experience of dealing with such events and their consequences, argue that we can and must prepare to meet the challenge of the unexpected through:Understanding and acknowledging the values that shape our responses; identifying the obligations and personal touchstones in terms of which we take our decisions; striving constantly to stay in touch with our organisations' wider context; and by ensuring that the unexpected events that threaten to bring us down are not the cumulative consequence of our own actions.