The Big Idea

Long ago, coal miners would put caged canaries in their tunnels. If the little birds fell silent or dropped, this would alert the miners of the presence of poison gas. This way, many miners were able to escape unhurt. The business environment you live in is very much like those treacherous mines. Hundreds of employees are laid off everyday and more and more companies are filing for bankruptcy. As a manager, you must learn how to detect threats to your business before disaster strikes.

Corporate canaries are exactly like those real-life birds that saved hundreds of miners from certain death.