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When Authentication Fails:
A Hidden Business Resilience Risk
Margaret J. Millett | May 29, 2026
A friend recently shared a frustrating experience that highlights a growing and often overlooked resilience issue.
She has a car loan with a major U.S. bank. She needs to call each month since her payment is not handled properly. That alone signals a process issue. What happened next reveals something more serious.
When she called in April, the representative attempted to verify her identity by sending a six-digit code to her mobile phone. The code never arrived. The representative explained they could only send one code per call. She was told to hang up and either call back later or visit a branch in person.
She called back. Same issue. Again. No code. No access. No resolution.
At that point, the problem is no longer customer service. It is operational resilience.
Over-reliance on one control is the main problem. Many organizations have standardized one-time passcodes (OTP) via SMS or email as a primary method of identity verification. It is convenient. It is scalable. Although this is broadly recognized within the field, it does present a singular vulnerability.
When that mechanism breaks, whether due to telecom carrier issues, system integration failures, incorrect customer data, security throttling rules, or third-party vendor outages, the organization can effectively lock out legitimate customers from their own accounts.
In this case, the fallback process was not functional either. Resilience gaps are clear.
The Resilience Gaps
The first gap is that there is no effective fallback mechanism if SMS authentication fails. What is next? Knowledge-based authentication? Secure app-based verification? Live agent identity check? In this scenario, the only fallback was “call again or go to a branch.” That is not a continuity strategy. It is deflection.
The second gap is policy vs. practicality misalignment. The purpose of the “one code per call” rule is to reduce the chances of fraud. When the system itself is failing, rigid adherence to policy prevents resolution, frustrates customers, and increases call volume. Resilience requires controlled flexibility, not just control.
The third gap is frontline staff without options. The representatives did not have the authority to bypass the restriction, escalate the issue appropriately, or employ other verification methods. This creates a critical vulnerability. When systems fail, people must be able to adapt.
The fourth gap is customer experience as a resilience indicator. Repeated failed interactions are an early warning signal. In this case, monthly payment issues, repeated authentication failures, and multiple calls with no resolution. This is not just a service issue. It is a systemic reliability issue.
A Robust Approach
What should a business continuity plan include? For banks, and any organization using OTP verification, this scenario raises an important question. What happens when your primary authentication method fails?
A robust approach should include:
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Multi-channel authentication options which do not rely solely on SMS. It should include authenticator apps, push notifications, voice-based verification, and secure email links. Redundancy is essential.
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Intelligent retry & exception handling instead of “one attempt per call” to allow controlled retries, detect delivery failures vs. user error, and trigger alternative methods automatically.
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Empowered frontline teams and staff equipped with escalation pathways, override protocols (with audit controls), and clear guidance for exception scenarios.
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Real-time monitoring of authentication failures to track OTP delivery rates, failure patterns by carrier/region, and spike alerts. Authentication failure is a resilience metric, not just an IT issue.
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Customer-centric fallbacks. At minimum, seamless branch support (with appointment priority), verified callback options, and case ownership to avoid repetition.
The risk of getting this wrong when authentication fails repeatedly causes customers to lose trust, operational costs increase (repeat calls), reputational risk grows, and regulatory scrutiny may follow. In the realm of financial services, access is not merely a choice, it is a standard expectation.
Resilience is not just about recovering from major disruptions. It is about ensuring everyday processes do not break under normal conditions. Authentication is now a critical control point in customer access. If it fails and there is no effective backup the organization has created its own disruption.
The question is not “Do we have strong authentication?” It is “What happens when authentication does not work?” From the customer’s perspective, which is the moment that defines whether your organization is truly resilient or not.
Increasingly, those moments are not rare edge-cases. They are part of the everyday experience. Organizations that recognize this will not only reduce risk, but they will also differentiate themselves through reliability, trust, and customer confidence.
Article published at the following link:
https://www.thebci.org/news/when-authentication-fails-a-hidden-business-resilience-risk.html
Grow Your Vision
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Resilience at the Top:
How CEOs Future-Proof Organizations
Margaret J. Millett | February 20, 2026
In an era defined by volatility, uncertainty, and constant disruption, organizational resilience has become a defining leadership responsibility. Market shocks, geopolitical instability, technological change, regulatory pressure, and societal expectations now converge at unprecedented speed. While many organizations have invested in risk management, business continuity, and crisis response capabilities, research consistently shows leaders and boards continue to feel underprepared for the next major disruption. This gap highlights a critical truth: resilience cannot be delegated. It must be led.
The chief executive officer (CEO) is uniquely positioned to serve as the chief resilience officer of the enterprise. Sitting at the intersection of strategy, finance, operations, culture, and external stakeholders, the CEO has the holistic perspective required to assess resilience, strengthen it, and embed it into the organization’s core operating model. Resilience, when approached as a strategic capability rather than a defensive function, enables organizations not only to withstand disruption but to emerge stronger because of it.
Defining Resilience as a Leadership Discipline
Resilience can be defined as the ability to prepare for disruption, respond effectively when it occurs, and adapt in ways that create long-term advantage. This definition expands resilience beyond crisis management or recovery planning. It positions resilience as an ongoing leadership discipline that supports sustainable performance.
Organizations that excel in resilience tend to address four interdependent dimensions. Financial resilience provides flexibility through strong balance sheets, liquidity, and disciplined capital allocation. Operational resilience ensures critical products, services, and processes can adapt quickly at scale. Organizational resilience enables individuals and teams to cope with change, learn from setbacks, and remain aligned to a clear sense of purpose. External resilience reflects the strength of relationships with customers, regulators, investors, suppliers, and partners who become essential allies during periods of disruption.
Only the CEO has the authority and visibility to balance these dimensions and ensure none are overdeveloped at the expense of others. When resilience is uneven, organizations may appear strong on the surface but remain vulnerable in moments of stress.
Embedding Resilience into Vision and Strategy
One of the most powerful actions a CEO can take is to embed resilience directly into the organizational vision. During periods of uncertainty, employees look to senior leadership for clarity, direction, and reassurance. A clear and consistently communicated “North Star” allows teams to navigate ambiguity while remaining aligned to strategic priorities.
High-performing CEOs intentionally balance short-term performance demands with long-term value creation. They adopt a through-cycle mindset that considers second-order and downstream impacts of disruption. Rather than reacting impulsively to immediate pressures, they assess whether to pivot, pause, or stay the course based on long-term resilience and growth objectives.
Resilience and growth are not competing priorities. In fact, organizations that link the two explicitly are better positioned to innovate during disruption. CEOs can reinforce this connection by introducing structured stress testing, scenario analysis, and simulations that challenge assumptions and expose vulnerabilities before they become crises. These exercises create learning opportunities and strengthen decision-making under pressure.
Building Full-Body Organizational Resilience
Just as physical strength requires balanced muscle development, organizational resilience requires proportional investment across all dimensions. Overreliance on heroics or informal workarounds may solve short-term problems but often leads to burnout, inconsistency, and systemic weakness.
CEOs play a critical role in ensuring resilience is operationalized through clear processes, adaptable playbooks, and decision rights that empower teams while maintaining accountability. When disruption occurs, organizations with strong resilience frameworks can respond with speed and confidence rather than improvisation and confusion.
Learning from crises is equally important. CEOs who act as students of crisis systematically capture lessons learned and translate them into lasting improvements. By embedding resilience into systems, governance, and culture, they reduce reliance on individual intervention and increase organizational capacity to absorb future shocks.
Forcing Decisions When Resilience Is at Risk
There are moments when resilience must take precedence over convenience, speed, or short-term financial optimization. In these moments, CEOs must be willing to intervene directly, challenge assumptions, and force difficult conversations with senior leaders.
Decisive leadership strengthens organizational health. Asking hard questions about flexibility, optionality, talent development, and frontline empowerment reinforces the message that resilience is a nonnegotiable priority. Constructive debate, followed by clear decisions, ensures alignment and builds trust even when trade-offs are required.
Cultivating Resilient Teams and Individuals
Resilient organizations are built by resilient people. CEOs influence this outcome through hiring, development, and role modeling. Technical skills and past success matter, but adaptability, grit, and learning orientation often matter more in environments shaped by continuous change.
By embedding resilient traits into talent processes and leadership expectations, CEOs help create teams that can pivot quickly and remain effective under pressure. Modeling calm, transparency, and vulnerability during challenging moments further reinforces psychological safety and trust. When leaders demonstrate resilience openly, employees are more likely to do the same.
Maintaining personal resilience is also essential. CEOs who invest in trusted advisors, reflect on their own leadership effectiveness, and manage their energy intentionally are better equipped to lead others through disruption.
Strengthening External Resilience Through Relationships
Modern CEOs are expected to engage with a broad and diverse set of external stakeholders. Reputation, trust, and credibility are strategic assets that directly influence an organization’s ability to navigate crises. Strong relationships with regulators, partners, peers, and communities enable collaboration when speed and coordination matter most.
An intentional external stakeholder strategy allows CEOs to shape narratives, align expectations, and mobilize collective action during periods of stress. Organizations that invest in these relationships before disruption occurs are far better positioned to respond effectively when it does.
Conclusion
Disruption is no longer an exception. It is a constant. The organizations that will thrive in this environment are those led by CEOs who embrace their role as chief resilience officer. By embedding resilience into vision, strategy, culture, and operations, CEOs create enterprises that can endure uncertainty and convert disruption into opportunity. Resilience is not a defensive posture. It is a leadership choice and a strategic advantage. CEOs who make that choice position their organizations to grow stronger, inspire confidence, and remain relevant in an increasingly complex world.
Article published at the following link:
https://drj.com/journal_main/ceo-leadership-organizational-resilience/
Grow Your Vision
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May is here
This month, I think of Mother’s Day in the United States as well as college/university graduations
Margaret J. Millett | 12 May 2023
I am grateful that my mother, Joan Millett, was a strong role model for me and my siblings Daniel and Catherine. She was the first person in our family to graduate from college. She earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from St. Joseph College in West Hartford, CT, and a master’s degree in maternity nursing from Columbia University in New York, NY. She was a founding faculty member of the Springfield Technical Community College Nursing Program.
I saw her struggle to get promoted to full Professor with tenure. In the end, she achieved it; however, during her career, she did not have the network and resources available to women globally today.
If I had to put myself in her Nursing shoes, I think she might provide the guidance below to her graduating female and male students.
1. Have confidence
I encourage women to step up and be confident in their work because we work just as hard as our male colleagues and can handle the same challenges they can. Women we need to stop questioning our abilities because we are all capable of the work if we would just have the confidence to know that we are.
2. Time Management
Time is finite. Once it is gone you cannot get it back. Once a deadline is missed there is no turning back. If you miss an assignment, you risk a lower grade. In the working world, it may mean losing a job project and the company may incur financial losses.
3. Be Present
Being present means two things to me. Firstly, it means to be on time. This ranges from an internal meeting to meeting deadlines. Great opportunities present themselves when you are present. Secondly, being present means focusing on the work that needs to be completed and being mindful and fully aware of your surroundings.
4. Take the time to create and practice your introduction: name, title, and what you do
You do not have another chance for a second impression and presenting a strong, confident introduction sets the tone from the beginning.
5. Learning is an Ongoing Event
Make sure you apply the words of wisdom throughout your career, not just when you are a little green behind the ears. Pay special attention to the new trends and developments within your industry, as well as seize on every opportunity to attend training sessions that apply to your job. As they say, change is a constant in life. The key for you is to remain ahead of the changing curve.
6. Advocate for you
Nobody else will do it for you in the same way. Create your own agenda: know what you are and what you want for your career and advocate for it. Ask for and take advantage of opportunities.
7. Engage with people through a professional & positive attitude
Even as a new employee, you still represent your company everywhere you go. First impressions count. Make sure you carry yourself professionally and with a positive attitude, this will help you engage with your colleagues, peers, and even your boss.
8. Join Employee Networks
Building a strong network is pivotal to career advancement. Engage in employee networks offered by your company or start one yourself with management support. Employee networks can offer many benefits including mentoring, networking, skill development, and access to business leaders. They provide resources to help participants grow in their careers.
9. You Will Make Mistakes…
So, learn from them. The key is to learn from your mistakes and use the lessons for future work-related projects. You will be given a lot of slack early on, which means you have an informal grace period when you should get most of your professional mistakes out of the way.
10. Find a Sponsor, not a Mentor
In time, find a sponsor to speak on your behalf in high-level, closed-door meetings. Many people know the benefit of partnering with a sponsor – someone who goes beyond traditional mentorship to help build a junior employee’s skills, advocate for them when opportunities arise, and open doors.
Finally, remember the timeless adage, "Patience is a virtue." You will need patience to thrive in your new professional environment, from understanding the co-workers to learning of a new decision-making process. The average career spans around 40 years. You have plenty of time to get where you want, as well as determine how far you want to go.
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