Beware icy conditions with loose feedback loops

This morning on the way to the tube, the footpath was frozen over. This meant I had to adjust my walking gait to avoid falling over. 

Had I strolled to the station in my typical jaunty style, I would have likely spent the rest of the morning in the accident and emergency department of the Whittington Hospital. 

It was clear that different tactics were required because the feedback loop was so tight. Every step gave immediate feedback and reminded me of the risk of disaster. 

But we often encounter situations which are just as icy and treacherous, but where the feedback loop isn’t as tight. Perhaps the delay between action and feedback is not immediate, but rather an hour, a week or even a few years. Think about how long it takes to get feedback from a mouthful or undercooked food, a misjudged email, a regulator. 

While we don’t want to live our lives wrapped in cotton wool for fear of falling over, we do want to be able to spot the icy conditions where the feedback mechanism is loose, so we can adjust our gait accordingly.