Last week, thousands of businesses around the world went offline – not because of a hack or a power cut, but because Amazon Web Services (AWS) went down.

From banks and booking systems to smart doorbells and customer support tools – everything just… stopped.

For a few hours, the digital backbone of global business went dark.

And it was a sobering reminder that even the biggest, most sophisticated organisations are only ever a few clicks away from chaos.

So, it’s worth asking: how resilient are your systems – and your mindset – when things go wrong?

The Danger of Over-Reliance

AWS is used by millions of companies because it’s fast, powerful and reliable… until it isn’t.

Most of those businesses had no backup plan.

They couldn’t access customer data, process payments, or even log in to the tools they depend on daily.

Sound familiar?

Every business has its own “AWS” – that one system, person, or supplier it depends on too heavily.

It’s great when it works – but dangerous when it doesn’t.

Building redundancy into your business may not sound exciting, but it’s what separates a minor blip from a major breakdown.

Control What You Can Control

Outages, curveballs, and crises are part of business life. You can’t predict them, but you can prepare for them.

When things crash – whether it’s a system, a supplier, or a key person leaving – it’s easy to feel powerless.

But as leaders, our job is to control what we can control.

That means building businesses that can bend without breaking:

  • Systems with backups and failsafes.
  • Teams that can adapt when things go wrong.
  • A mindset that stays calm under pressure rather than spiralling into panic.

Because resilience isn’t just about technology – it’s about thinking ahead.

The Real Lesson

Last week’s AWS outage wasn’t just a tech glitch; it was a leadership lesson.

Even the most advanced systems in the world can fail – and often, they fail silently until it’s too late.

So take a moment today to look at your own business and ask:

  • Where are we over-reliant?
  • What would happen if our “AWS” went down?
  • Do we have the processes, people, and mindset to bounce back?

Because resilience isn’t about never falling – it’s about how fast you get back up.

For deeper insight:

WATCH ‘Build for Resilience’ by Simon Sinek.

This is a short and impactful reminder from one of the world’s most respected thought-leaders on how business systems, teams and mindset must work in harmony to withstand what we don’t see coming.

After watching this, ask yourself: What do we reinforce today so we aren’t scrambling tomorrow?