Achilles heel - phraseologism, denoting the weakness, vulnerability of an enterprise or person. It can be a personality trait, a feature that spoils life, or an imperfection in the organization of the case - all that, one way or another, is a hidden flaw that can appear unexpectedly and confuse all the cards.
Let's talk about how this expression appeared, what is its original meaning.
The myth of Achilles
The expression "Achilles' heel" originates in the myth of the post-Homer era, transmitted by the Roman poet Gigin. It deals with the fate of a great hero named Achilles, who was invulnerable to enemy arrows and swords. The secret of his magical protection was that when he was a child, his mother, the sea goddess Thetis, dipped him into the waters of the Styx River. She dreamed of making her son immortal and equal to the gods. However, the defense was not complete. During the bathing of Achilles in the eternal river, his mother held him by the heel, which remained dry. She was the hero’s hidden vulnerability.
During the siege of Troy, Achilles fought for ten. No wonder, because the weapon could not do him any harm. The Trojans were on the verge of total defeat. But then Apollo stood up for them, enraged by the insolence of a mere mortal. He directed the arrow fired by Paris, as if on the heel of Achilles, and the hero was defeated.
Since then, the Achilles' heel means an imperceptible and, as it seems, insignificant feature that can be fraught with a threat to any business.
By the way, the Achilles tendon, named after the hero of the Greek myth, is able to withstand a load of 400 kg or more and is one of the most vulnerable places of the human body.
Achilles heel of a modern enterprise
Let us consider in more detail the concept of hidden vulnerability on the example of modern enterprises.
Any company is a complex system, which means that flaws somewhere are inaccessible to the superficial gaze.
The Achilles heel of the company is a weak point from which the destruction of the entire enterprise can begin.
When an ordinary employee does not pay enough attention to his official duties, he does not know that his carelessness can destroy the entire carefully structured structure if by his actions he touches that very painful point.
In order to avoid such risks, most large Western and domestic companies pay much attention to creating a corporate culture, which helps to increase discipline and motivation of employees.
Any owner of a successful large company needs to understand where this point is. If so far he cannot strengthen this place, then at least he should pay special attention to it.
Each industry has its own weak link. For example, it is generally accepted that in aviation the main security threat is the human factor, that is, unreliable and unpredictable people on whom the management of complex machines depends.
Sometimes a minor event can become such a flaw, which along the chain can lead to complete collapse. It is almost impossible to foresee the outcome; the only way to control such accidents is to introduce preventive measures. For example, the creation of corporate ethics, rules of conduct in various situations, and so on.
Achilles' heel - a myth familiar to many since childhood, warns of the danger posed by excessive carelessness and self-confidence. Any accident, ambiguity in the contracts can become a weak link and turn into a threat to the life of the enterprise.
Murphy 's Law states: “If trouble can happen, it will happen.” So, you can’t give this trouble a single chance, you need to be extremely vigilant.