Most Things I Worry About Never Happen Anyway
For probably the first 20 years of my career, Plan A was never enough.
I wanted a Plan B. And usually a Plan C.
I thought that was part of being prepared. If something went wrong, we wouldn’t be caught off guard. We would have already thought through the possibilities and know what to do next.
There was value in that.
It forced us to think ahead and consider potential problems before they became real ones. I still believe good leaders should understand the risks that come with a decision.
But there was also a cost I didn’t fully appreciate.
My team got really good at figuring out why something might not work.
An idea could start with some energy and quickly turn into a discussion about everything that could go wrong. We would develop a backup plan and sometimes a backup plan for the backup plan.
Rarely did we need Plan B. I don’t remember ever needing Plan C.
Meanwhile, all that contingency planning created unnecessary work and anxiety.
Over time, I think it also made people more reluctant to bring forward new ideas.
If you believe you need an answer for every potential problem before suggesting something, eventually it becomes easier not to suggest it at all.
I approach this differently today.
When someone brings me an idea, I still want them to think about what could go wrong.
One question I often ask is:
“If this idea were to fail, what would be the most likely reason?”
It’s a subtle difference, but I’ve found it gets me closer to what I actually want to know.
It encourages someone to think a little deeper about the idea and usually exposes a potential vulnerability. It gives us something meaningful to discuss without creating solutions for a list of problems that may never happen.
Then we can decide whether that vulnerability needs to be addressed before moving forward or whether it’s simply a risk we’re willing to take.
Being prepared doesn’t mean eliminating uncertainty.
Sometimes it means having a well-thought-out Plan A, understanding where it might be vulnerable, and having enough confidence in your people and your organization to adjust in real time.
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