Trigger Question #168:
We plan. And then we make excuses if our plans don’t work out. Not so? Come on, admit it. We all do it. We often find time to make excuses for not having had the time to plan properly in the first place.
But what if we use these excuses to our advantage? What if we make a list of all the possible creative excuses we might need… before we need them… while we are still actively planning?
Let’s list a few common excuses and you will see what I’m getting at:
- Our plan did not work because (we were too optimistic, the world changed, our customers moved on, we took too long to execute).
- Our plan failed because we (did no research, ignored competitors, considered only a few angles).
- Our plan could have been better if we had more (time, money, resources, brains, commitment).
- Our plan bombed because… (list your unique excuses here.)
Now that you have your excuses listed, sorted, and ready to discharge when or if needed, guess what? You have imagined the many ways your plan can come unstuck… before you implement and execute.
This means you can prevent them from happening by building the appropriate solution into your plan… before you implement and execute!
There you have it. You will create better plans if you dream up a few well considered, creative excuses for failure… before you implement and execute.
Welcome to my side of the nonsense divide.
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Quote of the Moment: “I could have been a planner, but I wasn’t prepared.” The Chief Nonsense Officer.
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