How do you prepare for what could go wrong?

How do you prepare for what could go wrong?

This may be a question some don’t like considering. The thought of thinking about a plan failing is distasteful, so is avoided. However, a project that doesn’t go as planned doesn’t necessarily mean failure, provided the person responsible can adapt to the situation and persist.

Too many people wake up in the morning and go with the flow of life without a clearly-defined plan as to what they’re doing and why they’re doing it. They end up reacting to demands and their day is shaped for them by circumstances not necessarily intended.

For those who do make plans, the “what could go wrong” question and its benefits came to me in the early 2000s while listening to a retired Navy SEAL give a keynote on how to build winning teams. As a part of his talk, he shared stories from his training. The concept of preparing for what could go wrong stuck with me as I felt this to be a useful concept for all employees to consider, regardless of their level in an organization.

One common mistake for those who plan is to determine what they want, plan how to get it, and then act. The SEAL highlighted that one of the most important parts of planning is to anticipate the things that could go wrong and to plan where possible for each situation.

Preparing for what could go wrong promotes mental flexibility and readiness. Without advanced warning, adversity and challenges can disrupt the best of plans. Intention alone won’t always be enough to achieve an outcome. Sometimes getting from point A to point B requires being able to adapt to a situation and take a different path.

What challenges the winter of 2021 will bring for all employees in a pandemic will depend on each situation and circumstance. The window from October to March has some risk as it will be the first period in modern times in Canada that we’ll be navigating the seasonal flu and a pandemic simultaneously.

We all can be hopeful that the lessons learned so far in this pandemic will help reduce the risk of a major spread and we’ll get through the winter with the benefit of proven best practices, innovations, treatments and vaccine breakthroughs hopefully coming in the near future.

However, as Anderson Cooper says, “Hope is not a plan.”

Be proactive and prepare for what could go wrong but first ensure you have a plan

• Consider the pieces — Like doing a puzzle, before trying to build a plan take a moment to determine what pieces are on your board to manage. At an individual level, depending on your role and responsibilities, the degree of complexity can vary. Factors may include employees, customers, leaders, job security, financial health, family needs, children’s schooling options and current health.
• Build a plan — Frame your plan and where appropriate align it with others to ensure it’s congruent. For example, work with your partner to be clear that they’re aligned on the family budget and children’s schooling. Planning helps to remove assumptions and creates clarity on what’s needed (must have) and preferences (like to have).
• Consider what could go wrong — You know where there may be some obvious risks such as job insecurity, tight finances and strained relationships. Start with these and discuss options to deal with them now because we typically have more mental flexibility in planning than when dealing with an actual situation.
• Frame alternative plans — The purpose of alternatives is in the event something doesn’t go according to plan you know how you will address it. It’s helpful when facing personal stressors to have a plan to cope and where you can get support if needed — even checking in early with your support systems to recruit their help in the event you need it.
• If there are any learnings from COVID-19 that we may all want to consider, being underprepared is not a good place to be. We have and are learning daily the value of avoiding complacency. We don’t need to live in fear. We’ll benefit from being prepared and having a plan to keep our community, family and self as safe and healthy as possible, as well as considering our options if our plan doesn’t go as intended.?

Coping In A World Of Uncertainty -?Is a new speaker series we are offering to help support your employees in finding ways to cope with work and life challenges.

For more information, or to book Dr. Bill Howatt click here:?https://www.howatthr.com/speaker-series/