Are you overlooking the power of preparation?

Prep is key to reaching the top of your leadership game – and staying there

You’ve probably heard all the sayings:

Prior preparation prevents poor performance.

Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.

Success is where preparation and opportunity meet.

It’s no secret that preparation is a big part of success.?

But as we progress in our careers, we tend to make preparation less of a priority.

It’s not uncommon for leaders to roll into a meeting and speak off the cuff, or hop onto a conference call without knowing much about the other people on the line. You lean more on your experience to guide you and less on your prep work.

But recently, I was reminded that preparation is important at every level of your career.?

I was interviewing Hubspot CEO Yamini Rangan on my podcast, How Leaders Lead. Now, of course, I take a lot of pride in researching my podcast guests thoroughly. But I don’t expect that prep to go both ways!

But as I was talking with Yamini, I quickly realized that she had done her research on me! She’d clearly read through my Wikipedia page and checked out my books. I was blown away!?

Here’s this incredibly busy CEO who has somehow found the time to understand a little bit more about the person she’s talking to.?

She didn’t have to do that. Yamini could have just come in cold and still been just as insightful and impressive. But her simple preparation really helped us form an instant bond, and I think the interview is all the better for it.?

She reminds me that best leaders NEVER lose that habit of preparation.?

It’s not just how they reach the highest level. It’s also how they stay there.?

In fact, many of the leaders I’ve talked to over the years cite the power of preparation when they reflect on their success, including world-class talents like Jim Nantz, Condoleezza Rice, Jack Nicklaus, and NFL legend Larry Fitzgerald.?

So today, I want to walk you through five powerful ways preparation can make you a more successful leader, along with practical takeaways you can start applying that idea this week.

Let’s get started!?

1. Preparation is a form of respect

When I think of leaders who model the power of preparation, I think instantly of legendary sports commentator Jim Nantz.

Before every broadcast, he painstakingly creates what in his world is called a “spotting board.” It’s a color-coded overview of every player, including key details and a few relevant stats.

He takes pride in researching and creating these boards himself. And while we associate Jim Nantz with major events like The Masters and the Final Four, he brings this level of preparation no matter what game he’s covering.

“Every show is your most important show,” he told me during his episode of How Leaders Lead . “I feel like, out of respect to your audience and respect to the subjects you’re covering, you have to do the full, detailed research.”

With his immense skill and experience, he could easily just wing it on those smaller events.?

But for Jim Nantz, showing up prepared is simply a matter of respect.?

When you come to meetings and conferences having done that kind of preparation, you communicate to people that you respect them, too, and that they’re important to you. It’s a simple form of recognition that goes a long, long way.

Key takeaway: Reserve even just five or ten minutes before meetings and calls to get to know the people you’ll be interacting with.

2. Preparation creates consistency and excellence.

As you probably know, Jack Nicklaus is widely regarded as the best golfer of all time.

And with a record 73 PGA tour wins and 18 Major championships, it’s easy to see why.

I had the honor of sitting down with The Golden Bear himself , and I asked him what drove that incredible consistency.

He didn’t point to his talent, his technique, or even his mindset.

For him, it was all about preparation.

“If you’re not prepared, you’re not going to perform,” Jack says, describing the intentional way he would practice on courses similar to those that the Majors would be played on.?

It’s just as true in golf as it is in other areas of life.

As Jack puts it, “I think being prepared is probably the most important thing in any walk of life.”

This may seem like an obvious insight. But far too often we take calls or present to our teams without properly preparing for the situation. It’s easy to get complacent for things you’ve done repeatedly.

But as Jack points out, there’s no excuse for not being properly prepared. It can impact your consistency and keep you from reaching that next level of excellence.?

Key takeaway: Look at big things in your work world over the next year, and then think about what you can be doing now to prepare for them. This simple discipline can build more consistency and excellence in the work you do.

3. Preparation helps you respond when things go wrong.?

In addition to her luminous career in diplomacy and political science, did you know that Condoleezza Rice is a world-class classical pianist? She’s played for Queen Elizabeth and performed alongside Yo-Yo Ma.?

When I asked her how she prepares for those big-time performances, she told me that she works on a new piece for a year before performing it. That way, she knows it inside and out.

Condoleezza quoted another great pianist, Glenn Gould, who said, “When you’re performing, it’s not a matter of whether something will go wrong. It’s a matter of when.”?

That’s certainly true for leadership, too. Things WILL go wrong.

And when they do, you can fall back on the thorough preparation you’ve done. In a crisis or in unexpected circumstances, you’ll be able to respond with more speed and authority, simply because you’re prepared.

Key takeaway: Master the key information you need to be able to reference quickly in your job. Know it cold. That way, you’ll have a vast reservoir of insight to draw from no matter what situations arise.

4. Preparation builds confidence

Well, there’s no doubt that proper preparation equips you with the hard work and information you need to excel.

But there’s another, more subtle advantage to preparation, and it’s something I learned from Larry Fitzgerald, one of the NFL’s best-ever wide receivers.?

For him, preparation is a source of confidence.?

“When I step on the field, it gives me unbelievable confidence knowing that I did all the work already,” he told me in our podcast interview together .

“I put all the hard work in earlier in the week,” he continued. “I know the opponent I’m playing against. I know my plays. I know the technique I’m going to use. I know I have the ability to make the tough catches. I’ve done this all week. Now let’s go out and execute and have fun.”

Good preparation doesn’t just help you get ready for big moments. It helps you feel ready, too.?

I love how Larry draws on it as a source of confidence and strength when the pressure’s on.?

Key takeaway: In moments where you need a confidence boost, reflect on all the preparation and experience you have. And when preparation feels like a chore (because it will sometimes!), remind yourself that you’re making deposits into an account you can draw on when you need to.

5. Preparation is a mindset.?

I love this insight from Lieutenant Colonel Dan Rooney , a highly decorated Air Force pilot and the founder of one of my favorite nonprofits, Folds of Honor:

“Stay ready, so you don’t have to get ready.”

He learned this lesson on the second day of training to fly F-16 fighter jets, where, in his words, “they basically briefed us on all the ways people kill themselves flying these airplanes.”

When the stakes are high, pilots rely on their extensive training and preparation.?

But it’s not something they work on occasionally—hence the phrase: “Stay ready so you don’t have to get ready.” These elite pilots are constantly training and working to improve incrementally each day.?

For them, preparation is a mindset and a way of life. And that’s a powerful insight for leaders, too. Preparation doesn’t serve you as well when you’re cramming at the last minute. It’s a much more powerful tool when you make it a regular habit.

Key takeaway: Create disciplines that help you continually improve and stay sharp instead of cramming quickly when the need arises.?

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A lot of leaders overlook the importance of preparation. As a result, they leave a lot on the table. They don't mean to. They’re just so busy in their day-to-day operations that they struggle to make preparation a priority.

But I hope this article reminds you that preparation unlocks so much more than just readiness. It helps you connect with people. It helps you be more agile in times of crisis. It’s key to building consistency and confidence. And the very best leaders prioritize it as a habit, so they’re always sharp.

What do you think? How does the power of preparation show up in your life as a leader? Leave a comment so I can learn from you!?

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