Forethought as ACTION is a strategy, not just a tactic. Yes, you need to make forethought as ACTION a part of your tactical efforts to maximize the value of your actions each day. However, forethought as ACTION is a strategy for maximizing what’s currently available to you in a dynamically changing world while also influencing your access to new assets that come your way. If you are regularly creating value, you will gain access to new assets in your ever evolving world.
At the strategic level, the entrepreneurial contingency plan is about working multiple active plans for thriving success versus the more traditional approach to contingency planning as a fall back scenario. In other words, you actively work plans A1 and A2 (and maybe A3) versus actively working plan A while passively constructing plan B to fall back on when plan A hits the wall.
“It is better to take many small steps in the right direction than to make a great leap forward only to stumble backward.”
– Chinese Proverb
It is much better to take simultaneous small strategic steps with multiple plans that take you in the right general direction than to just take sequential tactical steps along one path. With multiple plans, you will likely always be moving forward. With one plan, you will run into road blocks and constraints that will stop your forward momentum. All plans run into road blocks, there is no perfect plan. Thus, multiple primary plans allow you to keep momentum moving forward and working in your favor.
However, too many simultaneous plans won’t establish enough momentum in the right direction to create real results. If you have too many plans, you are not going to spend the appropriate time checking status on your plans and making the appropriate real-time adjustments. Attention, resources, and time will be spread too thin and too many obstacles will surface in too many areas to get the proverbial flywheel spinning in the right direction. People will quickly become overwhelmed and frustrated. As Jim Collins found and shared in his book How the Mighty Fall - the mighty proceed down the path of destruction when they engage in the undisciplined pursuit of more!
“Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes; but no plans.”
– Peter Drucker
Display discipline in your pursuit of thriving success and commit to the right two or three primary plans to maximize their likelihood. Don’t go with just one plan, you will have too many momentum stopping setbacks to be in the right place at the right time. On the other hand, don’t have too many plans as you will either not get enough momentum established or you will waste your precious resources by spreading them too thin.
The pursuit of selective greatness makes all the difference. It helps you see more opportunities and possibilities on the journey and it gives you the determination and strength to push through the inevitable dips along the way. Thus, we recommend you have a few critical plans that allow you shoot for greatness, anticipate challenges, and persevere on your journey!
“Let our advance worrying become advance thinking and planning”
– Winston Churchill
© Copyright 2010 Jon L. Iveson, Ph.D. and Sandy Seago