Leadership in an Uncertain Future

Leadership means being prepared for the worst even when things look good

The Course of Empire - The Consummation of the Empire by Thomas Cole, 1836 (public domain - Wikipedia)

“The best-laid schemes of mice and men
         Go oft awry,
And leave us nothing but grief and pain,
          For promised joy!” — Robert Burns, 1785

Did you ever have the perfect event planned, only for everything to go awry?

A product launch, a surprise celebration for an important milestone, a romantic meal. In your mind’s eye, you envisioned everything going off flawlessly, almost scripted like a scene out of Hollywood.

Then…WHAM!

Reality hits, and it’s not pretty. A supplier doesn’t come through with essential parts for your launch, a message doesn’t make it to the honoree in time, the power goes out in the middle of cooking dinner.

What do you do?

Before you head in any one direction, the first step is simple: acknowledge the reality of your newfound situation.

“Very well. So the universe is not quite as you thought it was. You’d better rearrange your beliefs, then. Because you certa…