Chapter 7: Remain Resilient—Lead When the Plan Breaks Every leader values a good plan. Plans create structure, reduce uncertainty, and provide a path forward. But leadership is not truly tested when everything goes according to plan. It is tested when the plan no longer fits reality. In Chapter 7 of Why Plans Don’t Prepare You: … Read more
Assess Progress—Test What You Think You Have Taking action is essential, but action alone does not guarantee readiness. Many leaders feel more confident once tasks are completed, documents are updated, and responsibilities are assigned. Yet confidence built on assumptions can disappear the moment reality puts those efforts to the test. In Chapter 6 of Why … Read more
Set Direction—Leadership Intent Comes First Before teams can act with confidence, leaders must provide clear intent. People perform best when they understand what matters most, what success looks like, and how to make decisions when conditions change. Without leadership intent, even the best-written plans can become confusing, slow, and ineffective. In Chapter 4 of Why … Read more
Chapter 1: The Lie Leaders Tell Themselves Chapter 1 of Why Plans Don’t Prepare You begins with a difficult truth many leaders quietly tell themselves: “We have a plan, so we’re prepared.” It is a comforting belief, but comfort and readiness are not the same. In this chapter, I explore the gap between having documents … Read more
