📋 Making a Plan for the Worst Case (And Why It Frees You)
Making a detailed plan for the worst case sounds scary — but it actually sets you free.
Not knowing the details is scarier than knowing them.
The Two-Plan Approach:
- Plan A — Best case: things work out quickly
- Plan Z — Worst case: things go badly for a long time
Break Plan Z into 6-month chunks. What would you do in each phase? What expenses change? What options do you have?
What happens when you do this:
- You discover fewer unknowns than you feared
- The scary thing gets a "parking space" — it is acknowledged, not hidden
- Your mind becomes mentally lighter
- You can focus energy on winning instead of suppressing fear
This mental freedom is what allows true iteration — trying genuinely different approaches instead of repeating the same patterns and hoping for different results.
Explore the Full Podcast
Go deeper by watching the full-length Leadership in Practice episode to see the entire discussion in action.
Watch episodeTune in to our next live session!
Lessons from LIP #252
Related Content
🎯 Playing Offense When Life Gets Hard
LIP #221 • Jan 30, 2025
🛠️ Practical Tools: From Plan A-Z to Root Solutions
LIP #171 • Jul 16, 2025
🗺️ Stop Planning, Start Drafting: The New Way to Win
LIP #281 • Jun 12, 2026
🎯 Stop Firing Blind: How Strategic Thinking Actually Works
LIP #285 • Jul 10, 2026
🚣 Stop Spinning - Pick a Direction and Row
LIP #186 • Apr 18, 2024
💡 Tip
Related lessons are found using AI-powered semantic search based on this lesson's content.
Comments (0)
Join our discussion
Sign In