Kweku’s Korner
By Kweku Akyirefi Amoasi
Kweku Akyirefi Amoasi, formerly known as Ramel Smith
The old axiom reads “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” There is a reason an axiom stands the test of time. Those who plan use their mental muscle by being proactive and willing what they want to happen. They are being intentional about their day and time. A plan is a proactive strategy, not a guarantee for success. Mike Tyson, the boxer, once famously stated “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth!”
This is absolutely the case! And, thus, those who create plans understand there should be contingencies for any type of problems, internal or external, that may arise. Any person who does not accommodate for other factors that can thwart the plan, both internal and external, is not planning, they are wishing. A wish requires hope with a vision. A plan requires hope, vision, and resources.
In the military, many Generals will do a postmortem report prior to the war. What does that mean? It means they will do multiple simulations and through the analytics of these scenarios, they will decipher the probability in which their opponent can defeat their army. After surveying all these scenarios they will reverse engineer their strategy. By understanding the ways they can lose, they understand how to win. The scripture asks, “who will go into battle and not count the cost?” At this point, Plan A becomes the most optimal way in the initial strategy to win; but, a great General will go all the way from Plan A to Double ZZ. Those who do not plan, go to “Okay, what do we do next?” This means they are reactive and will continuously be one step behind.
If we want to win in the game of life, we need to plan regularly. Most people are so resourceful and resilient, that they can get by with an “okay, what do I do next” lifestyle. They can rectify the problem and minimize the damage. But, what if we had a real proactive plan and were able to avoid the problem? What if we financially planned better? What if we planned our food and outfits for the week? How much money could we save? How much time could we save? It boils down to do we want to be proactive or reactive? A plan is proactive. When your response is ”okay, what do I do next?” You are reactive. And, though this strategy may work, just imagine what you could do with some intentional and constructive pre-planning.
Lastly, the best part of the premortem strategy is that it has a double usage value. After you’ve planned and the task is completed, you can do an autopsy of the event and decipher how you can learn from the losses and repeat the victories for the next match. The key is to plan before, be flexible to shift to different plans during the event, and lastly properly dissect it after it has come to its conclusion to prepare for the next event.