In reality, a job is a to-do list and game plan interrupted by problems. Few days unfold trouble free. A phone message or e-mail brings an unplanned-for, unanticipated crisis. While dealing with that issue, another message or a colleague comes in with another new dilemma. It goes on incessantly throughout the day and into the next.
Every day things go wrong. Doing a stellar job means you fix them.
Problems range in size and intensity, but generally speaking anytime you have a difference between what you have and what you want, it’s a problem. And it needs to be dealt with in an analytical, thorough, and logical approach. Don’t be caught off guard by incessant tribulations. Assume something will go wrong today.
This is not negative thinking, it’s preemptive. If you anticipate the possibility you won’t be stunned and caught off guard. Ask yourself, “What could happen to mess this up?” If you don’t consistently pose that question, you aren’t doing the complete job.
Count on the probability that the worst thing will always happen at the worst time. If you expect things to get messy, by anticipatory thinking and action, you can keep them from getting messier.
