A Plan to Failure..

One of the coaching tools I use is called the “extreme axes.”

On the left end, I ask my clients to highlight the least favorable points—scenarios they absolutely want to avoid. It’s natural that, along the journey, there will be fallback moments, and that’s okay. But it’s important to visualize how far back we might fall and how close we could get to an undesired result.

Urgency is not always created by a deadline or a finish line—it can also be created by the consequences of failure.

If we do nothing, or if we take the wrong action, what is the outcome?

Are we satisfied with the consequences of inaction or missteps?

John Kotter, in A Sense of Urgency, introduces the idea of “jitter”—that uncomfortable energy or tension that comes when people start to feel the pressure of reality. It’s not panic. It’s not anxiety. It’s a healthy, productive discomfort that pushes people to act before it’s too late.

When we ignore the jitter, we may delay action until it’s no longer impactful. But when we acknowledge it, that subtle internal alert becomes a driver—fueling focus, intention, and momentum.

Instead of avoiding discomfort, we can learn to use it as a signal: something needs attention now.

We knew what we knew, but we didn’t know what we didn’t know. Hidden factors—both positive and negative—were lurking beneath all that optimism. 

The result of that pause, of exploring the other end of the axis— still to come.

Stay tuned..