Inversion Thinking
Ask how the plan fails instead of how it succeeds; the premortem — imagining the failure has happened and explaining why — surfaces risks that forward planning and optimism hide.
An everyday example
'It is a year from now and the acquisition was a disaster. Write the story.' Three risks appear that the deal memo never mentioned.
What it can cost you
Planning only forward; a room where nobody can voice doubt without seeming disloyal.
Warning signs
- Nobody has described how this fails.
- Doubt in the room reads as disloyalty.
One thing to do
Before committing, run a written premortem: each person independently writes the failure story, then compare.
Is this happening to you right now?
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