Plan for Success with Emphasis on the Positive

Flip it upside.

When we first launched The Verse, someone wise told us to focus on what could go right, because we would likely be incorrect about what was going to go wrong. (For example, no, we did not take a global pandemic for 200, Alex.) But actually heeding this advice has been harder than we initially thought. As one of us spent a long career in investing, literally picking apart hundreds of businesses in an effort to find what could go left, we were determined not to make even one itty bitty little error. The problem with this approach? It leaves you in a state of paralysis. At long last, though, we feel ready to start looking at the ceiling rather than the floor. We’ve rounded up some ways that you, too, can accentuate the positive.

Plan for success.

As much as we like to look at the downside, there is also the risk that things go well, beyond our wildest dreams. Believe it or not, we should give more thought to this type of planning. If we look at some of the companies that benefited from the pandemic, they clearly had not prepared for what a huge boon for their business could mean. Positive risk assessment tools include plans to exploit (make sure the upside opportunity happens), share (pass off some of the opportunity to others who may be better prepared to handle it), enhance (take steps to increase the positive impact of the opportunity) or accept (take no proactive steps, but plan to take advantage of the opportunity). 

Track your wins.

Part of looking at the upside is reminding yourself that you’ve had plenty of experience in driving good outcomes. Having your accolades in one place will reaffirm all that can go right when you take chances, and it may prove useful if you’re trying to get others to take a chance on you. 

Be generous.

One gratifying takeaway in building The Verse has been the true generosity of people sharing their stories, wisdom, connections and advice. We like to think that’s because we’re generous in kind with our own useful introductions and connections. Sure, there is a lot of luck involved in knocking it out of the park, but having a network of well wishers can always help in achieving success. Takers gonna take, but they usually exhaust their goodwill—leaving plenty of pie for the rest of us.

Audacity: it’s a good thing.

It’s important to have audacious goals for ourselves—not to dream too small. It starts with a simple, “If I get this right, xxxx will be different in the world.” Does it seem a little intimidating to think about our contributions in global terms? Sure, but we think it’s a reward worthy of the effort.