Have a plan

intermediate2 min readmedicine · entrepreneurship · business · consulting

Uncertainty often leaves people unsure how to act; you can reassure them by following it with a plan or recommendation, as illustrated by doctors, consultants, and entrepreneurs.

THE IDEA

3. Have a plan

One reason people don’t like hearing uncertain answers is that it leaves them at a loss for how to act. You can reassure them by following up your uncertainty with a plan or recommendation.

If you’re a doctor, that might mean helping your patient decide what treatment works best for him given the uncertainties, or assuring him that you’ll continue closely monitoring his condition with him. If you’re a consultant, having a plan might involve designing a test to pin down some crucial factor with more precision, or proposing a multi-phase plan to allow for occasional reevaluation.

And if you’re an entrepreneur, having a plan means being able to make a strong case for what you are going to do to make your business a good bet—a bet that you feel confident about taking, and that other people can feel confident investing in, even though success isn’t guaranteed. In his 1999 CNBC interview, after acknowledging that Amazon was a risk, Jeff Bezos went on to explain why it was nevertheless a good risk to take:

It’s very, very hard to predict. But I believe that if you can focus obsessively enough on customer experience, selection, ease of use, low prices, more information to make purchase decisions with, if you can give customers all that plus great customer service . . . I think you have a good chance. And that’s what we’re trying to do.21

When to use it

A doctor presenting treatment options to a patient with uncertain outcomes, including a monitoring plan.
A consulting team recommending a phased approach to a client when data is incomplete.
An entrepreneur pitching a business idea to investors, acknowledging risks but outlining concrete steps to mitigate them.
A project manager communicating a roadmap for a complex project with known unknowns.

FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE

In practice

Doctor's Plan

Consultant's Plan

If you’re a consultant, having a plan might involve designing a test to pin down some crucial factor with more precision, or proposing a multi-phase plan to allow for occasional reevaluation.

Entrepreneur's Plan

If you’re an entrepreneur, having a plan means being able to make a strong case for what you are going to do to make your business a good bet—a bet that you feel confident about taking, and that other people can feel confident investing in, even though success isn’t guaranteed.

✳

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

Put it to work.

In what situations have you or others been left uncertain about how to act, and how could a plan have provided reassurance?
Think of a recent decision you made that involved risk. Did you have a plan to follow up the uncertainty? How could you improve it?
What evidence and concrete steps would make a plan credible despite uncertainty about whether it will succeed?