When your plan fails…

A failed plan is not the end of the road; neither does it signify the end of the world nor is it an indication of an aborted dream. Though a failed plan could be a setback or a letdown, it should not be a reason to let go of a goal. Those who become distraught by the failure of a plan see their plans as an end. A plan is not an end; it is a means to an end. The goal is the end. A plan is needed to facilitate the actualization of the goal. So, when a plan fails, not much is lost. When a plan fails, what should be done is to change the plan, but not the goal. When a plan fails, don’t lose focus. Those who get derailed by a failed plan focus too much on the process rather than the product; hence they get discouraged and lose the drive to continue when the process goes wonky. But those who understand that plans are merely a vehicle to get to a destination, and not the destination, will not waste time to abandon a wrecked vehicle (failed plan) and board another to arrive at their desired destination.

Why plans fail

Plans fail for a number of reasons. Here are some of them.

Inadequate reflection

Though every idea may be good, it is not every idea that is implementable at every given time. Some ideas may require further fine-tuning before being implemented. What makes the steps to take after the conception stage of an idea clear is reflection. Reflection is not done perfunctorily. Thinking is a serious and rigorous exercise; it is not for nothing that organizations and global agencies have think tank groups. So, before embarking on the journey to implement an idea, subject it to serious reflection and interrogation. It is at this point that all the t’s get crossed and the i’s get dotted. Adequate reflection results in proper preparation, which prevents poor results. Those who set out without proper reflection often have to go back to it when their plans fail. To minimize plan failure, it is important to make time for proper and adequate reflection.

Lack of proper personnel

Plans don’t run themselves; they have to be run by people. The failure or success of a plan is dependent on the capacity of those handling it. So, if a great plan is handled by mediocre people, the result cannot be great. If the marketing of a great product is left to average people, the product will have limited impact. A piece of work is only as good as the workman. So, to ensure that your plan works out well all the time, get the right people to handle it. Sentiments should not be given any place when it comes to team selection. To get the desired expectation, get the best hands available.

Circumstances beyond one’s control

Sometimes plans fail not as a consequence of inadequate reflection or incompetent personnel but due to circumstances beyond one’s control. A change in government policy has the capacity to turn a great plan into tatters. A natural disaster can turn an outstanding plan on its head and a change in people’s preference can make nonsense of an otherwise exceptional plan.

Al Gore

Al Gore had his eyes on the United States of America’s presidency and for 24 years he made steady progress towards the realization of this goal. He was a congressman representing Tennessee for eight years; he was later elected a senator representing Tennessee for eight years between 1985 and 1993 and served as President Bill Clinton’s vice president for another period of eight years from 1993 to 2000. He was nominated as the Democratic Party’s candidate in 2000 but lost to George W. Bush in what is regarded as one of the closest presidential contests in history. So close was the election result that there was dispute over a vote recount in Florida which was resolved by the Supreme Court 5-4 in favour of Bush.

Since Gore was determined to use public office to achieve public good, he did not allow the setback in his plan to define him, he moved on to other things and still achieved public good outside public office. After exiting the presidency, he moved into environmental advocacy, which had been his passion since his undergraduate years in Harvard. He established the Alliance for Climate Protection, which called the attention of the world to the reality of climate change and the danger of neglecting this. In 2006, he released a documentary titled, An Inconvenient Truth. He later wrote a book on the same theme. For his efforts in drawing attention to the grave danger posed by climate challenge, Gore was, in 2007, awarded the Nobel Prize (jointly with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). He also won a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album in 2009 for the book version of An Inconvenient Truth. From being just a statesman, Gore moved on to become a global citizen and thought leader after his plan to lead his country as the president failed.

What to do when plans fail

If confronted with a plan that fails to deliver the expected result what is next?

Accept the reality

Many people who fail to get back on track following the failure of a plan get into that rut because of their inability to accept the reality as it is. But until one comes to terms with the reality and confronts it, nothing changes. Those who find it extremely difficult to get out of the rut of mourning the failure of their plan are those who get over-obsessed by the plan. (It is great to be excited by a plan but everything is wrong with any form of obsession.) For them to get out of the runnel, they have to go through the five stages of grief as explained by Elisabeth Kubler Ross in her 1969 book, On Death and Dying. According to her, after an untoward occurrence, the first reaction for many people is to deny what has happened. The affected person refuses to accept the reality of the occurrence. This is followed by anger. The individual feels angry and may take out his anger on those around him. He blames anyone and everyone for what has happened. Ross said anger is a necessary stage of the healing process. Then comes the stage of bargaining, which is more about asking the ‘what if…’ questions. The person runs through what has happened in his mind and concludes that perhaps what has happened could have been prevented had he taken some steps. This leads to depression. The author says the stage is very critical to getting out of the grief. Then comes the final stage of accepting the reality of what has happened.

While some persons can go through these stages speedily, others take their time. Those who spend too much time going through these may never get back to working on their goals. So, it is best to snap out of dwelling on what is behind so that the energy can be expended on what is ahead.

Don’t lose focus

As important as the means is, it is nothing compared with the end. So, the plan is not as significant as the goal. Plans are nothing but a means to an end. So, don’t lose focus of the goal. Why did you start out initially? Don’t ever lose sight of that. What do you plan to achieve ab initio? When everything else fails, let that keep you going. Gore understood this. When his plan to be president failed, he did not lose focus of his goal which was working for public good. He kept his goal in focus, worked on his goal through other means and today he is the better for it.

Avoid blame game

One comforting attitude when plans fail is to look for a fall guy. But that is the arena of failures; great leaders never descend into it. Blaming others for a bad turn robs one of the sense of responsibility to do what is necessary to remedy the situation. Blame game de-motivates, it de-energizes and leads to the wrong road. Instead of blaming others for what has happened, take responsibility for it and for correcting it. When the leader assumes responsibility for a failed plan, he detoxifies others of lethargy and gets them back on the winning path. But when the leader wallows in self pity and blames everyone, he invariably tells his lieutenants that the failed plan is of more significance than the shared goal.

Be positive

A failed plan is not the end of the road; it is only a bend on the road. So, rather than engaging in self pity, see the situation as an opportunity to achieve your goal in a better way. Thomas Edison was said to have carried out over 10,000 experiments before he was able to get the production of the electric bulb right. With every failed experiment, the inventor said he just learnt a new way that would not get him the result he wanted. That was being positive. Every leader must develop a positive attitude. What lies ahead is far better than what is behind. The possibilities of tomorrow are far greater than the disappointments of today. What failed today has a great chance of turning very well tomorrow if better handled.

Re strategise

When your plan fails, change the plan, not your goal. So, if a plan does not work, drop it for another that will work. When a plan fails, go for another. The plan is the vehicle that will bring the goal home. So, if the plan is right, the result will be right, all things being equal.

Last line

A failed plan is nothing but an opportunity to improve on the initial plan and get a better result.