The Essence of the Plan – ElPropósito3 min de lectura

Preparation brings peace of mind

Photo by Halacious on Unsplash

Getting out of uncertainty takes information. Making decisions takes some strategy and some experience. Getting results takes action. One element, though, brings peace and calm: preparation. Here’s what happens the more we prepare for what’s coming.

Much of any result comes from effort, from the purpose that passionately sparked it and, to a large degree, from preparation. We often take preparation for granted, partly because it demands more concentration and partly because we misjudge what we’re capable of.

The urge to predict an outcome with near certainty puts the goal at the center of our attention. Yet it’s while preparing and executing that we keep finding new ways around the obstacles on the road.

Too much planning can lead to inaction, or paralysis by analysis. That’s still no excuse to delay moving from idea to execution, or to settle for a half-baked plan because it beats having none. A plan with a basic structure tells us where to put our resources and, above all, gives us peace of mind.

Preparing for what’s ahead means thinking through scenarios: the best, the worst, the unthinkable and everything in between. The right mindset for starting any road is trust in our ability to finish it, knowing that the time we put into preparing will always push us to do things better.

Warm regards and all the best,

Rodrigo Baccaro

This week’s VELA:

• What I’ve been Viewing: Reading opened the door to others for me. BBVA’s interview series is some of the best content I find on YouTube. It never lets me down when I want something of real value, and this one is no exception. The writer Siri Hustvedt has caught my attention, especially her feminist side, which I’ve started to explore. A wonderful interview.
• What I’ve been Listening to: The Divine Comedy (audiobook). A wonderful audiobook narrated by Artur Mas on the AMA audiolibros channel, using the translation by Bartolomé Mitre, who was twice president of Argentina. I’ve read this fantastic book twice, and this time it comes in audio, with an exquisite narration and the special mystique of every audiobook on the channel. Worth the time.
• What I’ve been Reading: Estados Unidos, la historia. I’ve been on this book for several weeks. I’m past the Civil War and Lincoln’s assassination, heading toward the late 1800s. It’s been very dense so far. I suspect knowing more recent history will make the rest easier, but I’m not declaring victory yet. The author is already one of my favorites, alongside Walter Isaacson.
• What I’ve been Learning: Supply chains. A great SmartWebinar we got to organize this Sunday. I highly recommend it, both for the expert and for what he shared. Especially interesting: how COVID-19 disrupted supply chains, the heavy dependence on a handful of suppliers and how much the world order has shifted, particularly for companies and, above all, for food supply chains.

Author: Rodrigo Baccaro

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