Anticipate Trouble

Abram said to his wife, Sarai, “Look, you are a very beautiful woman. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife. Let’s kill him; then we can have her!’ So please tell them you are my sister.” Genesis 12:11-13

One of the things I appreciate about the Bible is that it doesn’t gloss over the dumb things its heroes do—and this is certainly one of them. Nevertheless, Abram’s actions provide a valuable lesson:

Anticipate trouble.

As a leader, it’s your responsibility to look beyond the horizon to see what’s coming up. Let your managers handle the day-to-day activities while you practice the future.

With key members of your executive team, talk about what you will do if

• a major supplier suddenly goes out of business.
• new government regulations change the way you distribute your product.
• society changes and people no longer want or need your type of service.

By practicing what you would do in each of these—and countless other—cases, you’ll be better prepared to act confidently if one of them becomes a reality.