When It Doesn’t Stay in Vegas

Life, the universe and everything.

Both raconteurs, Divya and David cover a wide range of topics that coalesce around the concept that one is not well unless the world is well.

When engaging in career planning, many of us end up unintentionally focusing exclusively on optimistic scenarios: “I want to do X, so I’ll do A, B, and C to make it happen.” Of course, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of healthy optimism. But to ensure your plans are robust, you also need to identify and mitigate the potential risks that could threaten your vision for the future — and nothing has shown the importance of planning for risk more clearly than the current pandemic.

With all the time that companies invest in strategic planning, it’s surprising how little true strategy emerges. We see financial plans and near-term tactics, but few firms position themselves more than one or two chess moves ahead. Then unexpected waves of change submerge plans and upend the competitive order.