Chip Shots by Chip Griffin

Has your 2020 Q1 battle plan survived first contact?

ByChip Griffin

This morning, I found myself thinking about 19th century Prussian field marshal Helmuth von Moltke the Elder. Well, not about him so much as something he is credited with saying (and that is among my favorite observations applicable to business): “no battle plan survives contact with the enemy.”

That’s a bit how I feel about Q1 of 2020. We haven’t even finished the first full week of the new year and already my plan for the quarter is out the window.

On the whole, it is probably a wash, but i have had surprising client news — both to the upside and downside in the past few days.

It’s a good reminder not to become to wed to your plans and find the flexibility to work with the opportunities in front of you.

When it comes to planning, you want to map the broad goalposts and not get bogged down in figuring out every play that it takes to get you across the goal line.

If you put the right pieces in place, more often than not you’ll get there — even if you have to adapt the plan along the way.

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