Team Preparation

 

Here are three areas that can affect how well teams are prepared.

1. The novelty bias.  Most people think what's happening now will continue to happen in the future. It's easy to just keep doing what works, and this is what leaves teams unprepared.
2. Focusing on opponents, not the environment. Through experience, we are conditioned to see opponents as our biggest threats. We have an innate psychological tendency to focus intently on competitors and spend time reacting to their moves. This can cause leaders to ignore long-term, less-obvious threats, making them even more prone to failure. Know what your team really needs on a daily basis in addition to what you must do to prepare for your opponents.
3. Failure to know what risks you're taking. People drive faster on open roads, and bike more aggressively when wearing a helmet, because they think the consequences are lower. When things become less risky, people end up taking even more risks, because the safer we feel, the more susceptible we are to disruptions. Keep a handle on things and prepare fully even when things are going well.

—Adapted from The Coaching and Leadership Journal, March 2013    

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