134 PART II Bridging the Knowing-Doing Gap
Anticipate Glitches
With the help of the people you are delegating to, brainstorm things that could go wrong. (Don’t pretend that this time will be different than all the others. Plan for the unexpected.)
Identify those glitches that are important to address today. Discuss what you can do to protect against those things happening. What are the early warning signs that a glitch might be about to occur? What contingency plans will you put in place to avert a major problem?
Review
Make sure that everyone is clear about all parts of this contract. Thank people for coming—and then get started. This simple process gets major changes off on the right foot and can save you many headaches, busted reputations, and potential failures.
I find it stunning how many changes succeed or fail with little or no thoughtful analysis of what occurred. The U.S. Department of Defense developed After Action Reports as a way to debrief any important event. This approach has found its way into some other government agencies as well as some corporations. It is now commonly referred to by the acronym—AAR. (Remember, the government thought it up so it has to