The flight got canceled, or maybe the conference did because there were not enough attendees enrolled. Perhaps you did not get that promotion on which you were counting.
Maybe you missed the train and now have to drive to another station to get to your destination on time. You wanted to get into that ivy league school and was not accepted.
You sell to a specific demographic or into a particular niche and the marketplace just would not have it. The brick wall is closer than it appears to be.
These are all examples of our normal idea of when to engage Plan B. You are disappointed, maybe even heartbroken to have to do that. It doesn't have to be that way. It's not only when things go wrong that you can go to Plan B. You should take a look at what happens when you do - and why it can be the best thing that ever happened to you and your business even when things are not that bad.
Plan B is not only a solid alternative, it can be your salvation when:
- Plan A fails - how many times have you had no Plan B? Betting everything on the success of just one plan is not smart. Especially when you know that Plan A was the safe choice, the one picked by a committee, the one everyone is betting on, the one everyone is doing.
- You find your passion in the process - you start with a job at a company and then you pick up other duties because nobody else is doing what needs to be done. Or maybe because the opportunity presents itself. Lo and behold, you end up discovering what you are really passionate about, your sweet spot. Congratulations!
- It happens to agree better with what customers really want - economies of scale, repeatable process, margins, production levels - these are all reasons why while you may start with the customer in mind, Plan A ends up being a bit inward-looking and not very customer-friendly.
- There is a touch of improvisation in the air - preparation is important, yet today authenticity can be a winner, especially when it comes to experience. A spontaneous gesture can be more connective than the most perfect of automated systems.
- Your Plan B consist of left-overs from Plan A - that is the risky stuff that is too different, has never been done before, what sits at the edges of your comfort zone. That is also the place where creativity and innovation thrive. Give it a second look, you might be pleasantly surprised.
Plan B can be that wondrous and amazing thing we call life. It's good to be back. Thank you all for reading and participating in the conversation. What are your stories of Plan B success? If you share them with us, I might be tempted to share mine.