What Could Go Wrong or What Could Go Right?

 Yesterday, I completed an exercise where I presented a hypothetical project proposal to my Toastmasters club and challenged them to come up with ways the project could go wrong - hindrances, obstacles, roadblocks.  I did this to complete a requirement for my Toastmasters "Persuasive Influence" path.  While the focus of the presentation was to give me practice preparing for disruptions to a plan, my evaluator shared a very interesting insight.  She suggested that when presenting the plan itself, I may want to focus on what could go right before getting to the discussion of what could go wrong.

I love this suggestion, because it forces me to look beyond the immediate objective of what I was doing (coming up with contingency plans) and consider the bigger picture.  Yes, it is important to assess risks for a project and come up in advance with ways to deal with those risks.  But in the broader scope of things, we can discourage our team if we only focus on what could go wrong.  Presenting what could go right, and especially starting with that, is great advice when it comes to motivating a team!

The next time you are faced with a daunting task, I challenge you to do what my evaluator recommended and think first about how it could go right and all the great benefits that could come from the endeavor.  After you've done that, then think about what could stand in your way and prevent that positive outcome.  With the desired outcome always front of mind, then you can overcome what could go wrong and realize the full potential of what could go right.