"The Drunkard's Walk"

Hugh, The Maze Master

Hugh's Reviews

Each week Hugh reviews something, anything really, that has provoked a thoughtful insight.

In the book "The Drunkard's Walk" Leonard Mlodinow proposes that the "randomness of life" and it's innumerable variables makes predicting the future based on past experiences impossible.

Therefore, Mlodinow suggests we should spend our time preparing for a broad spectrum of contingencies, so that we are ready to react effectively to whatever the future brings.

Basically, strategic planning should focus on preparing for contingencies, not refining a single, predicted outcome.

Right. Much of our strategic planning consists of "hoping for good weather" or the nebulous "Getting the word out". I know we, at our home farm, have never taken a hard look at contingency planning for our entertainment business.

What would a contingency plan look like for an entertainment farm? The best starting place is the time-honored planning tool: S.W.A.T (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis.

After completing your S.W.A.T. lists, focus on the "Threats" and your reactions to them. The key is to WRITE DOWN your reaction plans.

Ex. If it's raining on Wednesday and predicted to rain through the weekend, we will... Cancel advertising contracts for the week, email our customers with modified hours, call groups to reschedule, and update the web site.

Having a plan isn't going to make the rainy weekend more pleasant, but it may control your costs and mitigate your risk. It will certainly make your reaction to the circumstances more effective.

Now let's keep things positive. What would you do if you were facing the most beautiful October Saturday on record?

Planning for contingencies can be fun! Larry Barnaby says, “You can make a good day great, but you can’t make a bad day good.” How would you make a good day great?

Mlodinow's theory of "Randomness in our lives" is a call to prepare. We must prepare ourselves to meet a spectrum of contingencies all of which have a chance of becoming reality.

Each of those chances is an opportunity, and, as Louis Pastuer said, "Chance favors the prepared mind."

Call Hugh anytime at:

1-866-935-6738 ext 102