Old Grammar School friend, newly minted OBE, former President of The First Tier Tribunal, His Honour Judge Phillip Sycamore once told me about the Six P’s.

Proper Preparation Prevents Pretty Poor Performance (although he may have used a more accessible Northern vernacular adjective for the fourth P).  This advice has served me well for many years.

I was reminded of it when I read a presentation from Sequoia to their community of Founders where they discussed how to win in the ‘Crucible Moment’ companies are facing today – a world of inflation, recession, supply chain crisis, talent shortages, consumer uncertainty/fear, political incompetence, a mental wellbeing crisis and social tensions.

Sequoia believes the winners will be those who are Properly Prepared for the fight – and I agree.  To survive and thrive in this environment, you’ve got to have some luck too (remember “Luck is what happens when Preparation meets Opportunity”).

A simple checklist for Proper Preparation:

1)   Prepare Yourself,

2)   Prepare Your Team,

3)   Prepare Your Company.

More to come on this next week.

KR