Every Entrepreneur Should Be a Little More Paranoid
Let’s talk about trust.
In business, trust is considered a critical factor in great leadership, outstanding customer relationships, and, ultimately, success.
But entrepreneurs also need a healthy dose of skepticism, suspicion, and even paranoia.
Why would I suggest you make a habit of peering around dark corners and looking over your shoulder?
Because if you’re a business owner, being paranoid—productively paranoid, that is—can actually be a really, really good thing.
Optimism is a CEO’s Achilles Heel
I know this doesn’t fit the typical definition of a CEO’s role.
A CEO is supposed to be the embodiment of the company’s core values, the one who empowers every other team member to excel, the business’ biggest cheerleader. Some have even redefined CEO to stand for Chief Energy Officer.
You do need to be an energetic, generally optimistic leader as the CEO.
But if that is all you do, you are screwed.
If the only side you ever see is the bright side, you’re going to end up too trusting, too nice, and extremely unprepared for the obstacles that will inevitably come your way.
What Is Productive Paranoia?
Here’s what else a CEO needs to be: a realist. Productively paranoid.
Productively paranoid means poking holes in that beautiful plan you created to grow by 30% this year.
It means anticipating where things will break down or go wrong.
It means, to a certain extent, planning to fail—and then creating contingencies so that you can’t fail after all.
CEOs Should Be Skeptical
This is not easy work. It’s tough to be optimistic about a plan and also fully aware of what is likely to go sideways with it.
But the reason CEO is a top-dollar job is for exactly this: the ability (and responsibility) to predict the future, then prevent the worst outcomes from happening.
Your brain will not want to take you through this exercise. Your team won’t like it much, either. Nobody enjoys having holes poked in their beautiful plans.
Nobody wants to envision a tragedy, a theft, a natural disaster, or a lawsuit.
But these things can and DO happen every single day.
But these things can and DO happen every single day.
How Paranoia Builds Your Confidence
Contrary to what you might think, the right kind of paranoia actually doesn’t erode your confidence; it builds it.
Envisioning the worst case scenario is an important step in success. Even decorated Olympian Michael Phelps, famous for his winning visualizations, took time to imagine less-than-ideal scenarios—and still saw himself coming out ahead.
When you’ve planned for every single possible outcome, you’re bulletproof.
You may never use 99% of your contingencies, but you’ll be certain of your success. And you’ll probably crush your goals with ease.
So please: imagine what could go wrong with your best laid plans.
Then remind yourself that you already have exactly what it takes to fix any problem.
Need help poking holes in your plan (come on, it’s going to be fun!)? Get in touch with our consulting team today.
