"The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining." - John F. Kennedy
- Pre-mortem Technique Introduction : Leo introduces the pre-mortem technique as a proactive strategy used to prevent failure in projects by analysing potential failure points ahead of project initiation.
- Conceptual Contrast : Pre-mortem is positioned in contrast to the post-mortem where analysis occurs post-project; pre-mortem involves envisioning and analyzing potential failure causes before a project starts.
- Including Psychological Factors : Leo emphasizes that the pre-mortem should encompass not just external factors but also internal psychological reasons for potential failure, such as self-sabotage.
- Practical Application of Pre-mortem : He encourages applying the pre-mortem to both professional projects and personal endeavors, citing examples like marriage, weight loss, starting a business, and finding life purpose.
- Visualizing Failure : The method involves vividly imagining the project failing entirely before commencement, then rigorously brainstorming and listing foreseeable causes of failure.
- Strategic Thinking Emphasis : Leo reminds viewers that the pre-mortem is part of strategic thinking, which should be employed in all important life endeavors, not just work-related projects.
- Listing Causes of Failure : After visualizing failure, one should create a detailed list of all possible causes of failure, prioritizing them from most threatening to least likely.
- Developing Solutions : For each potential failure point listed, especially the top three, specific and realistic solutions should be brainstormed to preemptively tackle these issues.
- Personal Introspection : Leo emphasizes the importance of personal introspection for identifying top potential causes of failure related to one's own weaknesses and psychological tendencies.
- Realistic Examples Given : Through the example of starting a new business, Leo provides a realistic set of potential failure reasons including economic downturns, being outperformed by competitors, personal habits like procrastination, technical skill gaps, and losing vision or motivation.
- Holistic Perspective : Suggesting a holistic approach, Leo instructs to consider both internal and external factors, practical and subtle psychological causes when preparing the pre-mortem list.
- Pre-mortem Benefits : Leo asserts that the pre-mortem technique can provide a sobering perspective on what it will take to succeed, thereby increasing the chances of project success.
- Personal Psychological Weaknesses : Leo acknowledges his propensity for getting bored and losing focus, recognizing these traits as significant personal weaknesses that could potentially undermine his projects.
- Identifying Top Psychological Challenges : He advises isolating and prioritizing the top three personal psychological challenges or "inner demons," foreseeing how they might contribute to failure, particularly in business.
- Brainstorming Solutions : Leo suggests brainstorming realistic and practical solutions for each identified cause of failure, addressing potential distractions, accidental life changes like starting a family prematurely, burnout, financial insecurity fears, and self-doubt preventively.
- Pre-Mortem in Career Planning : He stresses the importance of applying the pre-mortem technique to one's entire career, not just individual projects. By considering future career failure and its potential psychological causes, one can proactively save their career.
- Pre-Mortem for Life Purpose : Leo highlights the use of the pre-mortem technique in assessing the potential failure of one's life purpose. Anticipating challenges that can affect achieving life goals is crucial.
- Pre-Mortem for Educational Goals : The technique is also useful for academic pursuits, such as planning for college, where pre-emptively addressing potential reasons for failure can influence academic success and prevent dropping out.
- Pre-Mortem for Weight Loss : He points out the effectiveness of pre-mortem in weight loss efforts by confronting psychological hurdles based on past failures and planning solutions for each challenge.
- Pre-Mortem for General Life Planning : Leo encourages applying pre-mortem thinking to one's entire life, to envision and address factors that could lead to an overall life failure, focusing on psychological influences and personal weaknesses.
- Pre-Mortem for Spiritual Goals : For those seeking enlightenment or spiritual growth, pre-mortem can predict potential setbacks to spiritual endeavors and help in devising strategies to overcome them.
- Pre-Mortem for Hobbies and Relationships : Applying this strategy to new hobbies, relationships, or marriage can help identify psychological obstacles and create a plan to navigate these complex areas.
- Pre-Mortem for Travel and Annual Goals : Whether planning travel or setting annual goals, pre-mortem identifies reasons for potential failure, encourages proactive planning, and formulates solutions to prevent repeating past mistakes.
- Leo’s Personal Examples of Pre-Mortem : Leo shares personal instances where the pre-mortem technique has been instrumental in significant life changes, such as moving cities and starting his platform, Actualized.org.
- Exercise and Worksheet Encouragement : He encourages us to apply the pre-mortem technique to a chosen life project using a free downloadable worksheet, emphasizing the importance of experiencing the satisfaction of strategic, proactive thinking.
- Balanced Strategic Thinking Importance : Leo warns against overanalysis and urges a balanced approach to strategic thinking that combines big-picture vision with attention to practical details, ensuring intuition and logic work in tandem.
- Continuous Personal Development : He concludes by inspiring viewers to invest in their self-growth through practical learning, which will result in greater life prospects and more effective strategies to overcome challenges and achieve goals.