What's this?
This sentence comes from "Book of Rites: Doctrine of the Mean". It has eight words, but it tells a truth that most people ignore:
> Anything can be sustained if you are prepared in advance; if you are not prepared, you will collapse.
In today’s words:
> You don't lose on the battlefield, you lose in the pre-war room.
> You don’t lose in execution, you lose in preparation.
> What you think of as "improvisation" is actually the natural expression after preparation.
Note that this is not a negative example of "plans cannot keep up with changes". It's not about "planning", it's about preparation. The difference between planning and preparation is: a plan is something you write on paper, while preparation is something you engrave into your body. Planning is the assumption of the future, and preparation is the confidence to face the unexpected.
When "The Doctrine of the Mean" says this, it is talking about the self-cultivation of a gentleman - not to make you a project manager, but to make you "stand firm" in any situation. You can stand, not because you are strong, but because you are prepared.
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Why is it important?
Most people live in the world with an illusion: I am almost ready and can start.
Then they drop the ball at the critical moment - not because they are not smart, but because they think "preparation" is a multiple-choice question, not a required answer. Preparation is not "doing better", preparation is "doing nothing or dying".
In the twenty-five years since I came to Europe, I have seen too many people fall into this illusion.
Case 1: The "well-prepared" financing road show
One entrepreneur told me that he prepared for the financing roadshow for three months - he changed 27 versions of the PPT, made 8 versions of the data model, and even hired a speech coach.
On the day of the road show, the investor asked a question: "What would you do if the price of a competing product dropped by 30% tomorrow?"
He was stunned. In all the materials he prepared, not a single page answered this question. He prepared "who am I", but not "who am I if the world changes".
Three months later, he got money from another organization - not because his PPT was better, but because he prepared thirty "what ifs" before the second road show.
This is "precautionary establishment" - preparation is not to prepare what you want to show, but to prepare for things you may not have expected. In the 25 years since I came to Europe, the best negotiator I have ever seen is not the one with the best eloquence, but the one who has prepared the most "surprises".
Case 2: Emergency Room in Florence
There is a private hospital in Florence that is known for its high success rate in surgeries. I asked the surgeon, "What's your secret?"
He said: "Before the operation, we will do a 'rehearsal' - not a simulated operation, but a simulated accident. What if the amount of bleeding exceeds expectations? What if the anesthetic dose is not enough? What if the equipment suddenly fails? We have prepared three sets of plans for every possibility."
"Wouldn't this be a waste of time?"
"Preparing three sets of plans is a waste of one hour before surgery. Failure to prepare is a waste of the patient's life."
This is "preparedness leads to failure" - preparation is not the enemy of efficiency, preparation is the foundation of efficiency. In the 25 years since I came to Europe, the most efficient Italian team I have ever seen is not the fastest, but the most well-prepared. Their preparation may seem "slow", but their execution never looks back.
Case 3: The "unprepared" speech
There was a TED speaker who spoke so brilliantly that the audience stood up and applauded. Someone asked him backstage: "How do you do it so naturally?"
He said: "I practiced it three hundred times."
"Three hundred times?!"
"Yes. It's not about reading a script, it's about speaking to the wall, speaking to friends, and speaking in front of the mirror. Every time, I prepare—preparing eyes, preparing pauses, and preparing for the audience's possible reactions. Those 18 minutes on stage are the result of my 300 preparations."
This is "precautionary establishment" - what you think is impromptu is all preparation. What you think is natural is just a rehearsal. I have been in Europe for 25 years, and I teach students a principle in the practical business class of pblcoach.com: Every "easy" the audience sees is behind the "not easy" preparation.
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This reminds me of the Deming Circle and plan thinking
There are two concepts in modern times, which are exactly the same as the sentence in "The Doctrine of the Mean".
The first is W. Edwards Deming's PDCA cycle (Plan-Do-Check-Act). He said: Any improvement does not start from "doing", but from "planning". And planning is not a one-time thing, it is cyclical - do it, check it, plan again, do it again. A real master is not one who has strong execution ability, but has strong planning ability.
The "precautionary establishment" of "The Doctrine of the Mean" is the Eastern version of PDCA: it is not "do it first and then talk about it", but "think it through first and then do it". Moreover, "preparation" is not a one-time preparation, but continuous preparation - like PDCA, prepare, execute, review, and prepare again.
The second is "contingency planning" in the military field. The US military has a principle: any combat plan must include three levels of preparation - Plan A (ideal situation), Plan B (partial blockage), and Plan C (complete failure). It's not because they are pessimistic, it's because they know: the only constant on the battlefield is change.
This is "prevent or fail" - what you prepare is not "what will happen", what you prepare is "what if something else happens". In the 25 years since I came to Europe, the best entrepreneurs I have met are not the most optimistic, but the ones who have prepared the most pessimistic plans.
Even more interesting is psychologist Gary Klein's "Pre-mortem" theory. He said: When most teams make decisions, they imagine what success will look like. But a truly effective team will imagine what failure will look like - "If this project fails, what is the most likely reason?" and then plug these loopholes in advance.
This is completely consistent with what "The Doctrine of the Mean" says - "preparation" is not about preparing to win, but preparing not to lose. There is no need to prepare when you win, but not enough preparation when you lose.
> The luck you think is inevitable after preparations are in place.
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How to do it?
1. Before doing anything, ask yourself: "If this thing fails, what is the most likely reason?"
The question is not "how to succeed", but "how to fail". This is Gary Klein’s rehearsal method.
"Want to raise funds?" → "If investors say no, what is the most likely reason?" (The valuation is too high? The market is too small? The team is not strong enough?)
"A product is going to be released?" → "If users don't buy it, what is the most likely reason?" (Wrong functionality? Wrong pricing? Inadequate promotion?)
"Going to have a meeting?" → "If the meeting does not achieve its goals, what is the most likely reason?" (The agenda is unclear? Key people are not present? Not enough time?)
I have been in Europe for 25 years, and I teach students a principle in the practical business class of pblcoach.com: Preparation is not about preparing for the "best case scenario", but preparing for the "worst case scenario". The best case scenario requires no preparation, the worst case scenario does.
2. Prepare three plans, not one
One plan is gambling, three plans are strategy.
- Plan A: The ideal path - everything happens as expected.
- Plan B: Partly blocked – half expected to happen, half requiring adjustment.
- Plan C: total failure - start from scratch, need Plan B's Plan B.
In the 25 years since I came to Europe, I have met the best negotiators, the best speakers, and the best entrepreneurs - they all have one thing in common: What they prepare is not "what am I going to say", but "if the other party says this, what will I reply; if the other party says that, what will I reply; if the other party says nothing, what will I do." Three sets of plans, not three sets of PPTs, but three sets of psychological preparations.
3. Turn preparation into a "list" rather than a "memory"
The human brain forgets, lists don’t. Pilots don't look at their memory before taking off, they look at their checklist. The doctor does not look at the memory before the operation, but looks at the list.
Preparing a checklist is not a bureaucratic process, it is a safety net. After coming to Europe for 25 years, I found that the best teams have a habit: They write a list of preparations for high-frequency scenarios and post it on the wall. Not because they can't remember, but because the checklist removes the illusion of "I thought I was prepared."
What should be on your list?
-Have the key people been contacted?
-Has the key data been verified?
- Have you thought about the worst?
- Are Plan B ready?
- Are you in good physical condition? (Most people ignore this)
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when?
"Everything is done in advance" is not a professional terminology for project management, it is the underlying thinking that you can use today:
When you feel "almost ready" - Ask yourself: "If nothing happens tomorrow as expected, am I prepared?" Almost, but a lot worse.
When you have an important decision to make – don’t rush to sign. Get some sleep first and watch again the next day. It’s not about delaying, it’s about giving more time to prepare. Many wrong decisions occur when we are "too hasty".
When you face an unexpected situation - don't react hastily. Ask yourself first: "Did I think of this situation when I was preparing?" If you think of it, follow the plan. Unexpectedly, I told myself: "Okay, I will think of this when I prepare next time."
When you envy someone else's "good performance on the spot" - Don't envy his "on the spot", ask about his "preparation". His 18 minutes of excitement on stage were 180 hours of preparation off stage. What you see is "performance", what you don't see is "preparation".
When you are ready to give up - Ask yourself: "Am I really prepared enough? Or am I just tired of preparation?" Most people fail either because they are fully prepared, but because they are not prepared enough, and then tell themselves "I tried my best."
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Where?
The rule of this sentence is applicable everywhere.
In psychology, the rehearsal effect (Mental Rehearsal) has been confirmed by a large number of studies: athletes rehearse actions in their minds, which has a similar effect to actual training. When a pianist plays in his head, he activates the same brain areas as when he actually plays. This is the scientific version of "Preparation" - preparation is not a waste of time, preparation itself is training.
In project management, Critical Path Method (CPM) and risk management are core tools. A good project manager doesn't ask "Is the task completed?" He asks "Are the risks prepared?" When Boeing manufactures aircraft, it has three sets of supplier plans for each part. It's not because they don't trust the main supplier, it's because they know: Failure to do so will result in failure.
In business, Amazon's "Six-pager" is best practice. Bezos requires a six-page memo before any major decision—not a formality, but mandatory preparation. In the six pages you write, you have to think: What is the goal? What are the risks? What does the data support? If you are not prepared, you will not be able to write even six pages. This is the institutionalization of "precautionary establishment".
In sports, tennis legend Nadal has a famous habit: before each game, he will spend 30 minutes sitting alone in the locker room - not resting, but rehearsing the entire game in his mind. Every serve, every return, every possible reaction from your opponent. He is not "relaxing", he is "preparing". Prepare until your body believes it, and then you really believe it when you get on stage. This is "precautionary establishment" - preparation is not psychological comfort, but physiological preparation.
In Italian family businesses, the secret to three-generation inheritance is not to "seize the opportunity" but to "prepare for inheritance." I have been in Europe for 25 years, and I have seen the longest-lived Italian company. The bosses will spend ten years preparing before handing over - not to prepare "to whom the company will be handed over", but to prepare to "make the company run without me." They cultivate successors, establish systems, and precipitate processes. The better prepared you are, the calmer the handover will be. "Unpreparedness or failure" - inheritance without preparation is the destruction of wealth.
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One sentence summary
> The luck you think is inevitable after preparations are in place.
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This article was originally written by Coach Liu. Please indicate the source when reprinting.