Plan the twist before it happens

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Hi Reader

There’s a moment in every great caper film where it looks like the plan has failed. The vault is sealed, the guard returns early, the van won’t start.

Then we cut to a flashback: of course they anticipated this. The team walks us through the small, clever moves they’d already put in place – and the “failure” becomes the path to the win.

It's great cinema. But it’s a useful practice we can borrow to protect the path to our big strategic outcomes.

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Anticipate the plot-twist

When I’m working with clients on a bold vision, we don’t dwell on what might go wrong – we imagine it already worked. Then we tell the story of what we overcame on the way and the moves we made to handle each moment.

Let's go through the steps:

1/ Claim the win

We capture the headline as if it’s already done: What impact did we achieve? What difference did it make, to us and others?

This sets a clear tone: optimistic, specific and already real. And this step is powerful, so don't skip it!

2/ Name the moments

We know ourselves and the usual friction: The times we give away focus, the dependencies that slip, the shiny new priority that sneaks in before we’ve finished.

If you're in a bigger company, it might be the process that always takes longer than expected, or the priorities mismatch you need to navigate.

Naming them can feel exposing, but doing it now saves pain later. We’re asking how these common patterns will show up against this goal.

3/ Plan your moves

For each moment, we get proactive. What will it take for us to meet them well? A move we’ll put in place now; or an early signal we’ll watch for and the course‑correction we’ll make.

Here are three examples to bring it to life:

a) When I’m tempted to step back in → stay strategic

• Move now: Create regular touchpoints where the team share what they need from me. And I keep the conversation on outcomes, not tasks.
• Watch for: I’m drifting into task-level work or unplanned “quick fixes”. Course-correct: Step back to touchpoint reviews and stay there! Ask the team to keep me honest on this.

b) When the day‑to‑day threatens the work → protect focus and progress

• Move now: Two named focus blocks in the diary and add this work to our standing agenda to monitor weekly increments.
• Watch for: Broken focus blocks or no meaningful progress in a week. Course-correct: Regroup with the team to address the obstacles that are getting in the way. Create a focused next step.

c) When new priorities try to jump the queue → hold the course

• Move now: A clear 60-day delivery window with a “do next” list for everything else. Make sure we're all aligned on this.
• Watch for: Mid‑cycle “priorities” sneaking in, without a trade-off conversation. Course-correct: Park the new priority for later, or consciously agree the trade-off and impact with the team.

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I use this with founders on their most ambitious goals, and I’ve used the same approach with larger corporates on their chunkiest strategy work. The principles are the same. And it always creates some interesting "aha" moments, not to mention clear progress.

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Script your big win

Big wins aren’t magic – they’re built from the small, certain steps we choose in advance.

This is simple, but not easy: it asks us to face what could go wrong while the idea still feels exciting. Yet done well, it turns that discomfort into practical confidence and pace; we replace second‑guessing with clear plans to tackle the very things that might derail us – so when the twist arrives, we’ve already predicted it and filmed the flashback.

So ask yourself:

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If you're ready to name your next big win - and plan the moves that make it real, let's talk

→ From 1:1 coaching and strategic partnership, through to larger transformations – you’ll find three clear options to help you maintain momentum and land your biggest outcomes.

• Explore them at sparkedambition.co.uk​

And to cut straight to a conversation, just hit reply and let’s chat.

Stay ambitious.

Rob

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Sparked Ambition Ltd | ​linkedin.com/in/robstubbs​