The Lesson of the Six P's

When I was in the Navy a wise old Captain took me aside one day and told me a secret that has served me well throughout my business career. He told me the reasons most officers who have a hard time getting things done don't pay attention to the "Six P's."
He also told me the success of his Naval career was directly related to his continuous use of the "Six P's" and his insistence that his subordinates use them as well.
Do you want to know what the "Six P's" are? I'll tell you:
Prior
Planning
Prevents
Piss
Poor
Performance
I like this one much better than "failing to plan is planning to fail." Both are good, but the "Six P's" puts it all into perspective. Most businesspeople who fail do so because they don't plan for every single contingency. They think things will "work themselves out," instead of planning with how to deal with everything that can (and usually does) go wrong.
Worse, when an opportunity presents itself, they run off after it, willy-nilly, without carefully planning how to exploit it to its fullest. Even if they don't blow the opportunity, they often wind up profiting much less than they would have had they only planned, based on reality, not hopes.
That's the key to planning. You have to plan based on reality, based on real business economics, and most importantly based on real human behavior. Most people "plan" on what they wish reality was like, not what it really is.
But, if you keep the Six P's in mind, and follow them closely, you'll be able to add a "Seventh P," which is my favorite one--PROFIT!
Let's get to it!
Mr. X.
Group M Marketing
Kimble and Kennedy Publishing