Workplace Multiplier by Tola Akinsulire

March 21, 2025

Welcome to the Workplace Multiplier newsletter. Published Monday to Friday, equipping you to achieve your professional goals faster and without burnout or overwhelm by leveraging The Triple Win Method.

Not panic, do THIS when plans fail, trust me.

Howdy ,

One of the signs that you are growing in your responsibility levels as you progress in your career is whether or not you are responsible for a budget.

There are two aspects of a budget you may be driving:

You may be responsible for growing revenue.

Or you may be responsible for keeping costs within a particular cap.

In more advanced roles, you will be responsible for both.

Yep. At that point, you understand you are managing a business.

You are concerned about how money comes in and goes out.

Once you start managing a budget, you need to leverage more on the skill of SCENARIO THINKING.

"No plan survives first contact with reality" is my adaptation of German military strategist Helmuth von Moltke's "No battle plan survives contact with the enemy."

If that is expected, then you need to have alternative plans in your backpack to keep you from panicking when your strategy execution doesn't deliver the budget.

Scenario thinking is a transcendent skill that keeps you with the curve and in sync with your environment.

Why Scenario Thinking Matters

When you're managing budgets, plans will fail. Numbers will miss targets. Expenses will run higher than expected. That's just reality.

What will separate you from everyone else is how you respond when things go sideways.

Do you:

• Freeze up and hope someone else fixes it?
• Blame external factors and throw up your hands?
• Or calmly pull out your Plan B (or C or D) and pivot?

Your ability to anticipate multiple outcomes and prepare for them is what scenario thinking is all about.

How to Develop This Skill

1. Always have a Plan B (and C): Before finalizing any budget or strategy, ask yourself "What if this fails? What's my next move?"
2. Practice the pivot: Get comfortable with the idea that changing direction isn't failure—it's smart adaptation.
3. Create decision trees: Map out "if this happens, then we do this" scenarios so you're never caught completely off guard.
4. Learn from others: Study how successful leaders in your field handle unexpected budget challenges.

How do you measure how well you are on this skill?

It's measured by how often you go into panic mode when your first plans don't work.

When things don't go the way you expect, your ability to not lose your head and pivot to the next best thing will help you deliver better at work.

Think about your last challenge at work. Did you panic? Or did you calmly assess and adjust? Your answer tells you where you stand with scenario thinking.

Your Next Step

Before your major goals or targets you are responsible for, take time to develop at least three potential scenarios—best case, likely case, and worst case. Then create response plans for each.

This simple practice will strengthen your scenario-thinking muscles and prepare you for whatever reality throws your way.

Remember, in today's unpredictable business environment, the professional who can stay calm and pivot quickly is the one who gets noticed—and promoted.

Fellow Workplace Multiplier,

Keep winning at work and in life.

Tola Akinsulire

Your Strategic Workplace Mentor

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Want to get in on some of the lessons I have picked up in my career? Get my eBook "21 Lessons I Learned in My Career - A Primer to Help You Become Better at Work". Get it here