Otto Von Bismark was a master strategist and Prussian statesman who served as the prime minister of Prussia and the first chancellor of the German Empire. Known as the “Iron Chancellor,” he used military force and political skill to unite 39 separate German states into a powerful empire in 1871.
Born in 1815, Otto’s family were members of the Junkers, landowning aristocrats with strong conservative views. The Junkers were a powerful social class, dominating Prussian military, government leadership, and strong supporters of the Prussian monarchy. It was there, Otto learned to manage the family estate, earning him a reputation as a rugged, practical country squire with conservative agrarian values.
Bismark entered politics in 1847 as a fierce defender of Junker privileges and a champion of the monarchy’s right to rule. His fierce defending of the aristocracy won him the admiration and favor of King William I, who appointed him as Prime Minister in 1862. Otto went on to orchestrate a “revolution from above” by unifying Germany through a series of wars against Denmark, Austria, and France.
In 1879, he assured the economic survival of the Junkers by shifting Germany’s trade policy toward protectionism, placing high tariffs on cheap imported foreign grain and foreign steel. This protected the Junker rye estates as well as the industrial iron barons through a powerful political coalition known as the Alliance of Iron and Rye.
Interestingly enough, Otto Von Bismark enacted the world’s first modern welfare state system, including accident insurance and old-age pensions, a precursor to programs like Medicare and Social Security. By providing economic security to the working class, he ensured they would, in turn, not overthrow the aristocratic social order.
Otto Von Bismark was not only a skillful politician, but a brilliant political strategist. His true genius lay in grand strategy and diplomatic manipulation. Otto decided when to fight, whom to fight, and when to stop. He created the political crises, isolated enemies diplomatically, and managed the post-war peace.
While he left the actual warfare to his generals, Bismark’s used his political savvy to set the stage for conflict. He was exceptionally skilled at provoking his enemies into declaring war so Prussia always looked like the victim. Always thinking one step ahead of his opponents, there was always a contingency plan, just in case things didn’t go as planned.
This became known as the Bismark Backup. Today, we call it Plan B.
Throughout history, we see similar tactics utilized by the likes of Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, Hannibal, and Napoleon. They taught their soldiers not to rely solely on a single approach to warfare, but to improvise as the fluidity of battle demanded a different approach. As such, their troops were able to adapt to the shifting chaos of the battlefield, forcing the enemy to react to their (at times) unconventional tactics.
Even today’s special forces, Rangers, Delta Force, and Seals, train to respond to ever-shifting dynamic of warfare, thinking through the “what if’s” that can and do occur in real-time on the battlefield. The ability to improvise, adapt, and keep moving forward allows these special forces team to complete their mission, often against overwhelming odds.
When things go wrong, and at times they will, having a Plan B in place, just in case, can be the difference between success and failure.
In 1981, Steven Spielberg introduced the world to a history professor turned archaeologist, Dr. Indiana Jones. In the first of the three-part original trilogy, Dr. Jones is hired by the U.S. Government to find the biblical Ark of the Covenant before Adolph Hitler’s Nazi regime can use its supernatural powers to create an invincible army.
To locate the lost Ark, Dr. Jones turns to a former girlfriend, Marion Ravenwood, to secure an amulet that contains a map to the burial chamber of the Ark. Together, they travel from Nepal to Cairo where they embark on a quest to locate the Ark, aided by Indiana’s long-time friend, Sallah, who provides shelter, logistical support, and helps to find the Map Room and Well of Souls.
At every turn, Indiana and Marion are pursued by Nazi henchmen.
In one iconic scene, Marion has been trapped inside a large, straw basket and as she’s being kidnapped, Indiana Jones is desperately trying to locate and rescue her. In the midst of the chaos, the crowd parts to reveal a black-robed assassin brandishing an oversized scimitar. He dramatically twirls and flourishes this blade, seeking to intimidate the archaeologist.
Rather than engage this assassin directly, Indiana Jones simply pulls out his revolver and shoots him dead. To this day, it is considered one of the most iconic, quoted, and funniest moments in cinema history, highlighting Indiana Jone’s practical and impatient personality.
What many people do not know is the original script called for a whip vs. sword battle royale. The original plan was to engage in a lengthy, multi-day choreographed sword fight. Harrison Ford, along with several other crew members, were suffering from severe dysentery while on set in Tunisia and could only shoot for short intervals. As Harrison Ford and Steven Spielberg discussed how to shorten the scene, Ford asked, “Can’t I just shoot him?”
Spielberg said “Yes,” and the rest is cinematic history.
This Plan B moment is considered a legendary piece of film improvisation and adaptation. Both the stuntman and swordsman deserve immense credit for setting up Ford’s deadpan delivery that has become a hallmark of the Indiana Jones trilogy.
In martial arts training, a “Plan B” refers to a secondary or contingency technique when your primary “Plan A” attack is blocked, countered, or defended by your opponent. Practitioners are taught to chain techniques together so they can move swiftly from a failed strike, takedown, or sweep into a secondary attack without losing momentum or tactical advantage.
As students spar and grapple, they learn how to adapt, pivot, and move from one technique to another in real time, without conscious thought, developing a mindset of improvisation characterized by the ability to move from Plan A to Plan B to Plan C without having to pause or think. In the chaos of conflict on the mat, there is no one-size fits all response.
This is the Art of Mushin…you don’t think, you just do.
When things go wrong, and at times they will, having a Plan B in place, just in case, can be the difference between success and failure.
So, what does this have to do with leadership?
Leaders go first. They lead the way. As such, they are expected to know more, see more, and prepare those they are leading to do more. The role of a leader is to equip and train those they are leading, so together they can achieve success. Because leaders see more, they are expected to look ahead and anticipate the challenges that await. They must be able to recognize the perilous obstacles long before they become obvious to their followers.
All the while, they must be able to adapt, pivot, or move from one plan to an alternative one in real time, responding to the inevitable conflict that will seek to impede the progress of the team. Good leaders need to prepare a Bismark Backup, just in case it’s needed.
Black Belt Leaders plan for the known, the known unknown, and the unknown unknown.
The known are the things you can reasonably anticipate as a leader. If you’re meeting with the team on a Monday, knowing the deadline for a project is on Friday, that’s a known commodity. If you know what resources you have, who is available to work on the project, and what skills they can bring to the team, those are known commodities.
These are the obvious things that any leader should know. But preparing for what you know is going to happen isn’t contingency planning. Any leader can prepare for the obvious. This is only the first initial step in a more cohesive approach to planning for success.
Black Belt Leaders plan for the known. But the real test of a leader is when things deviate from the plan.
A Black Belt Leader also considers the known unknown. These are the things that you know that could happen, but you’re simply not sure whether they will or not. What if a shipment is delayed or a key team member becomes sick or is injured? What do you do if there is an equipment malfunction, a natural disaster, or a technology that fails?
What happens if your client’s timeline changes and they need something sooner than you anticipated? In these situations, can you pivot, improvise, or adapt? Black Belt Leaders consider these “What If” scenarios and plan accordingly. They plan for the known unknown.
When things go wrong, and at times they will, having a Plan B in place, just in case, can be the difference between success and failure.
But there are also times when the unknown unknown shows up, and now your leadership is tested in real time. The unknown unknown are circumstances or events you couldn’t foresee. Things can, will, and do happen that are totally unexpected. Black Belt Leaders understand there are some things you simply can’t prepare for.
Sometimes life demand that you pivot, adapt, and improvise in real time.
No one knew we would wake up on September 11, 2001 to a terror attack on American soil and the aftermath that would follow. No one knew we would experience a novel pandemic, COVID-19, that would literally shut down the world. No one anticipated two major earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in the Richter scale, to cripple Venezuela, nor a 7.4 earthquake so jolt Columbia and Ecuador weeks later. These are glaring examples of unknown unknowns that required a response in real time.
There was no Plan B sitting in a corporate binder, waiting to be implemented. Leaders from around the globe had to pivot, improvise, and adapt in a moment’s notice.
But unknown unknowns don’t have to be global in scale. There are unknown unknowns that show up, unannounced, in every business. What do you as a leader do when life doesn’t go as expected?
About three weeks ago, my neighborhood, and several others, experienced a major power outage, caused by an equipment malfunction. I was scheduled to provide a two-hour sales training to a national organization with an anticipated 85-100 people on Zoom. Two minutes before the scheduled start time, much of our city was plunged into darkness.
No notice. No advance warning. Nothing weather related. I’m logging into the organization’s Zoom when the power goes out, the Internet goes down, and my alternative login sites are also powerless across the city. It’s in moments like these your leadership is tested.
I did have cell service, so I called the organizer and explained to them what had happened. We immediately pivoted, setting an alternate training date. The organizer notified everyone on the call what had happened. In real time, we pivoted to Plan B.
I was later able to deliver that scheduled training, this time without a hitch, providing valuable sales training that will help this organization exceed its production goals for the year.
Moments like this can and do happen. How you respond says a lot about you and your leadership ability. For the known, Black Belt Leaders have a plan. For the known unknown, they create a contingency plan, just in case. For the unknown unknown, they possess the capacity to pivot, adapt, and improvise.
When things go wrong, and at times they will, having a Plan B in place, just in case, can be the difference between success and failure.
You may not be able to control what happens next, but you can control how prepared you are to respond to what happens next.
But what happens when Plan B becomes Plan A?
Once Plan A goes out the window, Plan B is no longer Plan B. It now becomes Plan A. Black Belt Leaders understand when this happens, Plan B isn’t just a contingency. It’s how you and the team keep moving forward.
When your initial plan goes up in smoke, it’s easy to ask what happened. While it’s important to examine the failure of your Plan A at some point in the future, looking back in the moment doesn’t improve the current situation. Once the circumstances change, Plan B becomes the mission. It’s how you get the Team to the finish line.
I believe there are four critical steps in the process you must implement in order to recover, reset, and resolve to move forward.
First, you must prepare. This is you proactively think through the scenarios of the known and the known unknown and plan accordingly. Preparation gives you options in the event things don’t go as planned. In business, as in martial arts, you don’t rise to the occasion nearly as often as you fall to the level of your training.
Preparation gives you options. Options create confidence. Confidence elevates leadership.
Plan B begins long before Plan A ever fails.
Secondly, you must be ready to pivot. Harrison Ford and Steven Spielberg pivoted when the planned fight sequence was impractical due to the health of the actors and crew. The scene was radically simplified: Indy drew his revolver and simply shot the swordsman. This became one of the movie’s most memorable moments.
The lesson isn’t to abandon the plan when things get difficult. Plan A doesn’t guarantee an easy pathway to success. Neither does Plan B. The lesson this reveals to us is much more practical:
Never become so committed to the Plan that you lose sight of your objective.
The method may change, but the mission remains the same. Sometimes, you have to change the plan to achieve the goal. Leaders understand Plan A is a plan…but it’s not the only plan that can get you to the finish line.
In business, as in martial arts, you commit to the destination but remain flexible in the approach. There’s more than one road to success, and sometimes you have to take an alternate route. If what you’re doing isn’t working, it’s time to pivot and try something else.
Thirdly, you have to perform. Once you’ve pivoted, it is time to execute. While the temptation to return to Plan A is there, you’ve got to commit to your new course of action. There is a point in every situation where your contingency plan must become your contingency performance. Your Plan B has now become your Plan A. Fully commit to its execution.
Remember, leadership is measured by your ability to produce results even when reality refuses to cooperate with your initial plan. Prepare. Pivot. Perform.
The fourth is something I talk about often. Persistence. Stubborn people commit to a plan. They’re focused on the process. Persistent people commit to the outcome. They’re focused on the goal. Persistent people are willing to change tactics, abandon what isn’t working, and to are willing to adapt to try something new.
Why? The goal matters more than their ego.
In martial arts, you don’t win by insisting your opponent cooperate with your strategy or your preferred approach to fighting. You win by adapting to the person staring at you from the other side of the ring. You take what they give you and exploit it to your advantage.
Persistence is continuing…until you succeed.
Don’t forget that anyone can lead when everything goes according to plan, but leadership is revealed when it doesn’t. Plan A is about intention. It says, “this is what we intend to do.” Plan B is about options. It represents adaptability. It asks, “What will we do if things don’t go as planned?”
Understand this. Black Belt Leaders prepare for what they know. They plan for what could happen (the known unknown) so they can pivot if it does. They train themselves for what they may never see coming, so they can respond in real time to the unknown unknown.
They prepare, they pivot, they perform, and they persist.
When things go wrong, and at times they will, having a Plan B in place, just in case, can be the difference between success and failure.
Do you have a Bismark Backup ready, just in case?
