Most people know about postmortems—the meeting after something goes wrong, when the team picks apart what failed. But the smartest teams don’t wait until after the loss. They run a premortem—a mental dress rehearsal for everything that could go wrong before kickoff.
In sports, great coaches script the first 15 plays, then ask: If we stall out, what’s the backup plan? They don’t just expect smooth sailing—they prepare for the fumble, the rain, the bad call. That’s why they adapt faster when it actually happens.
The same mindset transforms workplaces.
Imagine you’ve got a big project deadline. A premortem isn’t doom-and-gloom—it’s you asking:
- If my day derails, why?
- If the client flips a requirement, how will we respond?
- If I hit a snag at 2 PM, what’s my reset move?
Research from psychologist Gary Klein shows premortems make teams nearly 30% more likely to spot risks early. And Google’s Project Aristotle proved the most effective teams aren’t the smartest—they’re the ones who create psychological safety, where people can say: “Here’s what could break” without fear of blame.
A premortem builds that safety. It flips hesitation into trust. Suddenly, it’s not one person carrying the play—it’s everyone calling out risks so the team can win faster.
So tomorrow morning, before you start, take 60 seconds and run your premortem. Write it on a sticky note, or text it to your team. If this day fails, here’s why. If that happens, here’s how we’ll reset. It’s not paranoia—it’s preparation.
Because starters don’t just react. They anticipate.
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