On the battlefield, contingency planning isn’t optional — it’s survival.
We had a simple standard:
If one thing goes wrong, the operation is jeopardized.
If two things go wrong, it’s doubly jeopardized.
If three things go wrong, you abort — because someone could get killed.
That rule wasn’t fear — it was discipline.
And it was rooted in our core belief:
“Two is one, and one is none.”
If you only have one plan, one tool, or one line of communication — you have nothing.
That’s why redundancy wasn’t wasteful. It was leadership in its purest form.
Watch this clip
From my audiobook, Ice Cold Leader: Leading from the Inside Out and narrated by yours truly, it dives deeper into the discipline and mindset behind contingency planning for leaders.
The Boardroom Translation
In business, contingency planning isn’t pessimism — it’s performance.
Leaders who plan only for success gamble with their people’s trust.
Leaders who plan for failure earn it.
When your team knows you’ve already thought through worst-case scenarios, they operate with calm confidence.
That’s what separates reaction from readiness.
How to Lead Like a SEAL When Things Go Sideways
1️⃣ Find Your Single Points of Failure.
Where’s your “one”? What breaks if it fails?
2️⃣ Build Redundancy.
Duplicate critical roles, systems, and communication lines. Efficiency without backups is fragility.
3️⃣ Rehearse Your Plan B.
Contingencies don’t matter if no one knows them. Practice until they’re instinct.
Optimism without preparation is denial. Leaders plan for the storm — and that’s why their teams trust them when it hits.
Get articles like this delivered to your inbox every week by signing up here. 👈🏻
Errol Doebler is a former Navy SEAL platoon commander, FBI terrorism investigator, and founder of his leadership consulting company, Ice Cold Leader. He can be contacted at Hello@Icecoldleader.com.
Leave a Reply