Guessing is not a strategy: How to build decision velocity with AI and real-time data
June 10, 2026 | Live Webinar
The 5 Laws of Defeat
When it comes to leading organizations, people or projects, knowing what to avoid is just as important as knowing what to do.
Even the most successful, experienced business and project leaders make mistakes — sometimes minor missteps, other times poor judgment — that can send an initiative reeling and force teams to play catch-up to recover. Mistakes don’t ‘just happen,’ but are the direct result of poor timing, interaction errors, perceptual problems and organizational deficiencies. These mistakes are based, in one way or another, on what I call the 5 Laws of Defeat.
1. Opportunity knocking – do not disturb
“Opportunity myopia” happens when narrow thinking rules behavior. Leaders get so focused on established goals, they often miss opportunities because they don’t understand the strategic context in which they can see a way to win. A classic example is when Sears passed on the opportunity to purchase the Home Depot chain because of its own financial problems, without seeing the value of the opportunity.
2. Perceptual bias – we think we are thinking, but are we?
2. Perceptual bias – we think we are thinking, but are we?
One of the easiest mistakes leaders make is confusing perception with reality — they don’t see what they don’t want to see. Stepping back, removing oneself to see a true picture of your decision-making is difficult to do. Leaders must become aware of perceptual biases and errors that cloud clear, accurate …
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"The most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible." - Albert Einstein |