What’s one decision you wish you could go back and redo?

Here’s a personal example. A while ago I bought fitted wardrobes from a big homeware store, but midway through installation their supplier went bankrupt. The supplier then had the audacity to offer me the missing doors, for a price! I was furious, refused and found replacements elsewhere. Now my wardrobes have mismatched doors and it still annoys me. The lesson? I cared more about the injustice of being asked to pay twice than the long-term impact of the mismatched doors, which I have to live with every day.

Hindsight often shows us where we went wrong. But what if we don’t have to wait for mistakes to happen to learn valuable lessons?

Businesses can do premortems (introduced by Gary Klein) as a tool to identify potential risks before starting a project. By imagining that the project has failed, the team can work backward to figure out the reasons for the failure. This helps businesses uncover vulnerabilities and refine their plans before things go wrong. Everyone in the team has a chance to voice concerns and consider worst-case scenarios without fear of blame.

The impact of using premortems is significant. It allows us to learn from potential failures without the blame, damage to morale, or financial consequences. While reflecting on past mistakes can reveal patterns and help avoid similar pitfalls in the future, premortems can achieve the same result more effectively. Since there’s less at stake, there’s a lower risk of excuses or cover-ups.

Can you share a decision you’ve made recently that you wish you could go back on? What would you do differently?