Back in his prime Bill Gates regularly issued nightmare memos to his employees. His fears were channeled into action to always stay a step ahead. This reminds me of Roald Amundsen’s redundant supply depots, always anticipating the unforeseen.

I think this is a brilliant example why we must accept that we will all face forces and events beyond our control. On a similar note, we must also reject the idea that external factors will determine our success.

In «Great by Choice», Jim Collins refers to this as productive paranoia.

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