I just completed reading the book “Burn the Boats – Toss Plan B Overboard and unleash your full potential” by Matt Higgins. It gave me an extra philosophy which is inevitable to get things done in this VUCA world!  This is indeed a gift to the world, especially for those who are passionate about transforming their ideas into reality through the power of multiple Plan As.

Highly recommended for the Fall Reading ?? to my LinkedIn network!

Burning the Boats is more than just a phrase; it’s a metaphorical mantra that encourages us to pursue our dream relentlessly, eliminating the ‘Escape Route’. Matt’s journey is a shining example of this mindset in action!

Matt has been burning the boats since the beginning as we read his personal stories, living through extreme poverty, his days working at Mc Donald’s, dropping out of High School at 16 to get GDE (I can visualize the moment when he replied to the science teacher – “If you see me at McDonald’s, it’s because I own it,”… Becoming the youngest Press Secretory to the Mayor’s office in New York City, becoming a HSB Professor, a guest Shark on Shark Tank, RSE Venture… list goes on.

As a Project Management Practitioner, I often find myself developing fallback plans and contingency reserves as part of our risk management strategy. We allocate our time, effort, and resources thoroughly to address various “what-if” scenarios, all while staying committed to our primary Plan A. “What if” the the plan A didn’t work at all? When I knew this philosophy, it totally revolutionized my mindset – if the plan A doesn’t work, create new Plan As! You can create hundreds of new Plan A, but not a single plan B! Wow!

Once you set off your journey to turn your ideas into reality, whether it is big or small, Burn the Boats metaphorically states the unwavering commitment to reach the goal, by stepping out of the comfort zone, hammering anything that holds you back, including but not limited to our limiting beliefs, impostor syndrome, fear of rejections or failures until you reach the committed goal.

Key Takeaways:

1. Trust your Instincts: Self-awareness and reflecting what’s going on inside you! If you really want something, you listen to your instincts and trust them.
2. Get rid of Plan B, the fallback plan, or the contingency plans: This really resonated with me! I now believe in Plan A, the reason is simple – if plan A works, why go to plan B. Let’s put 100% of our time, effort, and dedication to Plan A(s).
3. Burn the Boats meets Organizational Agility with surefire strategies and tons of reflective questions to turn ideas into reality!
4. Our greatest strength for success comes from doing the Right thing (Plan A) in our heart, mind and spirit!
5. Plan to re-plan As, not Plan Bs! No escape route as you move forward towards your Big Goal, the Vision!
6. In the heart of this book lies the Keywords: Purpose, Vision, Emotional Intelligence, Empathy, Compassion, courage, fast-tracking, integrity…
7. Wanna delve into this book, please go through this link: https://www.amazon.com/Burn-Boats-Overboard-Unleash-Potential/dp/006308886X/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1697595985&sr=8-1