We're often optimistic when we start something new. A "pre-mortem" is a technique that harnesses the power of pessimism for a productive purpose.

Here's how it works: Before you commit to a decision, gather your team (or just yourself) and imagine it's six months in the future. The project has been a complete disaster. A total failure. Now, take 10 minutes to write down every single reason why it failed. What went wrong?

This exercise does two things. First, it liberates people to voice concerns they might have kept to themselves to avoid being seen as negative. Second, it shifts the perspective from "What *could* go wrong?" to "What *did* go wrong?", which can make it easier to identify concrete, plausible risks.

Once you have your list of reasons for failure, you can proactively create a plan to mitigate the most significant risks. It's a powerful way to make your decision safer before you've even taken the first step.