12% of the Plan and the Next Right Step with Jack Smith

What do you do when you don't have all the information, the plan isn't complete, and the situation still demands a decision? Jack Smith, founder and CEO of Fortuna Business Management Consulting, joins Dr. Amy Athey for a conversation about leading through uncertainty, adversity, rapid growth, and major change. Drawing from his experience growing a company from 40 to 800 employees before navigating a dramatic contraction, Jack shares the mindset that has helped him keep moving forward when circumstances don't go according to plan. At the center of the conversation is Jack's idea of having “12% of the plan.” You don't need every step mapped out. You need to know where you are, who is with you, what resources you have, what the primary objective is, and what the next right step looks like. From there, you adapt. Jack and Amy explore why “perfect is the enemy of done,” how failure becomes useful when you actually learn from it, and why systems and checklists should create guardrails without locking you into a rigid script. Jack also shares his work supporting veterans and service members as they transition into the emerging space economy, including his work with the U.S. Space Force Association. A conversation about resilience, leadership, adaptability, uncertainty, and learning to move forward before you have the whole picture. Chapters 33:06 Why Real-World Decisions Are Messy 01:54:22 Acting Without the Full Picture 02:51:06 Courageous Action 04:10:20 Meet Jack Smith 05:30:28 Leading Through Change 06:17:01 Nothing Is Ever as Good or Bad as It Seems 07:22:18 Be a Goldfish 09:28:28 Work the Problem 10:16:00 Learning From Failure 11:31:12 What's Important Now? 12:22:18 Leading Through Uncertainty 12:47:24 The 12% of the Plan 13:32:21 Keep Your Feet Nimble 14:14:12 Losing 50% of Revenue 15:28:15 The Courage to Move Forward 16:43:22 The Core Pieces of the Plan 17:19:24 Plans, Systems, and Checklists 18:40:20 Perfect Is the Enemy of Done 19:02:29 Jack's Air Force Background 20:21:13 The Emerging Space Economy 21:19:06 From Idea to Mission 22:11:00 Careers in the Space Economy 22:35:01 Where to Learn More 23:12:03 Closing Thoughts