The East Coast is gearing up for Hurricane Isabel. Weather forcasters had started warning people about the potential deadly destruction five days in advance. Why? Clearly to help people prepare, protect their property and their families.

Imagine if we did not spend this time preparing and the storm just hit out of no where like a tornado. There inevitably would be more damage than if people would have had time to prepare. More lives would probably be lost and more people would be injured.

The same goes for sports. In pro football for example, Sunday’s are not the day to be practicing new schemes on the field. Sunday is the day for doing things right and winning the game.

When your customers and colleagues are interacting with you, are you trying to figure out how to do things or are you prepared to treat them right? Preparation includes training in skills, product knowledge and procedures. Many times companies will throw employees out on the front lines and let them learn on the job. In some cases you may get away with this. But you should be looking to surpass your customer’s expectations and blow away the competition.

To gain a clear lead over your competitors, you must be prepared and at the top of your game. As a leader, how much time do you spend preparing yourself and others to be ready when the curtain goes up and they yell It’s “Show Time”? If you don’t play the game of preparation properly, then your results will be as unpredictable as the storm that was never forecasted.