What is readiness?
A leader’s responsibility for defining capabilities and performance targets
This left-of-bang leadership essay is for paying subscribers to The CP Journal.
What does it actually mean to be ready?
We often say that we’re helping organizations “prepare for an uncertain future,” but rarely do we pause to articulate the end state we are pursuing. Ready for what, exactly? Ready to do what? And by what measure would we know we have succeeded? Without clear answer to those questions, preparation can quickly become effort without direction—activity that feels productive, but doesn’t necessarily move us closer to where we want or need to be.
This question feels especially relevant at the start of the new year. As 2026 begins, we will see organizations launch into their annual work plans in the same way individuals step off in pursuit of their New Year’s resolutions. But before our calendars get filled and expectations become set in stone, it is an appropriate moment to step back and ask a deceptively simple question before committing another year of time, attention, and resources: will this actually make us more ready?
Part of the challenge is that the word ready is used constantly, and in many different contexts. The same way we use it casually at home when asking whether someone is ready to leave the house, in public safety agencies, it has become shorthand for preparedness.
Because it is so familiar, the word often carries assumptions about capability, performance, and sufficiency that are rarely made explicit. Yet if it is mistaken for plans written, exercises conducted, or trainings delivered, those activities risk becoming proof of effort rather than evidence of capability.
And that distinction—between being busy and being ready to perform when it matters—is where preparation either becomes a strategic discipline or quietly dissolves into a compliance exercise.