During a coaching call this past week, I was helping someone who wanted to learn how to be more proactive. They wanted to expand their ability to see what comes next so they could improve their leadership skills. 

I told them the key to being able to anticipate what’s next is preparation. The same kind of preparation you would take when preparing Pad Thai. 

This past weekend, I taught a friend of mine how to make Pad Thai. It’s her and her husband’s favorite dish, but she didn’t know how to make it so it tastes as good as in a restaurant. 

The first thing I did was source a bunch of recipes on how to make Pad Thai, and then I created my own. I shopped for all the ingredients, and then I did what is key for making any complex dish—I did all of the food prep. 

When making anything with multiple steps and parts, you want to prepare in advance. This ensures you have everything you need and, more importantly, your timing is bang on. 

While making this Pad Thai, the first step was to saute the garlic and ginger, then add the onion for a few minutes, and then the chicken. If the chicken wasn’t already chopped and ready to go, there’s a good chance the first three ingredients would be overcooked. 

With Pad Thai, you need to soak your rice noodles for 25 minutes to an hour before you saute them. If you forgot to do this as part of your prep, your chicken may have been overcooked, too. 

When you take all the ingredients out of the fridge, place them on the counter, and review your recipe before you start, you’re guaranteed not to miss a step, and your likelihood of a great outcome is much higher. 

You don’t have to worry about considering what comes next because you’ve already done the work of preparing from beginning to end. 

The same is true in life and business. A leader can hold the vision and steps more clearly in their mind when they prepare. Preparation allows you to anticipate what you will need and saves you the angst of dropping balls and failing to deliver your promises on time. 

In case you’re only here for the Pad Thai recipe, here you go:

Chicken Pad Thai

Ingredients

⅔ of  16 oz package of rice noodles 

5 cloves of garlic smashed and roughly chopped

1 5-6 cm piece of fresh ginger cut into small sticks 

½ large sweet onion

2lbs of boneless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces

2 eggs

2 large carrots sliced into ribbons

1 bunch of scallions cut into 1-inch slices 

1 red pepper julienned

1 small pack of snow peas

1 package of fresh basil leaves

1 can baby corn

1 package of fresh bean sprouts 

1-2 packs of fresh cilantro chopped 

1.5 cups of peanuts, chopped

Sauce

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons of gluten-free tamari

2 tablespoons of fish sauce 

2 tablespoons of sriracha 

1 tablespoon paprika 

2 tablespoons of peanut butter 

Juice from 2 limes 

Splash of vinegar 

Red pepper flakes

Instructions

Start by Soaking noodles for 25 min in warm water

Saute garlic and ginger in a pan with coconut oil 

Add onions and cook for a few minutes

Add chicken, and saute until medium-cooked

Set chicken/onion mix to one side, add two eggs, let eggs sit for a bit, then scramble 

Add noodles, and cook in the pan for a while

Then add sauce

Then add half of the scallions and the rest of the vegetables except bean sprouts, cilantro, basil, and peanuts 

Place on top of noodles and then cover with noodles to allow to steam for a few minutes, then continue to toss. 

Once cooked well, before serving, add bean sprouts, basil and peanuts

Top with quarters of lime, scallions, more sprouts and peanuts 

Drizzle with sriracha 

This recipe made 6 generous servings. 

Enjoy ❤️