--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Leaders' careers will usually be…" description: "\"Leaders' careers will usually be determined by their handling of one or two critical events that no one could possibly anticipate or plan for.\" — Tom P..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89c/tom-peters-967_anticipate_leaders-careers-will-usually-be-determin_50298.png" --- # Leaders' careers will usually be determined by their… ![“Leaders' careers will usually be determined by their handling of one or two critical events that no one could possibly anticipate or plan for.” quote by Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89c/tom-peters-967_anticipate_leaders-careers-will-usually-be-determin_50298.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89c/tom-peters-967_anticipate_leaders-careers-will-usually-be-determin_50298.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89c/tom-peters-967_anticipate_leaders-careers-will-usually-be-determin_50298.png) > “Leaders' careers will usually be determined by their handling of one or two critical events that no one could possibly anticipate or plan for.” [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Leadership reputation hinges on navigating unforeseen pivotal moments, not routine performance. **In simple terms:** Critical events define a leader's legacy. Key Takeaway Unpredictable crises shape careers. Themes leadership crisis management career development decision making resilience Mood determined reflective Type insightful motivational When to use this quote - executive board meetings - natural disasters - market crashes - political upheavals Key Concepts strategic thinking emotional intelligence adaptability Practical Applications - leadership training - risk assessment frameworks Questions to Reflect On - How can leaders prepare for events they cannot foresee? - What habits help maintain composure during crises? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anticipate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anticipate/) [Careers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/careers/) [Careers Usually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/careers-usually-717333/) [Critical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/critical/) [Critical Events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/critical-events-717332/) [Determined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/determined/) [Events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/events/) [Handling Critical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/handling-critical-717334/) [Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader/) [Leaders Careers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaders-careers-717331/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Plans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plans/) [Possibly Anticipate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibly-anticipate-717335/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) ## Related quotes > [Girls that aren't cut out for business careers usually wind up married to some nice man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/girls-that-aren-t-cut-out-for-business-careers-usually-wind-up/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [If, as I anticipate, a wide array of personal, portable information/communication devices becomes increasingly important and widespread for information-intensive users, it will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-as-i-anticipate-a-wide-array-of-personal-portable-information/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [In my own work, I've tried to anticipate what's coming over the horizon, to hasten its arrival, and to apply it to people's lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-allen/in-my-own-work-i-ve-tried-to-anticipate-what-s-coming-over-the/) [Paul Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-allen/) > [In two or three hundred years life on earth will be unimaginably beautiful, astounding. Man needs such a life and if it hasn't yetappeared,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/in-two-or-three-hundred-years-life-on-earth-will-be-unimaginably/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [The two revolutions, I mean the annual revolutions of the declination and of the centre of the Earth, are not completely equal; that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolaus-copernicus/the-two-revolutions-i-mean-the-annual-revolutions-of-the-declination/) [Nicolaus Copernicus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolaus-copernicus/) > [I wish I could anticipate some of the stories and lies that will be told. It's going to be great to get everyone together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-conley/i-wish-i-could-anticipate-some-of-the-stories-and-lies-that-will-be/) [Larry Conley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-conley/) > [If you don't sow your field what harvest other than thorns and weeds can you anticipate?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-you-don-t-sow-your-field-what-harvest-other-than-thorns-and-weeds/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [The great mistake is to anticipate the outcome of the engagement; you ought not to be thinking of whether it ends in victory or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/the-great-mistake-is-to-anticipate-the-outcome-of-the-engagement-you/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [Assuming normal winter weather, we currently anticipate the coal markets to remain difficult through 2015; while we always strive to operate a full capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-craft/assuming-normal-winter-weather-we-currently-anticipate-the-coal/) [Joe Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-craft/) > [The very best financial presentation is one that's well thought out and anticipates any questions... answering them in advance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-helps/the-very-best-financial-presentation-is-one-that-s-well-thought-out/) [Arthur Helps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-helps/) > [I am curious to know what would happen if art were suddenly seen for what it is, namely, exact information of how to rearrange…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/i-am-curious-to-know-what-would-happen-if-art-were-suddenly-seen-for/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [The problem with merely writing so that you can be understood is that the wrong people, in advancing their agendas, are only too ready…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-dembski/the-problem-with-merely-writing-so-that-you-can-be-understood-is-that/) [William A. Dembski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-dembski/) > [I like to do everything you can possibly do before you go into rehearsal, because once we are in rehearsal or on the stage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-prince/i-like-to-do-everything-you-can-possibly-do-before-you-go-into/) [Harold Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-prince/) > [What's interesting about art in public spaces is that the public really sort of takes over and uses it in ways that you didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresita-fernandez/what-s-interesting-about-art-in-public-spaces-is-that-the-public/) [Teresita Fernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresita-fernandez/) ## More by Tom Peters > [The market may never coalesce around one basic design, or even around two or three dominant devices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-market-may-never-coalesce-around-one-basic-design-or-even-around/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [If, as I anticipate, a wide array of personal, portable information/communication devices becomes increasingly important and widespread for information-intensive users, it will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-as-i-anticipate-a-wide-array-of-personal-portable-information/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Anybody who is an entrepreneur is a person who essentially has impaired judgment. The odds of success are zilch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/anybody-who-is-an-entrepreneur-is-a-person-who-essentially-has/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Remember my mantra: distinct... or extinct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/remember-my-mantra-distinct-or-extinct/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [A good collection is more than just the sum of its parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/a-good-collection-is-more-than-just-the-sum-of-its-parts/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [I don't know what it means to manage the human imagination, but I do know that imagination is the main source of value in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/i-don-t-know-what-it-means-to-manage-the-human-imagination-but-i-do/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Hire disrespectful people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/hire-disrespectful-people/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Hire for attitude. Train for skill... More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/hire-for-attitude-train-for-skill-more/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [If there is a single tragic flaw that mars our biggest enterprises, it is conservatism - the failure to fail, and fail big, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-there-is-a-single-tragic-flaw-that-mars-our-biggest-enterprises-it/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Think about the market, think about the design, and think about who is going to design for that market. Hit the mark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/think-about-the-market-think-about-the-design-and-think-about-who-is/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [“The “Excellence Standard” is not about Grand Outcomes. In Zenlike terms, all we have is today. If the day’s work cannot be assessed as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-excellence-standard-is-not-about-grand-outcomes-in-zenlike-terms/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [The day firing becomes easy is the day to fire yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-day-firing-becomes-easy-is-the-day-to-fire-yourself/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Only pissed-off people change the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/only-pissed-off-people-change-the-world/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [What you decide not to do is probably more important that what you decide to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/what-you-decide-not-to-do-is-probably-more-important-that-what-you/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [We are all Michaelangelos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/we-are-all-michaelangelos/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) [Explore all 316 Tom Peters quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) ## More Anticipate quotes > [If, as I anticipate, a wide array of personal, portable information/communication devices becomes increasingly important and widespread for information-intensive users, it will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-as-i-anticipate-a-wide-array-of-personal-portable-information/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Assuming normal winter weather, we currently anticipate the coal markets to remain difficult through 2015; while we always strive to operate a full capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-craft/assuming-normal-winter-weather-we-currently-anticipate-the-coal/) [Joe Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-craft/) > [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [I like to do everything you can possibly do before you go into rehearsal, because once we are in rehearsal or on the stage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-prince/i-like-to-do-everything-you-can-possibly-do-before-you-go-into/) [Harold Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-prince/) > [The problem with merely writing so that you can be understood is that the wrong people, in advancing their agendas, are only too ready…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-dembski/the-problem-with-merely-writing-so-that-you-can-be-understood-is-that/) [William A. Dembski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-dembski/) > [I am curious to know what would happen if art were suddenly seen for what it is, namely, exact information of how to rearrange…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/i-am-curious-to-know-what-would-happen-if-art-were-suddenly-seen-for/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [The very best financial presentation is one that's well thought out and anticipates any questions... answering them in advance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-helps/the-very-best-financial-presentation-is-one-that-s-well-thought-out/) [Arthur Helps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-helps/) > [What's interesting about art in public spaces is that the public really sort of takes over and uses it in ways that you didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresita-fernandez/what-s-interesting-about-art-in-public-spaces-is-that-the-public/) [Teresita Fernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresita-fernandez/) > [The great mistake is to anticipate the outcome of the engagement; you ought not to be thinking of whether it ends in victory or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/the-great-mistake-is-to-anticipate-the-outcome-of-the-engagement-you/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [If you don't sow your field what harvest other than thorns and weeds can you anticipate?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-you-don-t-sow-your-field-what-harvest-other-than-thorns-and-weeds/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [I wish I could anticipate some of the stories and lies that will be told. It's going to be great to get everyone together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-conley/i-wish-i-could-anticipate-some-of-the-stories-and-lies-that-will-be/) [Larry Conley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-conley/) > [The two revolutions, I mean the annual revolutions of the declination and of the centre of the Earth, are not completely equal; that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolaus-copernicus/the-two-revolutions-i-mean-the-annual-revolutions-of-the-declination/) [Nicolaus Copernicus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolaus-copernicus/) > [In two or three hundred years life on earth will be unimaginably beautiful, astounding. Man needs such a life and if it hasn't yetappeared,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/in-two-or-three-hundred-years-life-on-earth-will-be-unimaginably/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [In my own work, I've tried to anticipate what's coming over the horizon, to hasten its arrival, and to apply it to people's lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-allen/in-my-own-work-i-ve-tried-to-anticipate-what-s-coming-over-the/) [Paul Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-allen/) > [The fossil record implies trial and error, the inability to anticipate the future, features inconsistent with a Great Designer (though not a Designer of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-fossil-record-implies-trial-and-error-the-inability-to-anticipate/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) [Browse all 458 Anticipate quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anticipate/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Leaders' careers will usually be determined by their handling of one or two critical events that no one could possibly anticipate or plan for.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Peters" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/leaders-careers-will-usually-be-determined-by-their-handling-of-one/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Anticipate" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/leaders-careers-will-usually-be-determined-by-their-handling-of-one/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89c/tom-peters-967_anticipate_leaders-careers-will-usually-be-determin_50298.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89c/tom-peters-967_anticipate_leaders-careers-will-usually-be-determin_50298.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89c/tom-peters-967_anticipate_leaders-careers-will-usually-be-determin_50298.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Leaders' careers will usually be determined by their handling of one or two critical events that no one…” — Tom Peters", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Tom Peters", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Leaders' careers will usually be determined...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/leaders-careers-will-usually-be-determined-by-their-handling-of-one/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/leaders-careers-will-usually-be-determined-by-their-handling-of-one/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```