Don’t let a failure to practice hurt your operation in the new year
You’ve got yourself a crisis management plan, and that’s great, but when crunch time hits that plan isn’t going to stand up and do the work for you. Just as you wouldn’t expect actors to put on a play worth watching after thumbing through a script once, you can’t expect yourself or your employees to successfully execute a crisis management plan without repeated practice runs.
What type of benefits can you expect from making practice part of your crisis preparedness efforts?
- Problems are spotted before a real-life crisis hits. Practice is the best way to evaluate the effectiveness of your planning. Even the best researched plans typically see changes once they’ve had a trial run or two.
- Effectiveness is increased. When everyone knows their role panic is minimized and the entire crisis response becomes more effective. Smooth is fast, remember that.
- Flexibility is empowered. No crisis plan is set in stone. By having a thorough understanding of the plan and the thinking that went into each aspect, those executing it are empowered to make changes as needed without endangering the entire process.
Practice makes perfect. It’s cliche for a reason. Start practicing now and be prepared for whatever may come your way in 2017.
Erik Bernstein
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com