Page 10 - NBIZ August 2020

There Cannot Be a Crisis This Week,

My Schedule is Full!

By Lance J. Ewing

resident John F. Kennedy once should have a crisis management plan
stated, “When written in Chinese, in order to cope with the unexpected
Pthe word crisis is composed of two and often the financial burden of cata-
characters. One represents danger and strophic events. Businesses, no matter
the other represents opportunity.” The the size, who have a documented crisis
year 2020 certainly has qualified as a plan, have historically been better
year of both. COVID- 19, economic and prepared to weather a crisis, both repu-
job impacts, protests, riots and unrest tational and with considerably less of a
would all qualify as danger or chal- financial burden. Unfortunately, many
lenges for this year. On the other hand, businesses do not plan for a crisis and
the opportunities have been to work are merely reacting instead of respond-
from home or anywhere, increased use ing with their plan to an emergency.
and innovation of technology, Federal, Others are even less concerned as they
state and local reassessments and mistakenly assume that a crisis will
improvements on handling a pandemic, not affect them or their business. The
an increase in medical supplies and Alfred E. Neuman (MAD magazine)
equipment and, most importantly, a motto, “What Me Worry?” is a guaran-
full review by businesses of their crisis teed recipe for adding another crisis
management plan. The timeworn when a crisis does occur. No business
saying is that “if you fail to plan, you is immune to the potential devastation
plan to fail.” Clearly, 2020 demon- of crises, and companies today with
strates that planning is the key to limiting resources are specifically
success for private citizens, vulnerable to the cataclysmic costs of
families and businesses. crisis events.
Not only should businesses
plan for opportunistic The Crisis Plan Starts with
events, they must also Identification of Risks
prepare for ad- The first step in any crisis manage-
versity. Every ment plan is to identify the
business risk that makes the business
the most vulnerable. For exam-
ple, if the business is on the Gulf,
then adding a hurricane to the list
of identified potential risks would be
a starting point, If multiple locations
or units in a broad geographic area,
vulnerabilities should be identified

10 NBIZ ■ August 2020