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 Dr. Robert F. Hester offers some thoughts and inspiration for small businesses attempting to develop business continuity plans.
Change requires commitment. It requires effort. More importantly, it takes time. The events of September 11, 2001 gave all Americans a wake-up call and subsequently focused attention on a problem that has always existed and still does. Safety, security and preparedness aren’t routinely a focus in our lives. Being on guard is not something Americans are used to or like doing. Still, danger and threat never goes away; only fades from memory. The companies and their employees that faired best in the tragic loss of the World Trade Center are the ones that took the lessons learned in the 1993 bombing to heart and continued to make preparation a focus even after the danger passed.
According to one poll conducted for the American Red Cross in New York City, two and a half years after the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center a majority of individuals and small businesses there were not fully prepared for emergencies. Most small business leaders cited time, money and lack of knowledge as the key reasons for not being better prepared. Most were interested in more training. Assuming these poll results are reflective of current conditions, there and elsewhere, we know where to focus effort.
We can all do more to educate individuals and small businesses across the country, showing them the importance of making preparation a priority; that often times adequate protections can be blended into the daily routine; that it does not have to be expensive and; simplicity is a key, if not the key to success. I like Jim Burtles’s opening statement in his article “Beware the Complex Plan…” “It has often been said that ‘business continuity is not rocket science’, indeed, it is better described as structured common sense.” It is a simple message that bears repeating often. If we do not build the sidewalks where people walk, they are not going to get used.
Get everyone involved, including families. Including families is a key element. Families are a logical extension of a company’s management, staff and employees. If families are not safe, nobody is safe. Safety, security and preparedness are a mindset. Make preparedness everyone’s responsibility. It is not just the “property of leadership and management.” People across organizations need to have ownership in something, for business and personal reasons, if they are going to be expected to do it consistently and persistently over-time. They need to understand clearly what is expected and why it is important. It has been said many times, the truly important things in life are the little things. Focus on the little things. Start with well placed little changes.
Be realistic about threats. For most small business owners catastrophic external threats brought on by terrorist is a hard sell, especially in “small town USA.” Accidental release of chemical, biological or radiological material is much more likely. Improper handling and storage of hazardous materials can have far reaching consequences. Fire that may lead to an explosion is a much more likely scenario. The facility and everything in it could be lost over night. Human errors and omissions can sometimes have disastrous results. Equipment safety is an on-going challenge. Falls are often the leading cause of injury on the job. Theft and workplace violence are not uncommon threats that often get overlooked. Think defensively and build it into policy, procedures and operations. A defensive mindset makes “unthinkable” less of a reach. Whatever could realistically impact safety and security; a business’s bottom line, reputation or ability to operate and service their customers is in play. Supply lines are critical.
Attitude is everything. It’s all about learning to think in terms of “what if…?” What can we do ahead of time to prevent something from happening or lessen the impact? Safety is always the first concern in an emergency. In other crises protecting property, other assets such as reputation and finances or getting back up and running may be the biggest concern. What is our response going to be? How do we work around what has happened and keep things together until we can recover? It’s interesting what all we begin to see when we have more reasons to look. Find those reasons. Document the findings. Build in protections. Avoid looking at business continuity as work added. It is much more useful to look at it as value added. It might be useful to view it as a ‘suit of armor.’
Simply add protections to any existing plan. Look at what we are already doing and see where important small changes can be made that have the potential to yield maximum possible returns in terms of safety, security and preparedness. Make sure we have input from every part of the ‘house.’ Preparing for emergencies, down-turns, disruptions and other crises is a team effort. We are all interdependent.
Keep everything simple. Focus on highlighting the bare essentials. We can not stress enough, plans need to be simple and easy to follow. How many people actually read the detailed instructions and disclaimers that come with many of the products we buy today? These things are designed to try and cover all known possibilities. Remember, for all intents and purposes, possibilities are endless. We want to focus instead on simple probability. Focus on what is critical to safety, security and continued operations. Use simple policy statements to identify what is important to do and not do. Use simple, easy to follow instructions for procedures. In an emergency or crisis clarity and speed are most important. Promote involvement. Practice what we preach. Lead by example. Work toward cooperation and agreement wherever and whenever possible. Promote teamwork… ‘Together Everyone Accomplishes More’. Promote training. Promote practice and improvement. Success here is more about skill with people than impressing others with how much we know. Leadership and skill with people will not only produce better and more lasting results, it will save time and money.
What about the costs? There are a number of simple but important changes that will cost no more than the time and effort to do them. Most changes will be less than $500 dollars. A few changes may cost more. Still, one important objective is to keep costs down to a minimum…Remembering, “all that glitters ain’t gold.” Small businesses operate on thinner margins. Hiring a consultant in the initial phase of development is affordable. If you need it, do it. For comparison purposes, put a dollar amount on what down-time would cost for a day, week, month or even longer. Combine on-going operating expenses and lost revenue. Harder to quantify is the longer term loss of reputation and customer loyalty.
In summary, focusing on what is most important and using skill with people to alter or build plans to include safety, security and preparedness will lead to improvements and cooperation. It will not only provide added protection, it will improve over-all performance and loyalty. It provides people with added purpose and sheds new light on operations. It can provide input for future planning. It is always less expensive and time consuming to build these things into what we are already doing than to try and retrofit safety, security and business continuity measures later. It is all an important part of the over-all business planning process and deserves, if not demands to be included. It doesn’t have to be complicated, expensive or time consuming. If you are a small business and do not feel you have the in-house expertise to get things rolling in the direction you want to go, find and hire a good consultant. They can help you understand the process and guide you through what needs to be done with the least amount of waste. The rest you should be able to do for yourself. Self-help options are available. Done correctly, you will build a relationship with the consultant and be able to use them from time to time in following up and following through. You will have ready access to help when needed.
© Robert F. Hester, Ph.D. FBINA, Hester and Associates, Inc.
Dr. Hester is an independent consultant affiliated with Innovative Business Consulting, Inc., Houston, Texas. His focus is helping small businesses reach their preparedness goals. You can get more information by going to www.ibcus.net and clicking on “about us.” He is in Florida. To contact him directly use rhester@ibcus.net
•Date: 20th June 2005 •Region: N.America •Type:
Article •Topic: BC general
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