It’s a certainty that business disruption will continue to occur. While we can’t predict when, we can be ready (or more ready) the next time it happens. To prepare your business, get together with your leadership team and ask these questions…
- How do we distribute/redistribute our workforce more effectively?
- How do we get access to our stuff?
- How to help/engage our customers and partners?
- How can we downsize quickly and equitably, but retain our best people?
- How do we activate (or maximize) our non-face-to-face model of business?
Then, for each item, make a list…
- What are the key functions/items/resources/activities that we need to continue? What could we stop?
- Who are the key people, or what are the key pieces of infrastructure we would need to maintain?
- Do we currently have a way to do this? Is it documented?
- If not, do we have the internal knowledge/resources to make a plan?
- Have we tested our plan?
Beyond your internal team members, also check with trusted partners and experts to start answering these questions now. If you’re not asking these questions, then you haven’t learned much from this current pandemic situation. It’s likely you’re not going be ready for the next one either.
