Things on the ranch are not so complicated. As winter approaches, we make sure to have enough firewood for the season, fuel for the generator, feed for the livestock, and snow tires for the vehicles. Wildfire season is a little trickier… and scarier. Wildfires can start and spread so quickly that you have very little time to respond. We learned our lessons the hard way when a mandatory evacuation was ordered for our town within our first year on the ranch. Unprepared, we scrambled to get ourselves and our horses to a safe place for the two-week evacuation.
Much like leaders caught up in the day-to-day challenges of leading their business forward, Sue and I were so focused on property improvements and home renovations that we hadn’t taken time to (truly) prepare for a mandatory evacuation order. We learned a lot from that experience. And I found myself thinking back to other lessons learned about preparing for and responding to storms.
Here are some lessons learned that I hope will help you through the next storm.
TAKE ACTION
- Anticipate storms during the budget/financial planning season. Make sure you and your leadership team are aligned on how you will respond (financially) to a storm that strains your financial strength.
- Take off your blinders when it comes to strategic planning and your (hopefully) regular review of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (S.W.O.T.). Look for developing trends (technological, social, regulatory, etc.) that could affect your industry… and document (at least rough) plans to respond.
- When the storm hits, lead with calm, clarity, focus and intention. It’s critically important to help your team understand what lies ahead. Be clear about how the storm will impact the organization and how you will respond. Focus the team on the most important steps the organization can/will take in response to the storm. Be (very) intentional with your words and your actions. Model the calm, focused sense of urgency that you want to see throughout the organization.
- Remember that some will weather the storm better than others. Your organization can come out of the storm even stronger if you watch for opportunities that present themselves. “Forced” innovations can lead to competitive advantages and increased profit margins.
- Make sure your organization learns and grows from the experience. Invest time in discussing lessons learned… not only with your leadership team but throughout the organization. Talk about what you can/will do differently in the future.
- Build leadership strength throughout the organization by nurturing a culture of innovation, accountability, and initiative. This way, when the storm hits you will have leaders throughout the organization who can help you weather the storm.
- Watch for, recognize and reward those who “step up” in response to the challenges. Highlighting the “right” behaviors (at all levels of the organization) is a powerful way to influence others and build momentum.
