What's Your Back-Up Plan? How to Prepare for Anything

Published: Fri, 08/08/14

"It seems to me that everything that happens to us is a disconcerting mix of choice and contingency." -- Dame Penelope Lively, British author.

On the morning of February 15, 2013, a fireball ripped through the sky above the Russian city of Chelyabinsk, exploding 18 miles up after leaving a streak of fire tens of miles long. The minor asteroid, which was about the size of an apartment building, was actually the second to have visited the Siberian region in a little over a century: 1908's Tunguska meteor, which was about the same size, fortunately fell to Earth in an uninhabited wilderness, blowing down and charring 800 square miles of timber.

The people of Chelyabinsk were lucky, because the meteor entered the atmosphere at a shallow angle. According to modeling done by Dr. Mark Boslough of Sandia National Laboratories, if it had come straight in, the city would have been devastated. Though the shockwave broke windows throughout the city and 1,200 people were injured by flying glass, no one died—and the city was back up and running in a matter of hours. Both basic and emergency services, while overloaded, remained functional.

Why? Because the leaders of Chelyabinsk, both civic and business, had contingency plans in place for every occurrence they could think of. No one expected a replay of Tunguska, but when it happened, they were able to modify an existing disaster plan and respond quickly and efficiently.

Your Own Chelyabinsk

Where do you stand on the contingency front? If you work for a large organization, your company almost certainly has something in place for just about everything that might reasonably occur, from floods and fires taking out your office space to hackers invading your computer networks and violating your data integrity (think Ebay and Target). If your organization is smaller, new, or just lacks a complete suite of contingency plans, try these suggestions to get up to speed.

1. Do your homework. As a team leader, you should have access to your organization's contingency plans, assuming they exist. If they do, review them thoroughly, adapting them for your team's use. If something seems to be missing, don't hesitate to fill the gap. If you have no contingency plans, then create some. If you or your team lack the time for contingency planning, or have no idea where to start, pay someone to either advise you on the topic, create the plans you need, or both. Crisis consultants are easy to find and will be worth the cost if something goes south. Research the possibilities, and don't forget to tap the knowledge of your experienced team members. What will happen to the data on your computer if you have a fire? What will happen if your most valuable team member leaves? What if you get hit by a Mack truck? What if a disaster puts you in the hospital at the onset of the emergency? What if things fall apart while you're vacationing?

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(C) 2014 Laura Stack. Laura Stack is America's premier expert in personal productivity. For over 20 years, her speeches and seminars have helped professionals, leaders, teams, and organizations improve output, execute efficiently, and save time at work. She's the author or coauthor of 10 books, most recently, Execution IS the Strategy. To invite Laura to speak at your next meet or register for her free weekly newsletter, visit www.TheProductivityPro.com.