What do you do when a crisis occurs? Many people would say they take steps to address the crisis. Initially, that may sound like a good response unless you never planned on how you would react if that crisis were to take place. Think about it for a moment. If your business was on fire would you want firemen pulling up in their cars without the right gear or a plan of action of how they will take care of the fire? Sure it’s good to have the firemen there but if they don’t have the resources they need or a strategy on how to put out a house fire then the response is pointless. Police officers train on how to respond to a bank robbery in progress but the reality is many officers will never face that situation. According to a Cleveland Clinic Survey, 54% of Americans say they know CPR but the vast majority of us will never be called upon to use that training. So why do we do it? Why do we train for circumstances that are unlikely to ever confront us? We do it so we will be prepared for that one-in-a-million chance that we might have to apply that knowledge. President John F. Kennedy once said, “The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.” Attempting to play it by ear should an emergency happen is not a plan and may even make a problem worse.
There are those who would choose to argue that it is not feasible to plan for every contingency or crisis. There is a hint of truth in that statement. I may not be able to plan for something I have no knowledge of. I could not plan for what to do for a patient losing blood pressure during a surgery. That is an extraordinary event that I would have no idea how to address. It is beyond the basic first aid training I had as a Boy Scout and refresher training I have had in my job. I think I can stop bleeding. I believe I can apply a tourniquet if it were absolutely necessary. Much more than that and I am way beyond my capabilities and the training I have received. You as a store manager would never be expected to stop a robber as he holds your business up at gunpoint. You CAN plan beforehand how your team should react and the steps they should take during and after the robbery. Pretending you and your staff will just deal with it should the situation arise is foolhardy. Plans that have been made and are reviewed on a regular basis help people stay calm if and when the crisis happens.
When pilots call a Mayday, they may be nervous or even scared but it is a controlled fear. Fear is not controlling their behaviors and actions. Training takes over and they use their training to solve the problems. Sometimes the scenario has been practiced and other times it takes reasoning to sort out the situation. Emergencies rarely proceed in a textbook manner so they don’t lend themselves exactly to the plans that were made. Planning for contingencies makes a team ready for the eventuality a crisis does arise.
So what is a manager to plan for? There are so many bad things that can happen it seems inconceivable to cover all of your bases, right? Wrong. Start with the basics looking at the most likely eventualities. Injuries will require first aid. Do you have a first aid kit? Who is trained to use it? Is there an emergency contact list? Can you arrange for certified first aid training for some or all of your employees or managers? Robberies could happen. What steps are you taking to minimize the chances of a robbery? Are employees trained to give a robber what they demand? Do they know not to touch anything and not to follow a robber out of the store? Do your managers know how to respond to weather emergencies? Does your store have a safe location in the event of a tornado? Do all of your employees know where that is?
Plan for emergencies and review those plans with managers and employees. Be open to improving on plans. Don’t allow them to sit on a shelf and gather dust. Review emergency procedures on a regular basis and when you do have to make your own Mayday call you can be like that pilot who stays cool and calm and ensures the safety of all souls on board. The plan may be useless but the planning will be indispensable.
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