Our hearts go out to those in the Bahamas and along the east coast who have been devastated by Hurricane Dorian. The leadership provided by the local, state, federal authorities as well as the many other concerned bodies has been inspiring. We’ve seen:
- Proactive decision making.
- Thoughtful planning and preparation.
- Stellar communication before and during the storm.
- Tireless work and growing compassion of those directly affected.
I know it may be difficult, but try to translate these points to your own leadership.
In business, you have plenty of storms, both little and big. Among those you may experience are market share and/or margin erosion, loss of key customers and/or employees, low employee morale, poor engagement, declining quality of products and/or services, and your industry’s version of a Hurricane Dorian.
Answer these questions:
- What are the top three business related storms brewing on your horizon?
- Do you know how to divert or avoid them?
- How are you prepared to handle them if they show up?
I bring this up because I’m concerned about what I see too often-a lot of busy people who are busy “doing” but not “thinking.” They’re busy “reacting” but not “planning.” They’re busy “fighting” fires but not “preventing” the fires.
Leadership Tip
Identify the three most devastating things that could happen to the business you lead (Hurricane Dorian in scope). Then determine how you could proactively avoid these disasters or at least build a framework you can work within to minimize any damage.
Leaders should be taking a long-range view of their businesses. They should position themselves to slow down and think more so they can reduce damage from any Dorian – sized storm.
This lesson from Hurricane Dorian may keep you out of trouble. Be mindful and prepare for the storms on your horizon – I call it Thinkership™.
