What would happen if three feet of snow fell on Miami? Chances are, the city would be shut down. The government, businesses and citizens of Miami are not equipped to handle such snowfall. When three feet of snow falls on Columbus, Ohio, life goes on. People get up early and shovel their sidewalks. Snow plows and salt trucks are deployed to clear the roads so people can get to work.
That’s because Columbus is prepared for snowfall. They know it can, and does, happen, and they have appropriated the time and resources to handle it. Miami, on the other hand, isn’t often subject to snowfall; though the city might be better prepared to deal with hurricanes.
The Boy Scouts motto is “Be Prepared,” and despite its clichéd connotation, the advice should be heeded. Some people believe that you should be prepared for everything, but in reality you must prioritize preparation for likely events.
Businesses should prepare in the same way. Make sure you have the necessary resources ready for deployment for likely events — a tax audit, a sales slump, a product flaw, an angry client, a late payment. If you know how you are going to handle such things before they happen, you can seamlessly handle them and get back to work. Like Columbus in a snowstorm or Miami after a hurricane, you need to be able to quickly recover and move on.
How do you prepare?
