You are the top person in your business. You have your own business. If you are the chief cook and bottle washer, what happens when something takes you out of the immediate day to day business operation? A vacation is one topic. You plan ahead. You might schedule a few hours here and there during your vacation in order to conduct some business. Instead this topic is when there is some type of family or personal emergency and you are not able to focus for one minute on an email, a phone call, or any one single item related to your business. This may last for a few days or a week or more. It takes place immediately and without notice. What happens in your business?
For Example, let’s utilize a recent personal example. A loved one passes away. You and your family are going through the emotions related to this life event. There are people to notify. The events around the process must be planned. People may need to travel into the area and they require everything from transportation, living arrangements and the information around a schedule you may not even have ready yet. There is no time, not one second, for anything related to your business.
The question is, what happens to your business? How are your clients and customers being cared for? Do you have people and processes in place that allow you to immediately (and with little notice) step away from your business? So that you don’t miss a beat in your business operations and successfully conducting your operation? Are you able to keep your customers and clients satisfied so that you are still on top of your game and they will be taken care of?
The immediate answer most people give is, “well. just hire some help.” While hiring an employee or two might be the answer for a solo-business owner, it may not be the answer for the larger business owner with similar concerns. The addition of personnel by itself is not the answer if you, the ‘boss’, are a total control freak and you keep all of your cards very close to only your eyes. You may already have a fully functioning and capable team. However, if they were never given the access or the knowledge necessary in order to fill in for you when you are not available, how would they?
You might not have spent much time thinking and preparing for these situations before. Spend some time this week thinking about what you can do to prepare yourself, as a business leader, for when these life events occur. Also, stay tuned for next week’s article where I will share three tips to successfully keep your business running smoothly when you are not able to be involved in the business for a brief period of time. Mitch Tublin is an advanced certified executive and personal coach who resides in Stamford, CT.
Sorry for your loss, Mitch. Thank you for sharing your advice and reminding us of the importance to plan for the unexpected.
By it’s nature, the unexpected is not easy to plan for.
It certainly does not mean to forget about planning for it.
So sorry to hear about your loss. I agree, it can be a challenge to know how to handle being out of operation for a period of time. I remember one particular example when I was an employee. I went on vacation out of the country. When I got back I was informed that an emergency had happened and everyone panicked because I wasn’t there to deal with the situation. Someone said to me, “You’re not allowed to go on vacation anymore.” That’s an overwhelming position to be in. At that point I made it my mission to NEVER be that indispensable again.
Good for you Mira. Unfortunately most people keep everything to themselves under the misguided theory they become more powerful.
Hi Mitch,
Sorry to hear of your loss. And yes, preparing for crisis is a really important component of every business, unless you are a hobbyist and don’t really need your income. (And that’s not most of us!)
Right, the income stream needs to keep flowing in.
Preparation will only go so far, however, no preparation
will go no where fast.
So sorry for your loss Mitch. This is certainly something I need to address, as people panic when I go to Canada and don’t check emails for 4 days. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!