A Plan for All Seasons

“Stay tuned to this station for the latest update on the hurricane.” Most Floridians have heard this message about 100 times too many in the last week.

The storm has been in our ears and on our minds for almost a week. “Prepare. Buy water. Fill-up your gas tanks. Get sandbags. Get more flashlights. Buy ice and batteries. Clear the decks!” This was only the pre-stress.

Now comes the post-stress. We are thankful to have barely missed the brunt of the storm. While I was never anxious, my mind was filled with contingency planning.

Preparation is always necessary and important. But preparation is always about a pending action to reach a goal. We prepare so that we can execute.

It’s always important to have a plan B. But for this storm, I think we exhausted the alphabet and lapped the field.

While we all pray for the recovery of our brothers and sisters in the Bahamas, we know they prepared to the best of their ability and resources. We pray for miracles in their recovery and rebuilding efforts.

This message is a challenge to prepare for success as well as storms. It’s one thing to prepare for a storm but quite another to prepare for growth.

What are your plans for growth? Is it as random as a storm?

Contingency planning is an expected skill of every leader. The best leaders have a plan for storms and success. Consider the why behind the plan:

• We need a path to reach our goals. We must know and teach the path we are prepared to walk.
• We must define the steps along the path from milestone to milestone.
• We must plan a course of action for inevitable detours. What if this project “works”? What if it doesn’t? Do you have a path for all possible outcomes?
• What Human Resources are needed to help your progress on the path? Lone riders have only one adviser at every decision point. Who will ride with you?
• How fast can you ship products or services along the path? The essence of planning employs delivery of goods and services on good days and not so good.

Planning for storms is healthy and wise. But don’t miss an opportunity to plan a path to achieve your goals.

It’s probably set before you.