Face Any Crisis with
Calm Confidence

Companies are panicking because they know they do not have a plan in place to account for the current crisis. Unless they were a former client of ours, it is very unlikely they took their disaster planning to this extreme level.

Every time a new threat emerges, companies panic if the threat of today doesn’t match exactly the past threat their plan was created to address.

Businesses need to remember the PROCESS they followed to create their plans, rather than just the specifics of their old, possibly never updated plans sitting in a drawer since the last crisis. Our clients are given a methodology that helps to prepare and adjust to new conditions as they emerge.

For example, when I was at MetLife, we went through SARS, MERS, H1N1 along with several other natural disasters. Each time, we had to dig out our plans and remember that we HAD a process for developing and executing a response. Just because the new situation wasn't an exact match to the plans we had in place, there was no need for panic. A sound methodology for responding to crisis is BETTER than hoping you have the perfect plan in place already.

If you have confidence in a company's mitigation of their risks and if you see that they have a path forward to still be able to develop and deliver on their value chain, then you know that company is going to be secure going forward.

For example, if you know that there are three companies out there that make sanitizing wipes and the shelves are sold out right now and you know that one of those three has a plan to mitigate the issues with their supply chain and can restock those shelves... That is the company you invest in today.

Companies also have an amazing opportunity during wide-scale (in this case global) catastrophes to shift their focus, repurpose their operations, and direct their efforts towards providing a solution for the greater good. This shift will show both consumers and investors that they are indeed “good corporate citizens” and this alone can catapult a company into a new level of security in the global economy.

My company is called Whadif based on what we call “Whadif Future Planning.” Our unique strategic/scenario planning methodology creates robust, highly innovative solutions that all start with asking the right questions in a supportive environment with an aspirational focus. We integrate several common yet frequently disjointed planning activities with a robust set of tools and techniques to create a sound decision-making and business continuity platform.

We push the envelope, the boundaries of what we can envision, we test the limits of innovation and exploration and the ability to react, respond and thrive in times of adversity, so in good times or bad, when times are smooth or when disaster DOES occur (and it will), the plans in place are solid, comprehensive and flexible.

A long-time friend, business colleague and frequent partner of ours is a former Navy SEAL. Navy SEALs are trained to confront every disaster with one word and only one word first.

“Good.”

So if they are told hostages have been taken they say, "Good. How do we get them out safely?"

If their team comes across a ticking bomb, they say “Good. How do we disarm this while ensuring no one else gets hurt if the time runs out?”

This one syllable (Good) focuses them past the woe is me, the worry, and the pining for different circumstances and it makes them accept that this IS REALITY now and they need to focus and deal with that reality.

This is the kind of mentality I bring to companies that I'm working with on their disaster and pandemic plans. This is our reality. We HAVE the ability to work our way to a better reality. Let’s get to work.

Both employees and consumers want to know that the companies they trust will deliver the value they receive today both during and after any crisis that may arise.

The plans we help create are incredibly robust, forward thinking, and yet flexible. They not only account for the good times, the bad times, and the almost unthinkable times, they build in a methodology that allows companies to pivot in a quick, nimble and well-thought-out way. Communication is a large part of our plans. When employees and consumers both HEAR what companies are doing and SEE that the plans make sense, confidence is restored.

For the first time in human history, viral communications are faster than the virus itself. Companies, big and small, should know that their internal messaging now IS ALSO their external messaging.

Companies have internal communications departments and public relations departments, but during a time of crisis like what we're experience with COVID-19, your internal communications WILL BE external because every employee you send home to work for the next 4 weeks is going on social media telling their friends and family, “Hey, guess what? We are being sent home for a month and we are being told to do X.” This is the time where, if you as a company are putting out a message that says to your employees these are best practices, know that you are going to be entering the communal discussion about what's going on and thereby impacting people's behavior.

Also, when organizations send people home during a crisis, they shouldn’t give them the impression that this is a vacation. This is about maintaining productivity. Organizations need to send employees home with an understanding of what's expected while working during these adverse conditions and the tools, processes and guidance to make sure that maximum productivity is possible.

If you're planning for today, you're already potentially 1-3 months behind. You've got to get ahead. You've got to be able to envision what the world is going to look like a month from now, and you've got to start taking action today to mitigate that.

For companies that have not updated their plans (or if they have nothing in place), panic still serves no one. There is ALWAYS time to plan and yes, companies caught off guard will naturally feel the pressure to “scramble,” but they need to do so in a calculated fashion. Also, it is ALWAYS a good idea to call in a professional who's done this before -- an outsider -- that's what we do. As an outsider, we will have a better view of your risks, vulnerabilities, AND opportunities to pivot because we aren't so close to the plan or the problem.

The COVID-19 situation is stress testing the system exposing vulnerabilities and as a result, brilliant minds are focused on correcting these vulnerabilities. The markets do not need to panic.

The upside is that we are creative creatures. Nature’s best attempts to wipe us out have failed to overcome our collective ingenuity. We will learn from this, we will readjust, we will plan better and we'll be stronger afterwards.

We're going to solidify our pandemic and disaster recovery plans. We're going to know what to do in the future and we're going to plug the holes in our value and supply chains so we're able to deliver goods and services going forward in a stronger way. 

Trying to time the market is a difficult thing even in stable times. When things DO appear to be in the upswing, however, the companies who have plans in place similar to the ones we help produce are EXACTLY the ones you should consider investing in, because they will be able to prosper in both good times and bad.

There are many small businesses out there that are nimble, creative and able to provide goods and services to larger businesses who have holes in their supply chains. The ability to plug these holes is a massive strength that can and should be leveraged in this time of need!