Becoming Our Best
THE PARADOX OF PREPAREDNESS
A clear pattern has emerged over my years of experience, living through difficult situations in the mountains, on ships at sea, working on construction projects and in other places. When we were not prepared for an emergency, a possibly tragic event would happen. When we were prepared for it, the tragic event usually did not occur.
After a lot of thought I developed this helpful guideline: The time, effort and money you spend in preparations for an emergency event usually are much less than the time, effort and money you will spend to recover from the actual emergency. So how can we apply this concept in our personal lives and with our teams?
• Think continuously about what emergencies might occur and how to avoid or prepare for them.
• Do on-line research to find the best ways to prepare.
• Learn from others’ experience about potential disasters and how they have prepared themselves for them. Professional associations have excellent information of this type.
• Educate your team about being proactive and ready for emergency situations before they occur.
Take the time to think about potential emergencies like earthquakes, fires, civil disturbances, terrorism and the others that may occur in your personal life and at work. Then analyze and plan how you can best prepare.
As for the time, money and other resources involved, think of them as a kind of “insurance” against the worst case. Nearly all of us buy fire insurance each year, hoping to never use it. The same holds true for resources expended in emergency preparedness. Be prepared!
Author: Bruce Johnsen Management Consultant:
824 Munras Ave Suite G
Monterey, CA 93940
831-373-5969
bruce@brucejohnsen.com
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