Crisis Management

How do you manage when faced with a crisis? When things suddenly tank, or something happens you weren’t expecting?

Stop the issue becoming a crisis

Crisis Management: How to Handle the Unexpected

I’ve always prided myself on my ability to cope with almost anything that gets thrown at me. I usually do so quite calmly. However, I might go to pieces afterward. Once the crisis is over and the adrenaline subsides, my mind starts racing with all the ‘what-if’ scenarios. But in the heat of a real situation, the cool, collected me takes charge.

Most recently, my husband had an extreme and completely unexpected anaphylactic episode. This incident resulted in an ambulance with full blues and twos, followed by a three-day hospital stay until he was stabilized and sent home with a bag full of epi-pens!

I handled the situation calmly and quickly. I made him comfortable and kept him calm until emergency services arrived. Afterward, I cleaned up debris. I didn’t realize how much stuff a paramedic carries on a call-out, but everything is in its own sterile packaging. I had half a bin bag full of wrappings and sticky pads to dispose of!

Blues and Twos!

The Aftermath of Crisis

Then, I fell apart. The shock hit me hard, and I burst into tears. Every possible doomsday scenario flooded my mind. Apparently, that’s a normal reaction to such an event. But why do we focus on what could have happened or what should have been done differently?

Understanding Human Nature in Crisis

We often fixate on negatives. Situations arise that we can’t control. We all make mistakes and mis-judgments. Life happens, and things don’t always go according to plan. Yet we cling to those thoughts.

The simple answer lies in human nature. When we face problems, we try to make sense of them. We question what led to them and what we did or didn’t do that may have contributed. We may also think about what we should do the next time we encounter a similar problem.

In business, we need to document these thoughts. We must put contingencies in place to deal with any potential crisis. This strategy is called a Business Continuity Management Plan or BCMP.

Preparing Your Business Continuity Management Plan

What is a BCMP?

A Business Continuity Management Plan (BCMP) serves as your safety net for the unthinkable. It acts as a guidebook that ensures your business can steady itself, regroup, and continue to operate after a crisis. While drafting such a plan may sound daunting, it’s less about predicting every possible disaster and more about being ready to adapt with intention and confidence.

Where to Start

So, where do you begin? The process starts with a thorough risk assessment. Identify the critical processes or functions essential for your business's survival. Which parts of your operations are most vulnerable? What would the impact be if those parts were disrupted? Talk to your team, gather perspectives, and create a list of potential threats. Consider everything from IT outages to supply chain hiccups, natural disasters to key personnel falling ill.

Assessing the Risks

Once you've mapped out the risks, analyze the consequences of each. This step leads to your business impact analysis. What would a one-hour, one-day, or one-week disruption mean for your finances, reputation, and customers? These insights help you identify priorities—those vital processes that must be protected at all costs.

Strategy Development

Next, outline your strategies to keep critical functions running, no matter the circumstances. This could involve backup suppliers, remote work protocols, off-site data storage, or cross-training staff to fill in for each other. The goal is to build flexibility and resilience into your operations. This way, you’re not thrown into chaos by any single point of failure.

Documenting Your BCMP

Importance of Documentation

Documentation is key. Your BCMP should be clear, practical, and accessible to anyone who might need it in a hurry. Include the following essential items:

• 📌 Contact list for staff

• 📌 Details of key suppliers

• 📌 Details of key customers

• 📌 Step-by-step instructions or actions to take in any scenario

• 📌 Backup contacts for supplies and services

• 📌 Clear roles and responsibilities

• 📌 Escalation processes

  
  

The Next Steps

Once your BCMP is in place, you might think that’s it. But it’s just the beginning. Your plan should be dynamic. It needs regular reviews and testing:

• Update for changes in staff or processes

• Assess any new technology or equipment

• Conduct simulations and encourage feedback from everyone involved

  
  

It’s crucial for key staff to have access to the plan, preferably in both electronic and physical formats in case of power outages or unforeseen circumstances.

All employees should know their expected roles, including when they might need to cover for a colleague. Knowing who will step in and what tasks that entails will streamline your response during a crisis.

Get Ahead of the Game

So, what are you waiting for? Get started on your BCMP today. Prepare yourself and your business to handle the unexpected with confidence, and if you need help, click here to contact Smallbizbod today.