Expect The Unexpected

Expecting the unexpected is a vital part of risk management for businesses, large and small. 

Former US President Dwight Eisenhower said, "Plans are nothing; planning is everything.” Another American luminary, Benjamin Franklin, is reputed to have said, ‘By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.’

Big corporations spend huge amounts on business continuity plans, but it can be a challenge for small and medium-sized businesses to match those plans, although the risks are the same for both and the consequences can be catastrophic.

We can anticipate some potential risks and have a backup plan.

It’s not the challenges you can predict that can bite you; it’s the almost unimaginable scenario that can create the existential threat.

There has been a threat of terrorism for decades, but nobody anticipated the tragic events in New York during the 9/11 tragedy back in 2001. It happened in a period of about two hours, but the repercussions are still being felt more than twenty years later.

Although few predicted the 2007–2008 global financial crisis and its significant impact on business, they failed to fully understand its 'what, when, and where'.

It took a toll on world economies, which made problems. even now, for the man or woman in the street. Businesses failed, job losses occurred, and prices escalated.

More recently, we went into 2020 without expecting the COVID pandemic and its impact on our country. By February, and especially March 2020, the consequences were colossal. At one point, over ten million people were on furlough, and the whole country was in lockdown. 

We racked up our national debt to a massive extent, which is causing much of the economic challenges being faced by the government today, and of course it has taken its toll on all of us.

Climate change is making almost everything unpredictable. Nothing is clearer than the recent hurricanes in Florida and the catastrophic floods in southern Spain. 

Valencia experienced a year’s rainfall in one day. The consequential flooding caused extensive damage and an almost unimaginable death toll.

So, weather, cyberthreats, economics, and actual earthquakes can appear in the twinkling of an eye, and the consequences can be instantaneous and dramatic.

Global crises like the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the terrible death tolls in the Middle East are examples of global crises, but small things closer to home like strikes and localised dramatic events are always sitting in the wings and can be devastating to our communities, businesses, and population.

It’s time to think the unthinkable and make preparations for the unexpected.

Business continuity and disaster planning are essential parts of modern business and ensure organisations can maintain their critical business functions during—and after—an incident has occurred. It is the foundation of a resilient organisation.

The British Standards Institute's ISO 22301 Business Continuity provides guidance.
Guidelines. https://prepare.campaign.gov.uk/

There’s a quote, credited to ‘unknown,’ that said: "The only thing harder than planning for an emergency is explaining why you didn't." Another excellent quote on this subject is “You can't prepare for everything, but you can prepare for anything.”

Almost everyday emergencies happen here in the UK and across the globe. These can be caused by severe weather or other natural hazards or by calculated actions. Accidents or infrastructure failures can also cause these events. Events can happen instantly and are over in a few hours, or they can develop and continue over the course of several days, months, or sometimes even longer.

Business recovery planning is about ensuring that your business can pick up again after a damaging incident. 

Ian Garner

Ian Garner is a retired Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute (FCMI) and the Institute of Directors (FIoD).

Ian is a board member of Maggie’s Yorkshire. Maggie’s provides emotional and practical cancer support and information in centres across the UK and online, with their centre in Leeds based at St James’s Hospital.

He is the founder and director of Practical Solutions Management, a strategic consulting practice, and is skilled in developing strategy and providing strategic direction, specialising in business growth and leadership.