Do You Even Have a Checklist?
Taking time to work through plans for continuity of operations is time well spent. Not unlike investing in a strategy, its payoff comes in ways we can’t always predict. We know bad things can happen but the impact of the bad thing can be significantly reduced with just a little extra effort beforehand.
Knock on wood, hurricane season is nearly over. If you’re a Floridian, you know. Depending on where you live, disruptions like hurricanes can seem distant and even abstract. Checklists and a basic store of supplies can make what might be a major disruption just a minor inconvenience.
Adapting to Unforeseen Disruptions
The pandemic caused another form of disruption that most did not previously imagine and that none of us had ever seen. Some moved on without too much trouble. I’ll note that the defense industry’s special status as a critical industry spared it from the pain that many other sectors were forced to work through. Hospitality took a severe blow for example.
Cyber threats have been a possibility for decades. Large companies understand too well that intrusions and hacks are now the norm, not the exception. You likely know a company that has lived through the difficulties of an intrusion or ransom event.
The impact of a cyber event can be crippling, costly, and negatively affect your customer relationships. Begrudgingly adopting the government’s CMMC protocols is the wrong mindset. View cyber integrity as an investment that will protect your livelihood. There are no guarantees in this rapidly evolving landscape, but ignoring its potential is imprudent.
Preparedness in Action
In each scenario above, prior preparation is essential.
Think back to March of 2020 when the pandemic forced you to reconsider remote work, customer contact plans, and the need (or lack of need) for travel.
- Did you learn new things about your business and your people?
- Did you capture any lessons?
- Did you seek input from your teams on their perspectives?
- Did your policies stand up to all the systemic stress?
- Has your business model been forced to change?
Right now, you have more time than you realize to reflect on the state of your business. As I’ve written previously, good strategy has to be ongoing. The conditions of the world as it was six months ago have already changed, and they’re sure to change again.
Who on your team refreshes the checklists periodically? As you approach year-end, it’s a good time to identify how you can strengthen your resiliency and continuity of operations for the coming year.
For a copy of my book, Pitching the Big Top: How to Master the 3-Ring Circus of Federal Sales, and more information on federal sales, visit Capitol Integration.
