Quick Coaching Tip – In Case of Emergency
Oh my gosh, it’s been a challenging couple of weeks around here. My sweetie had a health issue that required a couple of late-night visits to the emergency room and an emergency surgery (which created a complication that nearly ended him). Thankfully, he’s fine now and on the road to recovery.
With our normal daily routines turned upside-down, while I did have to cancel some appointments I was glad to have systems in place that allowed me to devote my time to caring for him without completely turning my back on my business. And because his team knew how to proceed in his absence, he could recuperate without worrying about what was happening at work.
The time, of course to prepare for an emergency is before you ever need it. There’s a ripple of fear that if “what you think about you bring about”, then if you think about preparing for the worst, the worst is bound to occur. What a bunch of bunk! Not the Law of Attraction itself, but you have to do more than “think” about something to make it happen. You have not only to prepare for it, but to actively pursue it. By preparing for an emergency you are protecting your interests, not looking for trouble.
Let’s look at some ways to put your own systems in place to help you get by in case of emergency.
The Boy Scout Motto
- Know where everything is in advance. Just like a fireman doesn’t have time to scramble around looking for his boots and helmet when the alarm sounds, you don’t need the extra stress of searching for your keys when you need to rush out the door.
- Pack and label like a “frequent flyer”. Keep all your travel accessories in one place so you can easily grab them.
- Have everything in working order (cell phone charged, gas tank full, etc). The last thing you want to do is search for an open gas station at midnight, or not be able to make an important call because your battery died.
- Take it “to go” – have your e-reader and mp3 player loaded. Keep them full of ebooks and podcasts you can use to keep your mind occupied when you can’t do anything else but worry.
Enlist Your Lists
- Have your schedule & tasks organized. In an everyday situation doing this will alleviate the stress that chaos brings, in an emergency this is invaluable.
- Decide what you need to do vs what can be delegated, then delegate the rest. Really, your attention is needed elsewhere.
- Update your contact lists of names, numbers, emails, etc. You’ll want to be able to easily reach out when you need to.
- Keep a list of “busy work” that can be performed anywhere. Whether it’s sorting though you email inbox or doing needlepoint, have a list of ideas to keep yourself occupied during the times you have nothing to do but wait.
Train Your Team
- Delegate before hand. Talk with your team to decide who will be responsible for what tasks in your absence (remember this goes for any time you want to take a day off or go on vacation as well as during an emergency).
- Give them the tools & training to do the job. Put your procedures in writing for each task and make sure your team understands them and is able to follow them.
- Be sure they have access to your contact lists of names, numbers, emails, etc.
- Accept they won’t do things exactly as you would. If you have given them the appropriate tools and training to get the job done, they will do it to the best of their ability – not your’s. And that is perfectly OK.
Multiple Streams
- Don’t rely on one source of income. If you are a small business owner who can’t perform in your primary revenue source during an emergency, be sure you have passive streams in place to tide you over. Even if you are happily employed, depending on your company alone to cover all your expenses is, let’s just say a little “pie-in-the-sky”.
- Have products available for online purchase. These can be information products – e-books, how-to videos or audios, etc that can be instantly downloaded, or physical products that you can train your team to ship for you.
- Not sure where to start? Look at your hobbies – are you interested in arts and crafts, collectibles?
- If you have a business, an online presence is a basic necessity (if you don’t have one yet, contact me to discuss how to get started). If you are looking for a side revenue selling your wares, look into setting up an online boutique like those in Etsy.com. Or if beauty is more your thing, companies like MaryKay empower their reps to design schedules to fit their lives.
“Despair is most often the offspring of illpreparedness “. While being prepared for an emergency won’t change the situation, it will change how you are able to face it and how you are able to get through it.
