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Switching from Defense to Offense

Writer's picture: Del ChattersonDel Chatterson

Switching from Defense to Offense

Are we there yet?

Do you know your Basic Defensive Interval? For a business start-up, it’s the number of weeks or months before you get to break-even cash flow. For an operating business, it’s how long can you survive a disaster without any revenue. You may have business interruption insurance or a disaster plan, but how much cash did you have set aside to carry you through such an event? We always knew there were unpredictable economic and business risks that we could not prevent or avoid.

None of us were prepared to manage through a global pandemic that would shut down normal business activity for two or three months. Maybe six months to two years before we get back to anything approaching normal business activity. Now is not a good time to discover we cannot survive that long without income.

We are approaching the end of phase one of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, we hope. We have slowed the spread of infections to allow health care workers and facilities to handle the case load. Is it time to start switching from defense to offense? Caution and constant monitoring will be appropriate as businesses reopen and people go back to work, but it’s time to get ready.

The tactics for good management through any business crisis or disaster remain the same:

  1. Demonstrate conspicuous and effective leadership. Lead by example. Show compassion and understanding of the pressures and the anxieties everyone is feeling.

  2. Assess the new business environment and the new protocols and regulations in place and the changes going forward.

  3. Determine current employee and customer needs and expectations and the most effective responses from comparable businesses in your industry.

  4. Stay focused. Avoid being distracted by the bombardment of pandemic news. Don’t freeze. Don’t over-react. Be calm, rational, reassuring and pro-active.

  5. Don’t neglect the good news. Look for the silver lining in the dark clouds – maybe we’ve learned something beyond working more effectively from home.

Some Enlightened Entrepreneurs and political leaders are demonstrating how it should be done. You can learn from them too.

In summary:

Be brave, be flexible, be creative. Be informed, make decisions, take action. Communicate, communicate, communicate.

Be better. Do better.

And take care of yourself,

Del Chatterson, your Uncle Ralph

Be better. Do better.

And take care of yourself,

Del Chatterson, your Uncle Ralph

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