Disasters of major magnitude are major news again after the Gulf coast region of the United States was hit by 2 major hurricanes. So it is very timely for me to ask each of you: “Do you know where your disaster recovery plan is?” “Do you even have a disaster recovery plan or crisis management plan?” “What business contingency plans do you have?” I am very concerned that in too many cases the answers would be “No” “No” and “None!”

The plain hard truth is that if your business is going to continue to perform at a profitable or administratively adequate level when a crisis occurs, crisis/emergency planning is imperative. You must have a properly prepared disaster recovery plan in place and have the appropriate staff fully briefed on their responsibilities.

Businesses need to focus on demonstrating a capacity to effectively manage and weather a crisis. This can be done by employing effective security measures to prevent crisis incidents arising and by designing adequate contingency plans to invoke when crises occur. A successful business approach to crisis management and recovery must be flexible, feasible, and practical.

The basic steps to develop an effective crisis management plan include 1. Identify a crisis management team 2. Assess the most likely crisis scenarios 3. Develop a crisis management plan document 4. Conduct periodic crisis training exercises 5. Develop guidelines for crisis communications – internal & external 6. Continuously review and refine the plan. ??

My challenge to you is to start developing your own disaster recovery/crisis management plans NOW! You do not have to do this alone. In fact, I do recommend outside assistance.

Glenn Ebersole, Jr. is a multi-faceted professional, who is recognized as a visionary, guide and facilitator in the fields of business coaching, marketing, public relations, management, strategic planning and engineering. Glenn is the Founder and Chief Executive of two Lancaster, PA based consulting practices: The Renaissance Group, a creative marketing, public relations, strategic planning and business development consulting firm and J. G. Ebersole Associates, an independent professional engineering, marketing, and management consulting firm. He is a Certified Facilitator and serves as a business coach and a strategic planning facilitator and consultant to a diverse list of clients. Glenn is also the author of a monthly newsletter, “Glenn’s Guiding Lines – Thoughts From Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach” and has published more than 250 articles on business.

To find out more about the benefits & rewards of effectively working with a strategic thinking business coach, please contact Glenn Ebersole through his web site at http://www.businesscoach4u.com or jgecoach@aol.com

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