Ok, so you’re watching your favorite TV series as its getting towards the climax. You’re waiting in anticipation of just what’s going to happen next. When suddenly… BOOM! To be continued… is on the screen right where the action is supposed to be! You feel robbed, cheated even. I bet those three little words annoy the pants off you right there and then?
We don’t want words do we? Give us the action, please? Nooooooo ☹! Don’t make us wait another week, let alone another day, for the next episode!
Hero
That makes you the hero right?But you’re the audience and that makes you the hero, right? You are in control. You want it now and you can find a way to make it work for you. Catch up, box set binge, record the series as a whole and watch it when you have the power!
Blast through the TV adverts, as you shoot them down at warp factor x30 speed on the remote control! And just how awesome do you feel when you get us all right to the very start of the next part? Come on… fist pump you because you deserve it; you are the hero!
We want to be in control of the to be continued. We want it now and we don’t want the action to be continued later.
Road Block
But what if the to be continued represented your life? Your work; your business? Your family and your lifestyle? Your source of income? Your vocation? Your status and your purpose? What if, it’s no longer just the tv program that you have to wait for, but it’s the sustainability of your lifetime of adventure, supported through your employment?
Whatever has gone wrong, a magical remote control in your hand isn’t going to give you the option and ability to fast forwardWhat if your workplace is put on hold because something has gone badly wrong and it needs recovering to get back up and fully functioning? Whatever has gone wrong, a magical remote control in your hand isn’t going to give you the option and ability to fast forward, pause or record until you are ready to pick it back up.
You want and need your life adventure in which you are one of the main stars to continue, and one of life’s complications, is that you need the income from that job, to help you on that life journey; to battle the enemies, rescue the beautiful woman/man from danger, then ride off into the beautiful sun set or clear magical night time sky.
This call to adventure we are on is ours because it is our life. Even if we don’t always agree with employers and their dastardly policies and procedures; their evil soldiers and their workplace weapons. You know where the backstabbers are ‘who smile in your face, but all the time they want to take your place (The O’Jays). But you also know where the good people are, the friends; those you like and trust and will be your supporters. Those you need, and in return, need and look up to you.
So, when the workplace is under threat because it could blow up or sink; be attacked by the cyber terrorists or some other source of big major disruption which ultimately, may put you, your life adventure and others at risk, now is the time for the business to be continued.
It’s going to be hard and it’s going to be tough. It isn’t going to be pretty and we might sweat a little as our heart rate gets faster and faster. You may have sat in on a presentation in a past life. This the big one. This battle is called… Business Continuity Management.
But together, with the right guidance and experience; the right coaching and confidence, we can find a way, because once again, you can be the heroes to get us through.
Emerging Through
Plans and procedures may be in place. Risk assessments may have been taken and the business, if they are a good-hearted culture, will know what they want and what they need to do, to survive. They have got business continuity management (BCM for short, to help you save your breath), in place and we should be aware of it, trained and exercised; ready for the call to action to be continued.
But the business needs its heroes like there’s no tomorrow. No catch up, no box set binges, no pause while we go for a wee and put the kettle on. The business needs to continue, and the incident won’t wait for comfort breaks. No recording clashes. You must choose which thing you want to continue viewing?
The business needs its heroes like there’s no tomorrow!But because you want and need your life adventure to be continued and there are people you can help, we can work together to build resilience and help save the day, perhaps even save some lives too!
BCM isn’t just about looking after the business and the enemies within. It isn’t just about keeping its empire going to serve and collaborate with other kingdoms. BCM also helps us live our lives the way we hopefully want to live.
We, said the late Bowie, can be heroes, just for one day. Nah…. scrap that David! Don’t underestimate the size of the task ahead. We may need you to be heroes for more than one day. And together, we can help us all, to be continued.