This week’s focus point…
Lights Out.
The Super Bowl was a thriller; Beyonce was very good; and the commercials, except for three, were dreadful. And, as is usually the case, something out of the ordinary happened in the middle of THE American event of the year…the lights suddenly went out in New Orleans.
For the vast majority of the people watching the game, it was at best something to make fun of and and worst an opportunity to order a pizza. For the teams, it was an annoyance. For the people who run the event and the stadium, it was a crisis. My youngest daughter manages events and I know the commitment and pressure to run a “perfect” event. The fact that this is the Super Bowl only heightens that pressure by about 1000%.
Based on the fact that this was an external event outside the stadium, and that halftime was now over and the game resumed, the management and staff were probably taking a deep breath after the halftime show. To all of a sudden have what possibly could be the worst peril strike, and to get the game back on in just 31 minutes is actually pretty remarkable. Imagine trying to rectify your own crisis with the entire world watching.
In your business, are you prepared to respond when your own crisis happens when you least expect it? In your personal life, you will face adversity with no warning. Are you able to make real time decisions that have big consequences?
The bottom line is that each of us react and respond to crisis differently. Readiness and preparedness always trumps laziness and apathy. I’m certain the staff at the Superdome were prepared for this and had practiced it. The results indicate it. You face will face crises in your professional and personal lives. Your results will indicate your ability to respond.
How prepared are you to turn the lights back on?
© 2013 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved
This week’s quote –
“What makes something special is not just what you have to gain, but what you feel there is to lose.”
~Andre Agassi
