I was held up last week by the continuing eruptions of Mt. Redoubt near Anchorage, AK. I had traveled to Anchorage for the finalization of my security clearance with the Ted Stevens International Airport. Arriving on Wednesday and expecting to leave on Friday morning, I rushed around to complete my duties on Thursday. And then, she blew again. The overnight eruption caused cancellations galore. I was able to rebook for Saturday and crossed my fingers that the volcano could be still for another day. And on Saturday, I was able to leave Anchorage and get back into Ketchikan. That little interruption in my usually fast paced work life, gave me a moment to pause and do a quick checkup, comparing work to the volcano. Business interruptions happen to all of us. We get caught up in things we have no control over. Get a bit lazy in our communication skills. Or procrastinate. And that is when, what normally would be a hiccup, turns into an eruption. Hiccups can be uncomfortable, sometimes loud and out of control. But they don’t usually last very long and rarely leave permanent damage. Not managing the hiccups can lead to dangerous ramifications. If your problem turns becomes volcanic, your business can become paralyzed by the ash fallout (your employees) , the lava (PR ) can forever change the way you do business and with whom. Clean up is costly and time consuming. Some damages can never be recovered from. So how do you stop hiccups and not allow them to become a volcano. Communication, dedication and making sure the rubber meets the road every single day. For instance, what happens when your staff completes and prints all the billing, but then leaves it on the counter on the eve of a holiday weekend? What impact does that have? Seemingly innocuous enough, it will go out with the mailman on Tuesday, right? Yes, it will. But the hiccup is that for several extra days, the cash flow to the business is interrupted. When you are trying hard to keep all hands working, no hourly cuts, or layoffs, this cash flow is critical. So let’s envision that three departments billed $2,000 for the week, each held the mail till Tuesday. This is $6,000 for one week that is now delayed by another 5 days. Just for fun, let’s say that money was in the bank on time and you collect 2% interest on it. That is $120. That doesn’t sound like much until you multiply it by 12 – $1,440 annually. That is a nice vacation, a great staff holiday party, a large donation to your company charities and so on. Now leaving the mail over a holiday weekend turns into more than a hiccup. Not yet a volcanic eruption, but a pretty loud hiccup. The eruption happens when you don’t communicate the above information with your staff. If they don’t know these numbers and/or direct results, they cannot modify the behavior to avoid having it happen again. Failing to communicate with them, allows the incident to rent space in your head and boil in your subconscious. A simple heads up with some details about the situation lets them understand why you want the mail to go out daily, especially on Fridays. What about when someone in your workplace doesn’t follow company protocol? In my business, that could be life changing for someone. It doesn’t matter if it is a drug screen, lab draw or a CPR class. If we do it wrong or skip steps, serious ramifications develop. The actions of a physician, HR supervisor or the bystander that saves your life, are built on the TSS staff member following strict protocols. The hiccup is when a mistake is made, discovered and rectified. The volcanic eruption happens when the error is discovered and not corrected immediately. I believe that sincere dedication to the client will stop the hiccups. Allowing the situation to expand into ash and lava flow, now damages your business credibility forever. A hiccup is an interruption — will eventually stop and probably won’t kill you. A volcano has far more serious issues to deliver and sometimes changes your life forever. Many of these situations can be avoided by adhering to the mantra “where the rubber meets the road” every single day. By each member of your team knowing the expectation of communication and dedication, achieving rubber status daily becomes much easier. At the end of the day, the manager or business owner takes on the full responsibility of the company. And part of that responsibility is leading with clear communication, dedication and making sure you demonstrate to your staff, customers and yourself that you can get the rubber on the road, and burn it! The bottom line is this. When you are trying to fly (run your business) and the volcano keeps erupting (issues), take some time to think about how you can go around, over, under the mountain, fix the problem, without getting any ash or lava in your eyes. Communicate with dedication to rubber meeting the road, every day. Safe Journeys ~ Renee