Are you and your team working harder than ever but still not making forward progress on your business continuity objectives?
You’ve read all the books and listened to all the podcasts but you’re still at a loss for where to even begin. Or perhaps fear and doubt are simply keeping you from taking action.
Whether you’re looking to level up or just get back on track, I often find one-on-one coaching to be the just-in-time tailored solution that my clients need to get unstuck, gain clarity, and take their next best step.
Here’s how coaching can help you clear your business continuity and crisis management program roadblocks and what you can expect.
The Benefits of Business Continuity & Crisis Management Coaching
An outsider’s perspective
Most of us are familiar with ambiguous images. The picture of the duck that when turned on the end looks a lot more like a rabbit.
We all have a unique perspective that informs the lens through which we see particular business challenges. That particular lens can also influence your approach to solving them. If you’re looking at your problem like a duck but it’s really a rabbit, then your solutions and action steps may be all wrong.
Sometimes, you’re too close to the problem to see it accurately. An outsider’s perspective can be the simple insight you need to find the solutions that are probably already in front of you.
Encouragement and support
My coaching clients often already know what they need to do to solve their problems. But they doubt their own judgment and are terrified to actually take the next step.
Discussing your business challenges with a trusted expert can help you uncover new solutions to your business continuity & crisis management problems or validate the ones that you already have in mind.
We often seek the advice of others for trivial decisions about the likes of fashion and food—” Does this shirt match these shoes? Should I have the chicken or steak?”—so why don’t we do so more often in our business? Having the encouragement and feedback of a coach may be exactly what you need to make your next move with confidence and conviction.
Validation for your ideas
We’ve all heard the play that one way to get support for your ideas is to convince the boss that it was her’s begin with.
But what if that doesn’t work?
Long before I was a consultant and coach, I stood in those shoes—a junior leader still building my war chest of experience and unable to get buy-in on action steps that I knew were critical for our program. Yet if those exact same ideas or course of action came from an outside consultant, my leaders were much more receptive.
If you’re struggling to get buy-in within your organization, the gravitas of an outside coach or consultant may be just what you need to get your leaders on board.
A trusted partner in times of trouble
When COVID-19 hit, the companies that we helped respond the fastest were the ones we were working with before the pandemic hit. We knew their businesses inside and out, we understood their needs and their capabilities, and we knew precisely what would be impacted by the situation.
Because of our existing relationship as a trusted advisor, we could move more quickly to help them adjust operations and keep their business running.
The best time to engage the advice of a business continuity & crisis management expert is before the “boom” hits. And business continuity & crisis management coaching is one way to do it.
An insider’s network
When you work with a coach who is truly an expert in their field, that relationship often comes with access to their network of specialists, consultants, and service providers that can be invaluable when an emergent need or crisis hits.
As one example, one of our clients was faced with a very serious threat of workplace violence and needed to quickly bring in an armed security provider for the duration of the threat. Utilizing our extensive network of crisis management and business continuity professionals, we were able to quickly provide them with a list of trusted providers that we knew to be reputable and thorough.
Having a pre-established relationship with a business continuity and crisis management expert can ensure that you are able to quickly find the information and the help that you need when you need it most.
Is coaching the right solution for me?
In my experience, when you find the right coach or coaching program, the experience is rarely if ever invaluable. Here are some common reasons that you might want to consider working with a coach.
You need help with a problem
One-off coaching can be a great solution if you have a discrete problem that needs solving.
- You’ve gotten an audit report that you don’t know how to address.
- You need to brief the CEO and don’t know how to prepare.
- You’re struggling to get resources or buy-in for your program or are finding it difficult to meet key objectives.
Perhaps you need the help of someone more experienced to lead you through the steps. Or maybe you simply need an outsider’s perspective to validate or uncover new solutions.
In one or a handful of coaching sessions, an effective coach can help you see your problem more clearly and create an actionable plan to move forward.
You’re new to the job or in need of specific capabilities
Maybe you’ve got the talent but are short on experience. If you’re lucky, your organization has a deep roster of crisis management and business continuity experts to provide you with the coaching and mentorship you need.
If not, coaching can be a great way to find a shadow leader or mentor that can help you develop the knowledge and skills that you lack.
Regular coaching with a business continuity and crisis management expert can help you confidently address emergent challenges and build your professional playbook until you’re ready to stand on your own.
You’re ready to level up
If you’re confident in your business continuity and crisis management skills and your program is working as it should, I applaud you.
I also encourage you to take this time to level up your skills and prepare for the inevitable challenges that are still ahead.
Individual or group coaching, or some combination of both, can be invaluable in helping you reach the next level in your business continuity program or career.
I find group coaching to be especially helpful in providing:
- The experiences and perspectives of those at different points in their business continuity and crisis management journey
- A robust network that can help in finding new resources and trusted service providers
- Constructive feedback from the “hive mind” on specific challenges or problems
Business continuity coaching: Your next best step?
Self-reliance is indispensable…if you’re lost in the woods or have a flat tire.
But when it comes to moving your business continuity program forward, going it alone is seldom the best course of action.
If you’re ready to move beyond the things that are still not working…
If you’re ready to put in the work…
If you’re ready for actionable insights and a no-BS game plan to take charge of your professional and programmatic success…
Then coaching just might be your next best step.
Bryghtpath Chief Executive Bryan Strawser has nearly three decades of experience in executive and consulting roles leading the business continuity, crisis management, and crisis communications programs of Fortune 30 organizations and more. He is the author of our Ultimate Guide to Business Continuity and our Ultimate Guide to Crisis Management.
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