What’s the plan for summer? What’s the plan for fall? What’s the plan for next year?
What’s the plan if Covid comes back? What’s the plan if there are supply chain disruptions? What’s the plan if a fire, or a tornado, or a flood hits the office? What’s the plan if ALL of those proposals get accepted and ALL of that work gets added to the pipeline?
Your people want to follow a leader who knows where they are going. You don’t have to come up with the details for all of these plans, but it’s a good idea to have a “big picture” concept of the plan. You can always brainstorm with key team members to fill in more of the structure. You can delegate generating the emergency plans, or creating the project budget, etc., but make sure that someone has thought things through in advance, and that these plans are communicated.
Personally, I feel more comfortable and confident when there is a “flow-chart” plan that has been communicated that covers all reasonable contingencies. “If A happens, we will do B. If C happens, we will do D.”
Give your people the reassurance that your team will be moving in the right direction, and that, if something bad happens, you have a way to make sure you all will make it through okay.
(Photo by Sander Weeteling on Unsplash)