Take Time Now to Make Time Later

Several years ago, I attended the Westchester County Fire Academy. In addition to the physical skills that a firefighter candidate, commonly called a “probie,” is required to learn, we were also tested on our ability to learn concepts quickly. This was a key theme at the academy. Given the nature of the job of firefighter, it was important for candidates to learn how to do things quickly and correctly. As academy staff would say to us, “You will not only do the skill until you get it right; you will do the skill until you cannot get it wrong.”

One day at the academy, my probie classmates and I stood outside on the searing blacktop in the training yard in 95 degree heat. All of us were being berated by an instructor for one student’s mistake – an air pack without an attached breathing mask. This was a grave error. Our academy instructors had said time and time again to keep your air pack connected to the mask. In the real world, this would have been a potentially fatal mistake.

Our instructor that day was a stickler to the rules. A former Marine, he decided to make an example out of this student. After a lecture on the error, we were ordered to stand outside while we assembled and disassembled air packs for hours. Given the heat, the process was more difficult than usual as our foreheads were dripping with sweat, obscuring our vision. 

During the exercise, the instructor imparted an important lesson that stretched beyond how to properly assemble an air pack. He said that as firefighters we must “take time now to make time later.” Shouting at us in his guttural drill sergeant voice, he explained, “Valuable time is saved by preparing for a potential task ahead of you. Always be ready.”

In crisis response, I find that this is an important lesson for business as well. Taking the time now to prepare for potential crises can meaningfully improve an organization’s ability to get through a crisis effectively.

When organizations have not taken the time to prepare for potential crises, time is often wasted when a crisis strikes trying to figure out the process by which to respond rather than responding. This causes meaningful, harmful delays and makes it less likely the initial response to the crisis be effective in maintaining the trust of those who matter most. Additionally, without a clear understanding of the predictable patterns of crisis and crisis response, it is far more likely that leaders will make choices that feel good in the moment but that ultimately cause more harm.

This is not the case for organizations that invest time, energy, and resources into preparing for the potential of future crises.

This ideal state is known as crisis readiness. There are two forms of crisis readiness that are important for organizations to develop. One form of crisis readiness can best be understood as operational readiness. Operational readiness is about establishing clarity and accountability of role, clarity and accountability of process, and clear, easy to follow procedures for a crisis.

The other form of crisis readiness can best be understood as mental readiness. Mental readiness is about developing a strategic mindset among decision makers that is focused on stakeholders and their appropriate expectations in a crisis, as well as establishing clear criteria to make decisions in a crisis based on crisis response best practices and principles rather than personal preference.

When organizations invest time, energy, and resources to attain crisis readiness, leaders are able to make and execute smart choices quickly in a crisis and respond in ways that are predictably effective. Moreover, organizations are able to save precious time and energy by focusing on executing an effective crisis response, rather than scrambling to figure out who does what, when, and how.

In other words, investing time before a crisis occurs to prepare for crises far better equips organizations to respond effectively once a crisis strikes. Or, to put it another way, take time now to build crisis readiness will save you time, energy, and confusion when it really counts.