A few weeks ago I had a shocking phone call while at work. It was my neighbor who in a very cheery, friendly voice said “just to let you know, the bus got here early so Tess is at our house”. Well that would have been so nice to hear, except my daughter was not suppose to take the bus home that afternoon and I wasn’t scheduled to pick her up at school for another hour!
Through a series of unfortunate random errors she got put on the bus instead. Luckily, the bus driver waited for her while she rang our doorbell. Luckily Tess knows several families on her block. Luckily they were home. Was it “luck” or careful planning? To tell the truth it was a bit of both.
We did talk to our daughter about what to do anytime we weren’t home and we were supposed to be. A fantastic result of our monthly neighborhood social gatherings (Flamingo Fridays) is that Tess is familiar with several adults/families on our block. In turn, our neighbors know us and our schedule too. We cultivated these relationships for “fun”, but these people have become a trusted safety net. Perhaps that is a plan.
I also took the time to meet Tess’ bus driver. I know his name and he knows mine. He also knows that I am always at that corner when the bus arrives. He didn’t need to do it, but he waited for my daughter, got her back on the bus, drove her to another house and waited until he knew someone was there. An acquaintance played an important role in keeping our daughter safe. Perhaps that is luck.
Professionally I also had a safety scare. A blog post turned into a published article. I thought it was luck, others thought it was planning. My opinion made me and my business unexpectedly vulnerable. I needed a safety net. I didn’t have a “plan B”. Fortunately I have a strong core of trusted partners. However, I am now inspired to renew my sense of community and to reach out to some more “acquaintances”. Who knows, maybe a new connection will wait with me until a door is opened.
So, I’m building my business plan B. It is important to know your career, your company and partners can weather a crisis. Maybe my plan will work, or maybe luck will step in. How is your Plan B? Does yours work, or do you need a new one?
Hey, Wendy. In our book on teaching kids about social and environmental sustainability, my co-author Chris Maser wrote a section on the importance of back-up systems. We are so focused on efficiency in so many parts of our lives today, that we often forget about the importance of these safety nets/planned redundancies. Great post and I’m it all worked out for Tess.
As a professional recruiter I meet people looking for a job every day. During these economic times, job security means different things to different people. Unfortunately, many people have it wrong and don’t realize it until it is too late.
What I have found is job security requires three keys (1) marketable skills – do other organizations have a need for your skills (2) being very good at your job – the Twin Cities is a very small town (3) having a strong and diverse network of supporters that know what your skills are and that you are very good at your job.
If you keep these keys in mind, you have a Plan B.