Learning from Adversity

Last week the snow and ice in our area resulted in many cancellations and delays. Large organizations, schools, universities and every hospital system I worked in have plans and protocols for notifying staff, students and clients of closures and delays. It definitely makes it easier and reduces the questions if a protocol is in place and it is known in advance.

For the first time, we had to cancel and reschedule one of our Capacity Building workshops, Purposeful Boards, Powerful Fundraising. In the process we realized that it would be useful to have more detailed plans and instructions in place. Now on the Go Sign Me Up confirmations there will be a number to check if you have questions about any workshop we are offering and you have registered for here. We will also put notification on local TV stations, email and call numbers participants have supplied us. My hope is now that we have our own workshop disaster plan in place; we will not need it very often! If your plan is not in place or there were kinks in it- for example, people without power have trouble checking email-it may be time to review and revise the plan. Despite our efforts, we had a couple people show up who had not checked their phone messages. We learned we need to work on our communication. There were probably some things to be learned for each of us as individuals or organizations. You often know or were told in driver's education that having extra windshield deicer, a snow shovel, and salt or cat litter in your car are useful. I was never without these in my car trunk fall through spring while living in Ann Arbor. When you are in a climate where such vital supplies are needed infrequently, it is easy to get complacent. I found myself with no salt, thinking you should know better! I would bet I was not the only area resident caught wondering what was I thinking? It is a wake-up call and learning experience.