Do You Have A Plan OR Just Good Intentions?

Do You Have A Plan OR Just Good Intentions? 

Over the past few briefs, we’ve looked at everyday disruptions that quietly drain time, money, and trust. This week, I want to zoom out to something even more foundational: leadership and decision clarity when something goes sideways.

Most businesses do not struggle because owners do not care; they struggle because resilience is often informal, assumed, or “we’ll figure it out when it happens.” If you are running lean and juggling everything at once, that mindset makes sense, until one inconvenient disruption exposes the gaps no one realized were there. This edition highlights two common patterns I see locally and one ten-minute step you can use to turn good intentions into a simple, usable plan.

Even though this brief focuses on everyday readiness, not worst-case scenarios, it’s worth remembering that the U.S. Small Business Administration notes that statistics show 25% of businesses won’t open again after a disaster. The simplest way to reduce that risk is not a huge binder. It is clear leadership, clear communication, and a first-hour plan your team can follow.

This brief looks at:
The “silent decision gap.” In many small and mid-sized businesses, people are good at their roles but unsure who makes the call when a disruption hits. If the owner is out, or if two managers disagree “in the moment,” the business loses time. The result is not just a slow response; it is inconsistent service, frustrated staff, and customers who notice the uncertainty.

Plans that exist only in memory. Some businesses have a plan, but it lives in one person’s head. Others have notes scattered across texts, emails, or a shared drive that only one person really uses. When pressure hits, the team does not need a perfect plan. They need a simple decision and communication routine everyone recognizes.

One 10-minute step: Write a “First Hour Leadership Card.”
Take ten minutes this week and create a short, single-page “First Hour” guide. Keep it simple:

• Who is in charge if the owner is unavailable.

• Who communicates to staff and customers.

• The top three “stop-the-bleeding” priorities for your first hour.

• The one place your team can find updates and next steps.

This small step aligns with the Leadership & Governance domain of my Small Business Resilience Score™ (SBRS). It turns vague “confidence” into shared clarity, which is what prevents a bad hour from becoming a bad week.

If you want a fast snapshot of how your leadership readiness stacks up across the full SBRS domains, you can take my 2-minute mini-assessment below. From there, I can help you build a simple priority list, an Outage-Ready in 30 Days™ plan, or a deeper SBRS review based on your goals. Click the links below. 

Take the 2-minute mini-assessment
Resilience Intelligence page
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If you are unsure who leads, communicates, or decides when something unexpected hits, that is exactly the gap I help local owners close quickly and calmly.

Thank you,

Warren