From Queensland floods to small business crisis, just breathe

25/02/11: From Queensland floods to small business crisis, just breathe. There are not many times in 15 years of running Taurus I've felt under pressure, but as Queensland copes with unexpected floods and New Zealand reacts to the sudden and tragic earthquake in Christchurch, I'm dealing with my own number of unexpected events in my business.

Fifteen years in business is long enough to deal with a wide variety of scenarios, but this past week has proved I can still be thrown some surprises. As I've watched our government leaders step up to cope with traumatic natural disasters, the experience has made me re-evaluate my own skills, stamina, leadership ability and reactions to the unplanned events that can happen as the owner of a business.

I'm in the middle of a new growth spurt at work, which is exciting and liberating after the pressures of the financial crisis. But in the midst of the associated pressures of hiring new people, planning resourcing against finances and ordering new technology and systems, I've dealt with a number of unexpected happenings.

These unplanned events have thrown out schedules and put me and my team members under pressure. On the positive side, these unexpected occurrences have proven the strength of the team, united our focus and created new operational policies. The latter is one of my personal drivers so we constantly establish core processes in the business — I am a firm believer that routine sets you free!

I've admittedly only watched the impact of the earthquake rather than experienced it personally (my thoughts are with you, New Zealand). But in the past 10 days I've dealt with several risk management issues that have distracted my focus and forced policy changes to protect against things happening again.

Two integral members of my team have been forced to take extended sick leave, technology played some nasty prank on us and we've transitioned our IT to the "cloud" over the weekend just as our IT supplier was acquired by another company.

Alongside this, we are delivering excellence and experiencing the high tension of a major national charity PR campaign we feel passionate about that is involving long working days to achieve our target of 7500 registrations for Clean Up Australia Day. The project involves new thinking, running that extra mile, managing additional resources and juggling desks and technology. It is a memorable opportunity.

All of this has been coupled with unexpected personal events. Two dear friends are in intensive care, I've had committee and council obligations, three children's swimming carnival in two days, three sets of school notes, family birthdays, and a sick pet.

I've considered this week — even with my huge personal capacity for output — that leadership is easy when things are good, but what are we really like as business owners when things get pressured or tough?

The reality is we, as leaders, show our true mettle when things are tough. Queensland Premier Anna Bligh has been held in high regard for her dealings with the Queensland floods. And it will be interesting to see how Prime Minister Julia Gillard and New Zealand PM John Key's performances will be considered as the Christchurch disaster unfolds.

So, what are my tips for dealing with the unexpected? My mother reminded me this week to get more sleep, take extra vitamins and declared (as she has many times before) that if I fall over, the family doesn't stand up either. My nine-year-old son Oliver walked up to me yesterday in the office, put one hand on my shoulder and asked, "Are you stressed, Mum?" And with a sweeping stroke of his hand out in front of him, he announced — "Just breathe." It was a pivotal moment. Good advice! All business owners should stop and breathe when the unexpected happens.

As a single mum, I have to have an enormous capacity for output. I pack more into a day than anyone else I know and I love my life. I love my work. However, my checks and balances on my own professional success are to ensure I am productive and clever with the time I have and not just "busy". "Busyness" is not clever. And when the unexpected pops into business management, it's a good time to re-check what is urgent and what is important!

So what are my lessons from my own unexpected events?

• Protect your sleep, particularly in times of high pressure.
• Eat well and regularly and up carbohydrate intake for energy.
• Acknowledge the unplanned and cut yourself some slack.
• Put personal paperwork and chores off until later.
• Explain the pressures to loved ones, even the children and ask for their support.
• Acknowledge your team for their work under unexpected pressure.
• Give senior and junior management time out if need be.
• Ask outright for your team's support.
• Learn from the experiences and establish new procedures.

Lastly, right now, with a full diary made fuller by unexpected events — I'm going to smile at my team and my children — and just breathe.

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