A year ago I got a big surprise.
Although I had been getting ready all spring for a substantial backpacking trip, just after Memorial Day, on the last of several preparation hikes, I just didn’t feel good. Well, maybe it was a little more than that. I felt pretty bad. I didn’t finish the hike and when I got home, I sent an email to my doctor, who suggested I come in for an EKG the next day. From there, things moved pretty quickly and ten days later I had a cardiac bypass graft. I didn’t know much about such things. I didn’t know what they were talking about when they said “Cabbage”. Now I know that is a pronunciation of the acronym for cardiac bypass graft, the technical name for a bypass.
Needless to say, that was a major disruption in my life. I am happy to report that I am doing very well. I have been a very compliant patient and I feel very good.
I learned a lot from this life event. The list of things I learned is pretty long, but a few are especially meaningful to business owners.
Unexpected Things Happen
Life is always full of unexpected events, but sometimes very significant events are totally unexpected. In my case, not only did my family and I experience the uncertainty associated with major surgery, there was a month or so when I was essentially totally out of commission. That was followed by three months of cardiac rehab that consumed nearly 30% of a typical work week. I attended all 36 sessions and am very glad I did.
How would your business handle that kind if disruption? I can’t really say mine handled it all that well, although with the exceptional support of my family and my business colleagues, we made it through. When you add it all up, it was about two months off, and at least a couple of months when I was nowhere near 100% even when I was working.
What problems did that cause? I got behind. When you have a personal service business like mine, oftentimes there is no one else to fill in for you, so if you are behind, you have to work very hard to catch back up. I’m sure that sounds very familiar to many small business owners. I don’t like being behind. It makes me feel vulnerable.
Just Because Something Bad Happens Doesn’t Mean It’s Not Going to Get Worse
By the fall of last year, I was feeling pretty good. My recovery was proceeding well. It had been kind of a rough year – even before my surgery – and things seemed to be getting better. Then my stepson became seriously ill. My wife Kathryn went to be with him. As his condition deteriorated, we made the decision to honor his wishes and bring him home, ultimately for hospice care. He passed away in December. Certainly he was a major focus for all of us during this period and, again, something of a distraction from day-to-day work.
When you go through something like that, it isn’t over when it’s over. It may no longer be your focus everyday, but the impact lingers as you learn to deal with grief that will never really go away.
Never in my wildest dreams would I have expected to deal with both my own illness and the passing of my beloved son in the same year.
Planning for the Unexpected is Very Important
From a business perspective, my biggest lesson is that planning for the unexpected is very important. If I had planned better – not particularly for heart surgery – but for something that happens that makes me inaccessible, business would have continued much more easily. This was very tough for me and for a few of our clients, but what would have happened if I had been out of commission for six weeks or two months instead of three weeks? Would we have been able to continue in business? Would clients have had to find someone else who could meet their needs?
Wouldn’t it have been better if I had detailed reports on the status of every project and an arrangement with a colleague (or possibly competitor) to step up and maintain client service? What if I had a handbook with all relevant business information in one place that someone could look at to find guidance for issues that arise in my absence?
As it is, I’ve spent much of the last year catching up from being behind and bolstering our firm’s resources to handle whatever issues may arise –since it is now crystal clear that unexpected things do happen.
With a Strong Network of Friends and Colleagues, You Can Survive Almost Anything
The last and perhaps the most important thing I’ve learned from the past year is that with a strong network of family, friends and colleagues, you can handle just about anything. It is really inspiring to see what friends mean when you go through something like that. I have pondered the question of how many times in my life I may have been too busy or distracted to be there for others. I’ve tried, but sometimes, I have not tried hard enough.
I think of the friends who visited me before and after surgery and the dozens who sent their best wishes from far away. I haven’t done a good enough job thanking them.
Clients were mostly understanding. My colleagues helped cover the bases. Even some competitors stepped up to offer their help.
My strongest words of appreciation are for those friends who were there for our son and us as we went through the hospice experience. I am truly humbled.
The Bottom Line
Life and business bring us all unexpected challenges in varying degrees. A smart person and a smart business person will plan for the unexpected, partly for survival and partly for the benefit of the others who will be impacted and may step up to help us through it.
Having a strong network of family, friends, colleagues and, yes, competitors will make all the difference. To be worthy of the support of that network, it is extremely important to be there for others when they are dealing with life’s unexpected challenges.
I am an optimist by nature and I am not going to start expecting the worst – but I am going to plan for the unexpected.