Tornados are part of the standard fare of springtime in Oklahoma. Truthfully, most of the people I know get a bit desensitized to the tornado warnings. 
Me too. But sometimes we get a wake-up call.
A colleague of mine was driving back to Oklahoma City from the south part of the state when the warning sirens went off. Listening to the radio, she could follow the storm’s track.
She thought she was driving right into it, so she turned around and went the opposite way.
Then the storm changed directions. She turned again. And again. Turns out there were multiple potential funnel clouds, going in various directions.
Having grown up here, she instinctively looked for the safest place to pull off the interstate and park: lowest level, away from power lines.
That’s when she spotted a farmhouse, and ended up on the porch of a total stranger, asking if she could join them in their storm shelter.
It’s one thing to knock on a neighbor’s door and ask to borrow a cup of sugar. It’s another thing altogether to ask a person you’ve never met if they can keep you safe during a storm.
There are many “tornados” in the business world, things that threaten our safety.
Customers’ needs change, financing options become limited, technology fails (always when we need it most!), marketing efforts wither, key employees leave (and become your competitors), even good news like record-breaking sales put a strain on the system.
How comfortable are you asking for help when you need it? How do you know if you have become desensitized to the “storm warnings?”
Every business person needs a support system. Smart business leaders get their support system in place before the warning sirens go off.
Help is all around you. Look for people with the experience, connections and perspective that you may lack within your company. Here’s a short list of ten external resources you can turn to:
- Management consultants
- HR consultants
- Financial consultants
- CPA’s
- Attorneys
- Bankers
- Peer advisory groups (like EWF andndash; okay, that was self-servingandhellip;)
- Business coaches
- Industry experts & trade associations
- Customer councils
When you have tough decisions to make, when you are lost in the weeds, when life goes off course, you need people who will challenge your thinking. You need people who are not desensitized to the “storm warnings” you may have overlooked because you live with them every day.
Whose porch do you end up on when you need help?