Redundancy In Crisis Management: Two Is One, One Is None.
A Special Forces A-team (Operational Detachment-Alpha) consists of 12 Green Berets. Each member of the team is an expert in his speciality, whether it’s in weapons, communications, engineering, or medical (trauma) treatment. And for redundancy, there are two Green Berets who are trained in each of these specialty areas.
What does redundancy mean? Simply put, it’s a state of preparedness that allows your team to be functional, despite an absence or failure of a key role. On the A-teams, it was having two Green Berets trained and specialized in each of the specialty areas, so that if one was killed or wounded, the other can still perform the exact same duties for the team; the team could still execute the mission.
In military, we refer to this often as: “Two is one, one is none.”
Are you following this simple principle in the midst of this COVID-19 pandemic? In times of crisis, such as now, redundancy is what will keep your organization operational. And that doesn’t mean having two employees for every key position in the office. Take a look at some tips to apply this to your workplace:
ID key areas now that really depend on that one guy or gal. Do you have an indispensable employee on your team? If “Charlie” or “Suzy” isn’t around, do things not get done and your business suffers? Think back in your organization and identify these areas.
Ask that employee to list out their key duties and to train another. This is called cross-training. We did this often in our A-teams. Our comms sergeant would train everyone on the team how to set up satellite radios; our medic would train everyone on life-saving trauma techniques. We had checklists and SOP (Standard Operating Procedures) for each of these functions, but you can start with a simple task list in excel.
For an immediate solution, hire another reliable employee Now! Take this opportunity now to find another perfect employee to execute daily tasks in this key role. Naturally, you don’t want to have 2x COO’s, so hire in a position just underneath, who can take over that COO role if need be -- be transparent with your existing employee! If you have employees looking to retire in 1-2 years, you can start looking for an additional hire now.
Always be prepared, especially in times of crisis. Yes, there may be an added cost factor in the short term, but this is almost always the better outcome, than the more disastrous consequence of chaos and total failure.
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MilSpec Capital is a boutique recruitment group that connects High-Impact Veterans to our client companies in various industries. Our Veterans typically have 5-15 years of private sector experience, in addition to their successful track record of Leadership.
Freddie is a West Point grad, Kellogg MBA, and former Green Beret who’s served in conflicts world-wide.
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