Succeeding In The Face Of Terror
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When you write a weekly column for business owners, you get lots of business books in the mail. Most fall into two broad categories:
#147;how to#148; books designed to teach you specific business skills in a user-friendly way (examples: #147;Step by Step Guide to Project Management#148;, #147;Selling Internationally on eBay#148;); and
#147;entertainment#148; books designed to package well-worn material in a colorful way, for those of us (and we know who we are) who have little patience for fiction and want to actually learn something while lounging on the beach in Barbados (examples: #147;Leadership Secrets of Some Obscure Historical Figure or Literary Character You Vaguely Remember Reading About in High School#148;, #147;What Being a Pro Squash Player Teaches You About Your Management Style#148;).
Every so often, though, a book comes along that is truly important, and says something compelling about the business world that isn#146;t being said in the more #147;popular#148; business literature. When such a book comes along #150; and it#146;s a rare occasion -- I feel the need to write about it.
If today#146;s headlines worry you, and you wonder how terrorism will affect our world in the coming decades, then you need to pick up a copy of #147;Business Under Fire#148; by Dan Carrison (AMACOM Books, $24.95 hardcover). The book#146;s subtitle says it all: #147;How Israeli Companies Are Succeeding in the Face of Terror #150; and What We Can Learn From Them.#148;
If there#146;s one place in the world where terrorism is a daily threat to everyday life, it#146;s Israel. In a tiny nation the size of New Jersey (not even), just about everyone knows someone who has lost a loved one to a Molotov cocktail or a suicide bomber. Still, day in and day out, Israelis go to work and run successful, sometimes world-class, businesses. How do they do it?
Carrison#146;s book contains exhaustive interviews with prominent business leaders, managers and employees in a variety of Israeli industries, and offers a powerful, pragmatic and urgent guide for American business owners, even if (as we all hope) terror never strikes the United States with the punishing regularity experienced in Israel.
Some of Carrison#146;s advice for coping with terror threats in the business world:
#147;Plan for flexibility#148;. Make terrorism planning a part of every business decision. When flexibility becomes part of each business plan, change is less likely to be seen, by customers or employees, as an uncontrollable response to outside forces.
#147;Be driven and defiant#148;. A business does not have to be located in a war zone to benefit from the passions of its employees. Managers should not shy away from promoting a healthy defiance, a hunger to prove that wary investors and fair-weather customers are wrong.
#147;Develop a contingency plan#148;. Decide exactly what will happen if a terrorist attack wipes out a key location, or kills a key employee, and share it with your investors, employees and customers.
#147;Focus on today#148;. In the midst of a terror crisis, the future is often assured by successive victories in the here-and-now. By continually achieving short-term results, you inspire confidence in those that otherwise would balk at dealing with you.
#147;Let security speak for itself#148;. Forget hidden cameras and undercover officers. Get security out of the closet, and keep it in the open. When obvious security procedures are established, the word gets around to terrorists as well as customers.
#147;Memorialize the victims.#148; When an act of violence claims lives, a memorial performs a public service, reminding all customers and passers-by to remain vigilant. It also reinforces the company#146;s stand against terrorism and respect for individuals.
As in other areas of the business world, the best defense against terrorist threats is a good offense. Surprise is a terrorist#146;s most effective weapon #150; doing whatever you can to take the element of surprise out of terror activities sends a strong message to the bad guys that they won#146;t win, that you are not willing to live in fear.
Or as someone famous once said, #147;the coward dies a thousand deaths, the brave person dies just once.#148;
.
Cliff Ennico (
cennico@legalcareer.com
) is a syndicated columnist, author and host of the PBS television series 'Money Hunt'. This column is no substitute for legal, tax or financial advice, which can be furnished only by a qualified professional licensed in your state. To find out more about Cliff Ennico and other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit our Web page at
www.creators.com
. COPYRIGHT 2005 CLIFFORD R. ENNICO. DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC. Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com.
