“The will to win is not nearly as important as the will to prepare to win. Everyone wants to win but not everyone wants to prepare to win. Preparing to win is where the determination that you will win, is made. Once the game, test, or project is underway, it is too late to prepare to win. The actual game, test or project is just the end of a long process of getting ready, in which the outcome was really determined. So, if you want to win, you must want to prepare to win. Once you prepare to win, winning is almost anti-climactic.”
– Bobby Knight
PREPARATION
An economic development mentor of mine once told me that “anything can happen, and it probably will.” He was right. You will be faced with both positive and negative issues that emerge quickly and disrupt your best plans. How you deal with them will make all the difference, and you will have better outcomes if you have proactively prepared.
If you practice economic development long enough, you will encounter plant closings, the impact of a natural disaster, the unexpected prospect that will show up overnight, and the effects of dynamic political change. Your job is to continue to move forward, keep the principles of your plan in place, and deal with the individual issues as they come and go. You cannot predict what specific challenges will come, but you can prepare for most scenarios if you take the time to do so.
Board and leadership teams should take time to discuss crisis communication, develop a small group of senior staff who can assemble quickly if an opportunity or challenge emerges, and practice how to respond publicly and privately to act or protect your brand. I propose not only discussing these issues with your board, but also taking time to interview peer economic development organizations about how they have dealt with various issues. Use this opportunity to review what mistakes they made and how they ultimately responded. Organizations like the International Economic Development Council or your state economic development association are excellent sources for this, but you will find that you can also set up calls or visit peers to learn from their experiences.
Let’s have a great week, lift each other up, and move forward together.
All the best,
Kenny McDonald
President and CEO
Columbus Partnership