Developing a Good Plan B

Recently I found myself locked out on the balcony of my second-floor condo. I had gone out to clean the glass on the new sliding door. When I closed the door behind me, I heard a ‘click’ and realized the spring loaded locking mechanism had activated from the inside. I was locked out on the balcony without my keys or cell phone! My husband was out of town, the property manager was away, and I had no clue how I would get back inside. In my best damsel in distress voice, I called out to some nearby workmen who contacted a neighbor with a master key to let me back in.

The first thing I did was de-activate the spring loaded bolts, and the second thing I did was to put my cell phone and keys in my pockets.

I had never considered the possibility of this happening, much less thought about how I would deal with it! This got me thinking about contingency plans.

What is a contingency plan?

It’s a pre-planned alternative course of action in case things don’t go as expected. It’s Plan B in case Plan A doesn’t work out. It’s your backup plan.

• It’s reserving a tent for the outdoor wedding. You may not need it, but you’re prepared in case it rains.

• It’s cross-training your team so Jane isn’t the only one who can run that critical report. Work won’t stop if she’s sick or on vacation.

• It’s backing up your big presentation on a USB stick, loading it on the laptop, and bringing hard copy printouts – just in case anything goes wrong with any of the equipment.

What are the benefits of having a contingency plan?

A contingency plan enables you to think ahead while you’re calm and have time to work through what could go wrong – and how you would deal with it.  Then when the time comes, you’re able to respond quickly and deliberately. This prevents panic and reduces stress.

How to develop a contingency plan?

Ask yourself these questions:

1. What could go wrong? When?
2. How much impact would this have if it happened?
3. How likely is this to happen?
4. How do we want to deal with it if it does happen?

I learned later that several other residents had also found themselves locked out due to the new door locks. Since this could happen again, what would be a good contingency plan? The property manager could go door-to-door to show residents how to disengage the locks and remind them to do so before they go outside. He could provide a sticker to attach to the outside of the door with the phone numbers to call in case anyone did get locked out. And for me personally — I will make sure I have my phone and my keys with me at all times!

I’ve found that having a good Plan B makes a huge difference in your ability to respond quickly and calmly when things don’t go as expected. You’ve anticipated what could go wrong, you’ve thought it through ahead of time, and you’re prepared.

You’re not stuck … on a balcony… without your keys … or your cell phone…. hoping that someone will come to your rescue.