Page 201 - Everything I Know About Business I Learned

Communications

Lesson Learned

Put a communications plan in place in order to prevent a story
from spinning out of control. In the event of an unforeseen
crisis or emergency, staff members should already know whom
to call and which procedures to follow. Include in your plan the
name of the company spokesperson who is skilled at handling
the media, and ensure that that person is the only media
contact. Make sure the staff understands the crisis plan.

In the end, a New Jersey doctor was convicted of mail fraud,
wire fraud, and extortion for the scheme. Although the outcome
was minimally reported by the media, it felt good that someone
got nailed for trying to stick it to us. The good guys won that one.

171
In the Big Leagues
Proving myself as a decent communicator while serving as a
director of operations, my regional manager at the time decided
that I would be given the task of putting together the annual
budget for the region. In the early years, it was an enormous
undertaking that required weeks of preparation by the regional
department heads before it was ready for review and a final edit.
Every line item was scrutinized and justified by our group before
it would be accepted in the final version. Once again, we all
learned the importance of the details and how the sum total of
many small budget amounts ultimately can have a large impact
on the overall plan. When completed, we assembled it in a thick
binder to present to top management in Oak Brook, after
reviewing it with the zone office in Connecticut.
Budget preparation meant debating and challenging our team
to justify the rationale behind each expense. It was also an oppor-