Building a Culture of Resilience

Lesson 1 of 10: Plans Are Not Enough

By Scott Thomas, Meridian Consultant

Scott_Thomas_Lesson 1_The Plan is Not Enough

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Emergency plans matter. Business continuity plans matter. Crisis communication plans matter. They create structure, clarify responsibilities, and help organizations prepare for what they expect. The challenge is that emergencies rarely follow expectations.

The 2021 Texas Winter Storm illustrates that lesson better than almost any recent disaster. For the first time in history, all 254 Texas counties were placed under a Winter Storm Warning. Nearly 10 million people lost electricity.

Water systems failed. Pipes burst. Grocery stores emptied. Roads became dangerous or impassable.

Hospitals and emergency responders operated under extraordinary conditions. The Texas Department of State Health Services later confirmed 246 storm-related deaths.

No emergency operations plan contained a page for every decision so many leaders supporting the incident faced.

Instead, success depended on something deeper.

• Leaders communicated.

• Teams coordinated.

• Organizations adapted.

• Communities solved problems together.

Through this experience, we are reminded that resilience is never found in a document alone. Plans provide the foundation. Leadership provides adaptability. People create resilience.

Leadership Reflection

Ask your team: If our emergency, crisis, or disruption unfolded differently than expected tomorrow, would our people know how to adapt?