After the horrific fires in Maui many people jumped to the usual suspects regarding the cause – climate change and the hurricane south of Hawaii.
University of Washington meteorologist Cliff Mass wrote a blog post titled, “The Real Cause of the Maui Wildfire Disaster.” FYI, Mr. Mass is not a climate change denier. He wrote about an atmospheric wave, strong winds, the mountains and how one of his associates created a model that’s exactly what happened.
It’s an interesting story but what was more important was he also said in an interview the worst (lack of) action was the utility company not de-electrifying the power lines like they do in CA and WA.
It’s called preparation and taking preventative actions, and businesses should do it (because it increases their value).
- Build a team and delegate to that team.
- Especially in a small business, cross train people so if one leaves others can do the job.
- Reduce any customer concentration (as it scares buyers and banks).
- Flip the switch on bad employees, aka deadwood and do it sooner not later.
- Have a system of management reports (a CFO can do this) so you have good KPIs, metrics, and can see beyond the P&L and balance sheet.
As always, if you do the basics things go well.
“If history tells us anything, it’s that we never learn from history.” Bob Herbert
