When my children were younger, they’d hit a snag and say, “I don’t have any other choice.” My husband and I would always counter with options. Missed the bus? Walk with a friend, bike, ask a neighbour. Not grasping a math concept? Talk to the teacher, find a tutor, change your study habits. Each time there were options they hadn’t seen—or didn’t want to if it was “too much work” — and you could see their brain go into a different mode.
So how does this relate to the workplace? I’m glad you asked. In organizations, options open your thinking and help you pivot without panic. Creating options means you never leave the business operating on one plan, one person, or one tool. It’s not indecision; it’s insurance and the ability to pivot quickly, and purposefully.
WHAT you need:
- People: have 1+ qualified candidate, cross-trained backups, a warm bench (contractors
perhaps). - Process: clear default path plus a documented exception path.
- Tools: systems that plug in/out easily and data you can export.
WHY it matters:
- Constant change: markets, budgets, leaders, laws. Options shorten your response time.
- Talent is tight: single points of failure/knowledge are expensive.
- Trust: planned pivots are proactive and fair; ad-hoc pivots are chaotic.
HOW to start:
- Top 10 critical roles: Do you have at least one “ready” successor for each?
- Critical tasks: If the owner is out for two weeks, who steps in? Are they trained?
- Vendors/tools: If your provider disappeared, what’s your Plan B?
WHERE you see the ROI of your work:
↓Time-to-fill for critical roles ↑Offer acceptance
↓Exception turnaround time ↑Cross-trained coverage
My children learned that “no choice” was usually “what are my options?” It’s the same in business. When you build options into people, process, and tools, pivots stop being emergencies and, instead become proactive planning. Start small, keep 1-2 real alternatives alive, and make the switch path obvious to those who are impacted. Before you know it that mountain that has been haunting you will be conquered with your purposeful and realistic actions.
