Business, Profits and Strategy

Andrew B. Zezas, SIOR
Relationship Manager,
Strategist, President
(908) 245-5999 x11
andrew.zezas@realstrat.com

Damage Control: In Advance

Webster's defines Control as: “To exercise authority or influence over; To hold in restraint.”

Why do business people like the term “damage control”? Possibly because it makes us feel like we have the power to change the impact of undesirable circumstances. It has a safe sound to it...damage control...as if all will be well after we control the damage. We all want control over our lives, our careers, our companies, and to be the masters of our own destinies unimpeded by external forces or the wills of others.

Yet, at times, external forces do get in our way, and we must rectify those situations. So, most often we rely on our ability to do damage control...there's that term again. Some companies operate in a constant state of damage control, and treat that approach as an everyday method of conducting business, as a means to protect themselves. Such companies often believe that if they are able to minimize the immediate affect of damage, that they will have essentially eliminated the damage. Do we really believe that?

If someone was to punch you in the mouth, and then attempted to placate you, after a while you might calm down and eventually the physical pain you experienced would subside. But, simply because the person who hit you spun a story and provided you with reasons, justifications, and apologies for his or her actions, would you simply forget the incident? Would you go about your business as if nothing had happened? Would you be just as pleased to do business with that person again as you were before he or she gave you a right cross and a fat lip? Or, would the incident stay with you, and would you wonder why it happened in the first place? Wouldn't you want answers? Wouldn't you want to make up your own mind as to the likelihood of your receiving another swollen jaw, and possibly losing some teeth? Of course you would! But, while you would certainly ask yourself these questions, you might not vocalize them. As a result of your apparent contemplative silence, your assailant, who did plenty of damage control after he or she realized that you might no longer do business with them, might figure that silence is golden and that all would be well. Yet, you would know that all would NOT be well.

Why do so many companies position themselves to do damage control after a negative event occurs? Why don't they, instead, prepare for damage control in advance, and actually do it before anything dangerous occurs? Do those companies believe that nothing could go wrong, that they are so good, so perfect, that they might not make a mistake?

Successful executives are truly focused on their customers, business partners, shareholders, and employees, and don't wait to do damage control after the fact. They anticipate the down-side effect of their actions before they proceed. They don't hold their breath in the hopes that the wall won't cave in on them and their customers, they shore it up long before their customers (and their relationships with those customers) are in jeopardy. If they must do damage control, they do so well in advance of a negative event actually occurring. They do damage control in advance.

Damage control in advance actually brings companies, whether they are service providers or otherwise, much closer to those people who are important to them. It let's their customers and others know, in advance, how events could impact them and their relationship. Damage control in advance makes it very clear that the service provider is thinking about their customer, is concerned about them, and wishes not only to preserve the relationship, but to bring the customer into an important conversation early on, and into the decision-making process, itself. Damage control in advance not only elevates communication between people, but it brings about greater collaboration, as well, strengthens relationships on both personal and business levels.

Damage control in advance is an honest, up-front, simple, and intelligent approach to solving problems before they become unsolvable and create irreparable damage.

Andrew B. Zezas, SIOR, is Relationship Manager, Strategist, and President & CEO of Real Estate Strategies Corporation, Publisher of "Business, Profits and Strategy", a monthly online publication read by thousands of business, financial, and real estate executives nationally, and, is the author of two new real estate books, The CFO's Guide to Understanding Corporate Real Estate Transactions and The CFO's Guide to Hiring the "Right" Real Estate Service Provider, both of which will be available shortly at www.thecfosguide.com.

Mr. Zezas is well-known for his ease and informative style of public speaking, and has given talks, presentations, and has lead educational programs for business, professional, government, and trade associations, including the Building Owners and Managers Association, American Management Association, the U.S. Postal Service, RealComm, Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR), and others. Andrew is National Chairman of the SIOR Tenant Representation Specialty Practice Board, and is a licensed real estate instructor in Texas and Indiana. He can be reached at 908 245 5999 or via email.

Real Estate Strategies Corporation, located in Kenilworth, New Jersey, and serving clients throughout the country, helps companies create and execute Business DRIVEN Real Estate Solutions...and Opportunities, faster and with less risk. Visit www.realstrat.com.

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