by The sad news that an eye infection will force Bob Costas from his duties as NBC’s primary anchor of Olympic coverage offers a lesson for those of us who communicate for a living.
This is the first time in 26 years that someone other than Costas will anchor prime-time coverage of the Winter Olympics. But NBC was prepared.
The lesson: No matter how great you think your plan is, and how many times you’ve implemented it before, always have a back-up plan.
In NBC’s case, the network was able to lean on “Today Show” co-host Matt Lauer to take over Costas’ seat. Before you put your plan in action, think through as many “what if” scenarios as you can. What if it rains? What if my guest speaker doesn’t show? What if major news breaks and my media platforms stands empty?
Things rarely go according to plan … success depends on how well you prepare and adapt.
