Use these prompts in a leadership meeting. Ask for concrete examples, invite uncertainty, and leave with clear actions.
Which services must keep running?
Name the business services your customers and colleagues depend on most. Ask what a day without each one would mean.
Who can make decisions during an incident?
Agree who leads, who can approve urgent action and who takes over if those people are unavailable.
How would we verify an unusual request from a senior leader?
Choose an independent contact channel and make it acceptable for every colleague to pause and check.
What would trigger an escalation?
Ask for clear examples of concerns that should be reported immediately, even when the facts are incomplete.
Where does our most sensitive information go?
Discuss how important information is shared, who can access it and which tools are approved for handling it.
Which external dependencies could interrupt our work?
Look beyond the first supplier to the services and platforms that several providers may share.
When did we last practise recovery?
Ask what the last exercise revealed, which assumptions failed and who owns the follow-up actions.
How would we communicate if our usual tools were unavailable?
Agree how leaders, employees and key partners would receive reliable updates during disruption.
Can people report a mistake without fear?
A quick report can create valuable time to respond. Discuss the signals leaders send when somebody raises a concern.
What will we do differently after this discussion?
Choose a small number of actions, give each an owner and date, and return to them at your next meeting.
PUT THE CONVERSATION INTO PRACTICE
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