Implementing a business continuity plan is a great first step toward decreasing risk.

How businesses can recover from obstacles, change

Businesses that have been a part of the free market knows that not every year is going to go smooth. Despite having years of experience in their respective sectors, internal or external issues may get in the way of operations. Whether it is a large storm that slams headquarters and destroys the control center or a data breach that exposes the company's finances, these risks happen.

During the good and bad times, always keep in mind that change is a part of the workplace. Harvard Business Review contributor Rosabeth Kanter discusses about these challenges and how anyone can bounce back from the rut. In fact, there are many resources like business continuity planning for example, that are available to mitigate these potential dangers.

Listen to the staff

After a disaster impacts the company, give the staff a chance to openly give feedback. Kanter believes that "ideas that might have been suppressed" will be in "the open air." These opinions can help create an improved business continuity plan.

'Be prepared for bad news'

When an event occurs, it usually shows that there are gaps within the business. Take the time to evaluate which department needs additional attention to prevent a similar situation from happening again.

"Open dialogue encourages everyone to see their role in the fix-up," Kanter writes.

In order for executives to get past the damage, they can use this information and recommendations from business continuity consultants to build a more effective strategy to prevent a similar situation from happening in the future.