How well do you predict reality? Five tips to manage expectations & avoid failure
Ever been bitten by mismanaged expectations? Sadly it happens all too often – we hear the frustrated and angry cries of the team – ‘why didn’t you say? If only we knew last week?’ Can [...]
30 Lessons from 30 Years of Crisis Management
Jonathan Bernstein, started the first international email newsletter on the topic of crisis management, which now reaches readers in 75 countries. Here are 30 lessons from his 30-year career in crisis management: 1. Not planning [...]
“HOT WASH” Your Business to Help Recover From Covid-19
What is a “Hot Wash”? A hot wash is the immediate "after-action" discussion and evaluation of an agency's (or multiple agencies) performance following an exercise, training session, or major event, such as the COVID-19 pandemic [...]
Civil Unrest: Demonstrations, protests, and rioting.
Amid the anxiety and angst of the worst pandemic in 100 years, the elimination of social injustice has been the rallying cry of protesters following the George Floyd incident. Peaceful demonstrations erupting into violence under [...]
What We Should Do Now
It is time that the emergency management community examine the disciplines and practices that are considered the essential elements of their discipline. While changes have occurred over time, emergency managers have been reactive as opposed [...]
35 Years Since Mexico City – What’s Changed?
So much has changed since September 19, 1985. Three life-changing improvements stand out immediately -- but there are many more. The devastating Mexico City earthquake was the catalyst for my 35-year career in what has [...]
10 Tips for Effective Employee Communication in the Time of Covid-19
Even if an organization handles the managerial and operational details of its response to the novel coronavirus pandemic well, the entire crisis response is bound to fail if communication with internal and external stakeholders is [...]
Preparing for COVID19 is like Preparing for Zombie Apocalypse
Since the establishment of Civil Defense in the 1950s and continuing into 1979 with the creation of FEMA, there have been hard working planners at all levels and departments of government, in non-profit agencies, community [...]
Crisis Readiness in the 21st Century: 10 Tips for Effective Media Interview Training
No matter the industry or the size of the organization, accomplished managers know that crises can take many forms. However, whether a crisis is accidental, financial, legal or otherwise, affected organizations must implement a successful [...]
Why Social Media Apps Should Be in Your Disaster Kit
With floodwaters at four feet and rising, a family in Houston, Texas abandoned their possessions and scrambled to their roof during Hurricane Harvey to sit with their pets and await rescue. Unable to reach first [...]
Recurring Exercise: A Healthy Workout for Maximizing Crisis Readiness
Any good physician will characterize a customized exercise routine as essential to maintaining a healthy body. Similarly, recurring crisis exercises that are tailored to fit the organization’s needs are imperative to maximizing crisis readiness, including [...]
Here Are Some Alert Templates to Use This Hurricane Season
According to hurricane research scientists at Colorado State University, the 2019 hurricane season is set to be slightly below average in activity. However, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) predicts that we could see nine [...]