Well – Snoopy is right.  No matter how good you are, you can’t be briefed five minutes before the big one on what to do and how to do it – and expect to succeed. 

A Crisis Management Leader is a balance of three primary components:

• Plans – which are decisions made in advance
• Processes – which are systems and organized resources
• Posture – which is how one looks, acts and communicates

If I were to be pressed to give a percentage score – I would say it is the following:

• 35% Plans – which are the solid foundation for any crisis management program – plans are the intelligent and progressive development and roll-out of anticipatory decisions and actions to confront, mediate, mitigate and neutralize the crisis situation until it is no longer an emergency.
• 35% Processes – which are the implementation of plans into systems and resources.  This is essential to being able to operate and take action – providing real time information exchange, the dissemination of directions, information and the tracking and management of operations.
• 30% Posture – posture is composure, readiness, confidence, and the appearance of full understanding and capability that the leader knows what to do – this may not be the solution or answer to the problem, but it is the pathway to determine the answer and the authoritative direction to get to that end.  Posture is the ability to communicate succinctly, with authority to influence and direct the entire organization toward the objectives and end goal of containing the hazard or threat and restoring the situation to normal.  Posture is best exhibited in communication – verbal, non-verbal and written (digital) to all entities, internal and external. 

Notwithstanding Snoopy’s wisdom, if a Crisis Management Leader has a good written plan and reliable tested processes in place, they can, in 5 minutes, construct their posture of leadership when facing a sudden crisis situation.  It isn’t learning how to dance; it is more of knowing that you have to now dance, deciding which dance to dance, what steps to take, and being light on the feet, always ready for a change in the music. 

My tag line, should I use one, would be my Grandma’s saying to me as I was walking out the door to life, “Jan, straighten up your posture, stand tall and look good.”

Same to you, Crisis Management Leader – lead with posture!

Jan Decker

Crisis Management Consulting

Jan.decker@comcast.net

253 261 2704

Copyright© Jan Decker 2012

 Rapid

Real Time; without delay, fast acting

 Strategic

Advancing toward a goal or objective; decision alignment toward the end goal

 Leadership

Directing and influencing an agenda; Power oriented role or position

 When I work with an executive management team to develop skills, confidence and posturing in crisis management, we always start with a workshop on understanding the power base of the organization’s leadership.  With public and government entities, the power base is primarily in the senior executive or head of the department or agency.  It is less on personal style and skill and more on position.  For a private company and many not-for-profit organizations, leadership can emerge from within the organization and the actual crisis manager often is not the highest ranking position.

 Using the power base of the organization and managing from that base is a core leadership skill of Rapid Strategic Leadership^©.  To be a strong and effective leader in crisis management, the Crisis Manager influences, engages, and enlists the willing cooperation of the organization and the implementation of the crisis action plan.  Strategic thinking is clear thinking and understanding of the situation, the impacts, the anticipated consequences and the immediate, short term, long term and recovery solution.  Rapid means immediate, without delay and REAL TIME.

The basic skills of a good and effective Crisis Manager are developed through training and practice once the Crisis Management Plan and the structure and systems are all in place for urgent activation.  At that point, the training is personal and the crisis manager must want to develop and leverage his or her personal style, vision, ability to think and reason quickly, and develop the personal capability to lead during a crisis. 

 We believe that this type of leadership can be developed for anyone who finds themselves in the position of Crisis Manager, either by an extension of their daily job or through the opportunity of being on the Crisis Management Team.  We are developing a workshop for interested participants who want to gain these skills. 

 Let us know if you are interested in this workshop.  We currently work one-on-one with individuals, but are willing to tailor this to a team, if requested.

Rapid Strategic Leadership^© is a training program offered by Jan Decker, Crisis Management Consulting.  Contact us at 253 261 2704 or jan.decker@comcast.net about this training.

 Copyright Jan Decker 2012

Think About It:

1. There IS A 9 OUT OF 10 chance that your business
   will go out of business for good if you are not prepared for a major disaster.
2. If you are injured or become unable to work as a
   result of a disaster, the chances are even higher that your doors will close.
3. If you are unable to conduct business after 2
   weeks of being closed, you probably won’t reopen.
4. Most businesses that depend upon daily cash flow
   have a permanent loss of revenue when the business is closed.
5. Most operator/owner run businesses will have
   permanent loss from any revenue or loss not covered by insurance and for the
   length of time it takes for the insurance to pay off.
6. Most owner/operators have chosen not to pay for
   L&I, unemployment and other public assistance.
7. Power and other utility services can be
   interrupted for up to 2 weeks.
8. Banks will not honor lines of credit and cash
   loans without proof of payment
   now.
9. Customers are fickle – many of them take their
   business to other providers and not come back.
10. The emotional and operational  cost of a
    lost dollar is 3 times – it takes $3 to overcome the cost of losing $1

GET READY:

1. If you have to shut down for 3 days – and you
   know it – list 5 things that you will do for your business?
2. Working SMART for your business:

• S – STRATEGIC  – STAY in business
• M – MANAGE – the MOST important things – People, Assets, Business Capability
• A – ACCOUNTS – Customers, Bank, Vendors, Payroll
• R – RESOURCES – Back ups, Extras, Credit, Funds, Alternates, Fixes
• T-TIME and TALENT - Prioritize, Authorize. Improvise, Back to Strategize

SYSTEMS THAT MUST BE IN PLACE:    

• The ability to communicate with Staff, Customers and Key Stakeholders
• The capability to continue, restore and restart the provision of  services or selling of products
• The ability operate business  process including:banking, ordering,
  etc

PLANS and HOW TO’s WHEN THINGS ARE NOT NORMAL

1. How are we going to manage ongoing business
2. How are we going to assess damage and impacts – to our people, our place of operation, our assets and our capabilities
3. How are we going to restart operations if interrupted
4. Is there a way to recovery that which has been lost?

Tips on Damage Assessment

1.    Have a list of everything that could be broken or lost – through a video capture, lists and photos.
2. Take photos and make notations of all lost, broken, damaged, and ruined assets
3. Get estimates for repair and replacement
4. Work with insurance reps to prepare reports/claims -
5. Know the policy provisions and meet any insurance requirements

BACK IN BIZ???

Advertise and announce to EVERYONE – customers will return!

SOME THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND:

• Have more than 1 cell phone and email
• Keep customer contact records backed and available
• Accounts receivable – you want to keep that backed up
• Accounts payable – pay people first
• Have back up signatures and power of attorney so
  that someone can run your business
• Have alternate suppliers and be prepared to provide temporary solutions to customers
• If you cannot provide a service, be ready to make a decision about your current jobs – either pay for a substitute or plan to recompense your customers
• Read all your insurance document NOW – make sure
  you understand it

If all is lost – spend quiet time rethinking your business – sometimes you can restart and sometimes you can start over.  Get legal advice, if needed.

Remember – a Crisis is ALWAYS an Opportunity

Jan Decker – 253 261 2704

1.  We set up simulated interviews using our “Roving  Reporter” and our Camera Man.  We start with IMPROMPTU interviews which are live camera with a slightly aggressive approach from the Reporter.  This type of practice is the best way to train yourself for such an encounter.  You go through our 1 hour tips and echniques for impromptu interviews, learn your own media management from your own Crisis Communications Plan (if you don’t have one – you need to prepare one) and then you practice – real life on the video.   We let you try it again and again until you are comfortable with your response and publish the one or two best “takes”.  You get to learn, think about, practice and then see your best.
2. We also set up Extemporaneous Interviews in which you KNOW in advance (maybe not much time – but enough to prepare yourself) that you will be interviewed.  Again we go through the tips and techniques of talking to a report in a stand up interview about a crisis that your organization is experiencing.  This, again, is OLYMPIC style practice – you train yourself to think ahead on what you will say, how you will say it and get to practice with our ROVING REPORTER.  We give you the video (edited for best take) and you then see yourself on camera.  There is no better way to get this experience and expertise without actually being in the interview.   SEE A MISTAKE – no problem – you can critique yourself and you will immediately better AT EVERY public speaking opportunity you have.
3. We set up NEWS ANCHOR broadcasts about your company and the situation and then call you – you get live, over the phone, interview practice. We video you as you talk on the phone – you see yourself, hear yourself and relive the experience.
4. We set up at your own PRESS Conference and have you give your statement and then ask you questions – this is great for the TEAM as you can decide who will answer the questions and give you the experience again, of thinking through your answer BEFORE you answer.

We couldn’t do any of this without the video – it takes an excellent professional videographer and his/her professional studio to shoot the video, process the raw video, edit into BEST TAKES and enhance the audio, and then put it together into your own training production.

Thinking about doing this??  Give me a call – Jan Decker – I’ll chat with you about how we – Jan Decker with Crisis Management Consulting and Chris McKenna with McKenna Video – work as a team for your organization.  We are good at what we do – affordable – and on YOUR SIDE – our services help you do what you do looking and sounding your best!   Jan Decker 253 261 2704.

1. Crisis Communication is the public face and voice for a Crisis Management Team for the organization.
2. The Crisis Management Team assesses the situation, determines the plan of action, assigns strategic leaders to action
   items, authorizes resources to support the plan of action and sets deadlines,  agendas and timelines.
3. Crisis Communication is a core function of the Crisis Management Team.  The function is  responsible for the communications plan to all audiences: internal, lateral and external; and pro-actively communicates before, during and in the recovery or follow-up times.
4. The primary messages are determined by the Crisis Management Team.  These messages are endorsed and approved by the executive leadership.
5. The SPOKESPERSON is the best face, voice and fast-thinking on the feet communicator who either represents the organization or is the primary authority for the organization.  It is best to keep the same one person or persons as the Spokesperson throughout the incident (unless they are doing a really bad job – then replace and replace quickly).
6. For every action/task on the crisis action plan, the question is asked, “How will this be communicated?   Who needs to know this?  What do they need to know?  And how will we track who has been told what, when, by whom?
7. Crisis Communications is also responsible for pro-active messaging through social media, press and media releases, public
   postings on websites, and other “broadcast” channels.  All messaging contains the core message and agenda of the organization in the response – there is no such thing as “ad hoc”.
8. Crisis Communications must have an “incoming” portal to monitor public sentiment, response, inquiry and a net to “catch” any rumors or statements that directly or indirectly impact the organization.
9. Crisis Communications is based on a functional multi-incident or threat plan that provides the steps, protocols, templates and guidance for the communications function.
10. This plan is integrated with and a subset of the organizational Crisis Management Plan.
11. There is always a communications function activated on the Crisis Management Team, even if it is to send out the message, “there is currently no significant threat or impact to the “ organization” from the “statement of condition”.

Jan Decker – consultant – Crisis Management Consulting – (253) 261-2704   jan.decker@comcast.net

I am often asked for a good strategy for Crisis Management –
what is a good Crisis Management Plan

Here is my standard answer:

When a Crisis happens, your strategy is to:

1. Know what is happening (facts, data and situational information)
2. Know what “what is happening” means  (understanding)
3. Know what to do about it (response plan)
4. Know who does what when you do something about  it (designated team)
5. Know how to do what you are to do about it  (process and procedures)
6. Know how to manage all that is being done or  should be done about it (management)
7. Have sufficient resources to accomplish what is  being done(supplies, authority, tools and access to unds/resources/outside  services)
8. Be able to communicate and see what is being  done by you and others – interactive real time communication
9. Be able to make decisions and send instructions  and receive feedback while it is all happening – be able to manage
10. Be  able to delegate and control or manage without having to do everything, say  everything or check on everything yourself – (a system, a team, a process and  an infrastructure)
11. Record,  post, map, collate, analyze and document data and actions – (a system)
12. Be  able to show that you did what you did and when you did it and how you did it  and who did what (documentation)
13. Be  able to review/assess/analyze what you did so that the next time you are able  to do it better and that you can defend what you did to those who may critique  you in the aftermath

Jan Decker – jan.decker@comcast.net

What a great scenario – yes a little preposterous for most of us – but none-the-less great fodder on which to build a brief little table top exercise.  One of my clients holds a mini training monthly with the key leadership.  They bring in a what-if brief story-line based on something that has happened somewhere, adapt it to their situation and go through their EOP to identify their primary actions.  Doesn’t take them more than an hour – hardly any time building up the scenario and keeps them fresh on how to use their EOP.  They never let anyone else’s crisis go to waste.  Maybe you can too.