As we see the field and job of the Emergency and Business Continuity Manager move to a profession, how do we get there? Deliberate practice is what turns amateurs into professionals. Deliberate practice is absolutely essential for expert performance. You may have heard the old saying Practice Makes Perfect? That is not true, if you practice poorly, your performance will suffer. The key distinction between doing and practicing is that we’re only practicing something when we do it in a way that ma...
May 11, 2021•15 min
Emergency response exercises often have a high degree of interaction between the elements that have to be learned. This increases the natural complexity of the information that must be understood and the material that must be learned (Sweller, 1994). However, the achievement of learning goals is often only determined by observation. These observations are certainly valuable in their own right (e.g. detailed descriptions of events, immediate interpretation of data, placing results in context). Ho...
May 04, 2021•9 min
Today the role of the emergency and business continuity manager includes outreach to all of the stakeholders in the organization and the community. Sharing information in the past was static, gamification can bring the audience to the emergency manager and interaction with stakeholders to a new level. Gamification adds game-like elements to non-game situations to promote action and behavior change. It can come in multiple forms. There is regular gamification, adding story elements, badges, and s...
Apr 27, 2021•13 min
Leadership is a core skill you need to be successful in emergency and business continuity management. Your leadership is critical during crises because you are more visible to the public and under pressure to perform effectively. After all, lives and property may be at stake. Emergency/ Business Continuity Management can be complex when authority is shared, and resources are dispersed, expertise is scattered among other agencies and government levels, and organizations. When the question of Who ...
Apr 13, 2021•15 min
William of Occam was an English Franciscan friar and philosopher who lived from 1287 to 1347. Perhaps his most famous contribution to philosophy (and a variety of other fields, such as mathematics, biology, religion, and others) is what has become known as Occam’s razor. The principle is usually stated as: “Entities should not be multiplied without necessity.” Put another way: “The simplest solution is most likely the right one.” The idea is that as more inputs, assumptions, or dependencies are ...
Apr 06, 2021•12 min
John Boyd created a four-step process for making effective decisions in high-stakes situations called the OODA Loop. It involves collecting relevant information, recognizing potential biases, deciding, and acting, then repeating the process with new information. Eric McNulty and his team at the NPLI took Boyd’s concept a little farther with the POP-DOC Loop by adding two steps. The POP-DOC Loop combines analysis and action into a continuous process. The analytic side is Perceive, Orient, Predict...
Mar 30, 2021•10 min
Thinking it a process, Aristotle and Elon Musk us a process called First-principles thinking. This is one of the best ways to reverse-engineer complicated problems and unleash creative possibility. Sometimes called “reasoning from first principles,” the idea is to break down complicated problems into basic elements and then reassemble them from the ground up. It’s one of the best ways to learn to think for yourself, unlock your creative potential, and move from linear to non-linear results. This...
Mar 23, 2021•16 min
To solve this problem and make decisions, the mind creates maps (mental models) of reality in order to understand it, because the only way we can process the complexity of reality is through abstraction. However we don’t understand our maps or their limits. In fact, we are so reliant on abstraction that we will frequently use an incorrect model simply because we feel any model is preferable to no model. The map is the tool the decision is still yours. The Business Continuity Show Twitter - https...
Mar 16, 2021•15 min
This is the second of four discussions on decision making. No one taught you how to decide, it is something that we just do. When we were children our parents did not go over the decision-making process or discuss mental models with us. Learning to make effective decisions will have the greatest impact on your professional and personal life. I know because I have made many wrong decisions and learned that lesson from life. Today, as we discuss decision-making principles, I have pulled ideas and ...
Mar 09, 2021•15 min
You may have heard that Texas has been impacted by one of the largest blackouts in the United States. What are some of the lessons that we have learned from this event? Can this be prevented in the future? Is Climate Change to blame? Is your organization ready for any type of hazard that can come it's way? Links The Business Continuity Show Twitter - https://bit.ly/3ojEIO2 Facebook - https://bit.ly/2Tjqv5H LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/34mXyfz YouTube - https://bit.ly/3mePJyG Awards:https://blog.fee...
Feb 23, 2021•13 min
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, 40-60% of small businesses close permanently after a disaster. Among businesses that are closed for at least five days, 90% fail within a year. A good disaster plan means fewer days out of business, better communication with employees and customers, and a better settlement from your insurance company. Add it all up and your plan could be the reason your small business beats the odds. The Business Continuity Show Twitter - https://bit.ly/3ojEI...
Feb 16, 2021•11 min
Over the last decade, California has experienced increased, intense, and record-breaking wildfires in Northern and Southern California. These fires have resulted in a devastating loss of life and billions of dollars in damage to property and infrastructure. Electric utility infrastructure has historically been responsible for less than ten percent of reported wildfires; however, fires attributed to power lines comprise roughly half of the most destructive fires in California history. With the co...
Feb 09, 2021•11 min
Did you conduct an After Action Review after the last crisis or exercise? As the impacts from disasters and crises can stay with us long after the event is over. The recovery process may continue for some time, one of the best practices that are found to be extremely valuable after every disaster is the After Action Review. This process helps organizations to identify areas of improvement in plans while the event, actions, and timeline are all still relatively fresh. It’s great to have and imple...
Feb 02, 2021•12 min
Behind the scenes during disasters, scores of public information officers in state and local government agencies working 24-hour a day. They are frantically fielding facts and phone calls, rushing to get information to the news media and the public. While this work may not seem as critical to life safety, it is essential. Efficient, rapid, and accurate information flow during an emergency can save lives, especially during complex, evolving events like Hurricane Dorian. In a recent study, Alessan...
Jan 26, 2021•10 min
Preparing for and managing disaster has been considered the role of government. However years of catastrophic disasters, civil unrest and cyberattacks on critical infrastructure. It is clear that the private sector has a substantial role in emergency preparedness. The private sector at the same time are potential victims of disaster, and providers of resources that are urgently needed during disaster conditions, employers are as important to emergency management as government agencies. The Busin...
Jan 19, 2021•12 min
Are you a thinker, a planner, a person that looks for knowledge? To understand what you do not understand you need to recognize what you don’t know, and you must seek to fill in the gaps. The Business Continuity Show Twitter - https://bit.ly/3ojEIO2 Facebook - https://bit.ly/2Tjqv5H LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/34mXyfz YouTube - https://bit.ly/3mePJyG Sister Shows EM Student Web - https://bit.ly/2Hw0sFx Twitter - https://bit.ly/31z8MeX Facebook - https://bit.ly/3dMlbRP LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/34m...
Jan 12, 2021•14 min
Is your organization ready to be ready? Is your organization supporting preparedness ought not to be a question as we start 2021, however, I am sure you may have a limited budget? This week challenge your leadership to be better prepared in 2021. The Business Continuity Show Twitter - https://bit.ly/3ojEIO2 Facebook - https://bit.ly/2Tjqv5H LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/34mXyfz YouTube - https://bit.ly/3mePJyG Sister Shows EM Student Web - https://bit.ly/2Hw0sFx Twitter - https://bit.ly/31z8MeX Face...
Jan 05, 2021•12 min
This year has been challenging for leaders. Before COVID-19 many people, leading teams were not tested by a Crisis. Over the last 8 months, the following 4 critical behaviors have become evident in the successful leader. The Business Continuity Show Twitter - https://bit.ly/3ojEIO2 Facebook - https://bit.ly/2Tjqv5H LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/34mXyfz YouTube - https://bit.ly/3mePJyG Sister Shows EM Student Web - https://bit.ly/2Hw0sFx Twitter - https://bit.ly/31z8MeX Facebook - https://bit.ly/3dMl...
Dec 22, 2020•12 min
When you think of Authentic Leadership Teddy Roosevelt is one man that comes to mind. Authentic is not asking people to do more with less. Saying you understand the pain. Or telling people that they have to roll up their sleeves and pull up their bootstraps. Authentic leaders ask one question, How can I help you be better. The Authentic Leader is a servant Leader. Servant Leader:https://www.greenleaf.org/what-is-servant-leadership/ Roosevelt- http://bit.ly/37hIEbG The Business Continuity Show Tw...
Dec 15, 2020•15 min
Resilience is especially important today because the business environment is becoming more dynamic and unpredictable. This is a result of several enduring forces stressing and stretching business systems — from accelerated technological evolution to a greater interconnectedness of the global economy to broader issues such as rising inequality, pandemic, and climate change. The Business Continuity Show Twitter - https://bit.ly/3ojEIO2 Facebook - https://bit.ly/2Tjqv5H LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/34...
Dec 01, 2020•14 min
The lessons that Business Continuity and Emergency Managers can take away from a crisis are invaluable. As we make decisions and have to pivot we learn along the way. In most cases, we learn from our mistakes then from our victories. Here are 15 lessons that we learn from managing crisis. The Business Continuity Show Twitter - https://bit.ly/3ojEIO2 Facebook - https://bit.ly/2Tjqv5H LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/34mXyfz YouTube - https://bit.ly/3mePJyG Sister Shows EM Student Web - https://bit.ly/2H...
Nov 24, 2020•18 min
Even during this pandemic, people spend most of their time in two places. Home and at work. Are members of your team ready for a disaster at the workplace? As we explore how we can keep our employees safe at work from COVID, we need to think about other disasters as well. The Business Continuity Show Twitter - https://bit.ly/3ojEIO2 Facebook - https://bit.ly/2Tjqv5H LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/34mXyfz YouTube - https://bit.ly/3mePJyG Sister Shows EM Student Web - https://bit.ly/2Hw0sFx Twitter - h...
Nov 17, 2020•16 min
Why should you care about Supply Chain Management? As an emergency manager or a business continuity manager, the supply chain is the lifeblood of your organization. Whether is it is to keep your business running or managing a disaster logistics is king. The Business Continuity Show Twitter - https://bit.ly/3ojEIO2 Facebook - https://bit.ly/2Tjqv5H LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/34mXyfz YouTube - https://bit.ly/3mePJyG...
Nov 10, 2020•12 min
If you’re like many organizations, you have an inadequate Business Continuity Program and your CEO may not even know or understand. This leaves your organization vulnerable to risks such as loss of revenue, penalties, and fines, not to mention the potential for negative impact to your institution's reputation. Despite these risks, you’re likely having a difficult time justifying an adequate investment in Business Continuity to your CEO or executive leadership. The Business Continuity Show Twitte...
Nov 03, 2020•15 min
BCPs are like an organization’s parachute. They work to carry an organization to safety and diminish further loss and damage in the event of a crisis. But if a BCP is insufficiently maintained, haphazardly developed, difficult to interpret, and not easily accessible to personnel, your organization may crash. The Business Continuity Show Twitter - https://www.instagram.com/titanhst/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Business-Continuity-Today-107622617647974 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/i...
Oct 27, 2020•15 min
In the field of emergency management and business continuity, making decisions is a critical function. To be a better decision-maker, you need to balance between speed and accuracy, you must be comfortable with making a decision with less than 100% of the information you think you need. The Business Continuity Show Twitter - https://www.instagram.com/titanhst/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Business-Continuity-Today-107622617647974 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddtdevoe/ YouTube ...
Oct 20, 2020•18 min
Tom Nichols book “The Death of Expertise: The Campaign Against Established Knowledge and Why it Matters”, got me thinking about the struggles of Business Continuity and Emergency Management professionals. At times EM and BC are thought as nice to have positions and are reduced to collateral duties. This week we are going to discuss why it is important for organizations to not look at these rolls as The Business Continuity Show Twitter - https://www.instagram.com/titanhst/ Facebook - https://www....
Oct 13, 2020•17 min
Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, is one of those books that everyone in emergency management, business continuity, and risk must read. Oh yea you better have thick skin because he tells it like he sees it and he has some strong words for our profession. The Business Continuity Show Twitter - https://www.instagram.com/titanhst/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Business-Continuity-Today-107622617647974 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddtdevoe/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/cha...
Oct 06, 2020•23 min
“Pivot,” is a word that has joined the lexicon of phrases linked to the COVID crisis. Businesses are being told to pivot their companies to meet the needs of the new economy. Of course that’s often easier said than done, How do you plan for the pivot? The Business Continuity Show Twitter - https://www.instagram.com/titanhst/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Business-Continuity-Today-107622617647974 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddtdevoe/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC...
Sep 29, 2020•16 min
In times of crisis and significant change. Information is incomplete, evolving, and sometimes conflicting. Yet leaders must make decisions and take action. It requires situational insight, not simply situational awareness. Today we are talking about the principles written in the book “You’re It: Crisis change and how to lead when It matters most” NPLI- https://npli.sph.harvard.edu/executive-development/online-training-programs/ The Business Continuity Show Twitter - https://www.instagram.com/tit...
Sep 22, 2020•9 min
