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SSC Security Matters

Understanding Leadership and Crisis Management
by Patrick J.W. Chagnon

First responders such as police, fire, and emergency medical personnel are a phone call away. The sound of sirens reminds us of this. These professionals are known as “traditional” first responders; upon arrival at the scene, they effortlessly take control of the situation and manage the incident to its conclusion. Traditional first responders engage in remedying the situation much like sports teams engage in fundamental basics when pushed to overcoming challenges. Similar to sports teams having captains or coaches, traditional first responder teams have a hierarchy of command. There are a myriad of leadership roles that clearly define how, in most circumstances, the team will operate under authoritative leadership structure. Orders and commands come down from the top and are executed by rank and file. Moreover, just as a sports team gets better with practice and experience, so does the traditional first responder team. Frequency and exposure to incidents improves the response system and over time, builds a high level of trust within the team.

In these post 9/11 times, Corporate America needs to rethink its sole dependence of the traditional first responder. Companies need to anticipate that emergencies or crisis will happen and when they do, who will relay information to the traditional first responders? Who will assess the situation and make sure people in the vicinity are secure? Who will tell executive management what the situation entails and the time it will take to get back to business as usual? Who will help ensure business continuity plans are current and updated periodically? It is the new first responder that takes responsibility for these actions and more. The new first responder is someone in your organization. It is someone you employ who secures and assesses the situation while the traditional first responders are called and in transit to the scene.

The new first responder role is appointed by your organization and has a definitive instruction of what to do and how to lead in an emergency or crisis. This person or group of people understands the diverse leadership roles in managing incidents. Understanding leadership roles is vital when interfacing with the first responder community; good communication and synergy between the new first responders and the traditional first responders is imperative for recovery from emergency and crisis occurrences. When there is loose understanding of leadership roles and responsibilities, business continuity is delayed and the overall aftermath impact is greater.

One poorly managed incident can have devastating effects on your business, especially in this budget-tight economy. Policies and procedure are of little benefit if there is no one designated to manage incidents. As members of Corporate America, we can learn from our traditional first responders and do the best to be prepared for a situation. First responders prepare by training frequently. Senior management mandates training and training is done. Teams practice drills, they engage in real-life scenarios, they update procedures to reflect regulated changes, and they complete this training often. Understanding the role of leadership and being able to manage crisis comes from top down. The upper echelon of Corporate America can convey the role of leadership in crisis and enable it to be managed better with their new first responders. Your leadership team needs to be engaged in the training process because just like the pros – it all comes down to understanding the role of leadership.

SSC has the training expertise and experience to help your teams succeed. Call us today for a free training consultation.

© 2009 SSC, Inc.

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