When you establish your crisis management capability, conduct crisis management exercises, or actually go through crises, what are the most common issues or gaps that are uncovered? Within episode 5 of the PreparedEx podcast, Rob describes 10 of the more common issues that are observed when conducting simulation exercises and monitoring events as they happen…
In a world full of uncertainty, having the ability to respond to and manage crises is an essential element of today’s business environment. It is no longer acceptable to ignore the media and not have plans and trained communicator’s prepared. We are at the mercy of our investors and we also have a duty to…
While some businesses try to plan for emergencies, many just gamble and never do any planning. Having a plan is one thing, testing it is another. Can your business withstand a period of uncertainty due to a natural disaster, cyber-attack or other impact to its operation? This episode is an interview with Peter Gaynor the…
I managed to leave the British Army without too many scars. Throughout my 13 years in the military, I was able to craft many skills that made me a better soldier as well as a leader. In this article, I discuss five leadership lessons that the military taught me. 1. Lead From The Front…
The 5 Steps to Creating and Delivering Tabletop Exercises was designed to help organizations improve their existing crisis simulation exercises or create new ones that are engaging and professional. In Episode 2, PreparedEx’s Rob Burton discusses the 5 Steps in detail. He covers the following: Pre-Exercise Planning Scenario and Exercise Design Final Exercise Preparations Delivery…
When an incident happens it is essential that the top management of an organization establish, define and document their policy for crisis management, which includes clear directions and expectations. Related: How to Build a Strong Crisis Management Foundation It includes a statement of intent that clearly and concisely outlines their objectives, describes in broad terms how…
Donald Estes has over 20 years of experience conducting research, analysis, and war gaming support to the Department of Defense, DHS, other government agencies and commercial clients. During a distinguished career as a naval officer in military intelligence, Mr. Estes held the Military Chair of Intelligence and was a professor in Joint Military Operations at…
The Lafayette, Louisiana movie theater shooting was methodically planned. The shooter, John Russell Houser, is reported to have visited other theaters prior to the attack and had been to the Grand 16 movie theater in Lafayette at least once prior. So, why did he choose this Lafayette theater over the others that he visited? Did…
As part of the preparation to conduct a tabletop exercise there are several important administrative and technical items that are easy to forget. Forgetting one or more of these items may lead to a less than desirable outcome during the exercise. Here’s that list: Identify the training location(s) Finalize the agenda Documents prepared (MSEL, selected…
Kidnap, Ransom, and Extortion Scenario Planning The CEO lands in Rome for an executive leadership conference and never arrives at his hotel. Calls to his mobile phone go straight into voice mail. His scheduled driver and security detail in Rome have also gone missing. The clock is ticking….. What do you do? Crisis preparedness planning is…