Preparing for the Unexpected

Times have changed, and organizational leadership must deal with new challenges of mental health, employee wellbeing (as well as their own), while acknowledging that executive training to prepare executives to lead during such difficult times, is severely lacking. I talk with noted psychologist Gavin Freeman in a 2 part episode. In the part 1 we talk about mental health and wellbeing, and in part 2 we touch on the lack of preparation and training for corporate leaders during times of crisis. PART 1: Wellbeing and Mental Health a. Working at home challenges for organizations, b. Us vs Them mentality, c. Employee mental health, d. How mental health and wellbeing are linked, e. Introverts and extroverts, f. Technology implications, g. Different ways to engage people, and h. Helping colleagues and friends in need). PART 2: The Lack of Training of the C-Suite a. Executives and business as usual, b. Strategic thinking over crisis management thinking, c. Crisis defined, d. Measuring success, e. Continued exercising, f. Motivations, g. Changing how we train people, h. Procedural & purposeful training, and i. Deliberate & direct training. Gavin gives allot of great insights everyone - every leader - needs to be aware of with regards to employee health and wellbeing. He also provides so ideas on how we can change and improve the methods of training for executives, to help them respond better to crises, and what we need to change to accomplish that. Don't miss Gavin's insights. Enjoy!

The workplace and Business Continuity will never be the same after the COVID19 global pandemic. I speak with internationally recognized BCM expert Chris Miller, about what the workplace and Business Continuity might be like in a post-COVID world. During our chat we touch on: 1. How individuals (employees) have changed, 2. How management and corporate leadership have changed, 3. How organizations have changed and had to adapt to a new way of operating, 4. The challenges faced by Security teams and processes, 5. How BCM was ignored or forgotten during the outset of COVID, 6. How Org Leaders let down BCM professionals, 7. O.I.L. methodology, 8. BCM becoming strategic and tactical rather than operational, 9. Supply Chain Management, and 10. Emerging trends...and more. It's a very lively discussion with lots of great information from Chris, who obviously has lots to share about where the workplace and BCM may be heading in the future. Don't miss Chris' insights. Enjoy!

Political Risk and Supply Chain Management are two important topics in today’s world. I talk with the founder of LeanPM LLC and author of “Political Risk Management and the Global Supply Chain”, Ralph Kliem. In our talk we touch on: 1. Defining Political Risk, 2. Political risk drivers, 3. Key components of managing political risk, 4. The risk register and what information it should contain, 5. The skills and knowledge required to manage political risk, 6. Risk reporting and audit, 7. The Political Risk Management Plan, 8. Political biases in political risks, 9. Monitoring the supply chain and maintaining the risk register, 10. Risk triggers, 11. Identify political risks that can impact you supply chain. Ralph offers allot of great insights into political risk, and by understanding and monitoring political risk, you can help manage your supply chain. A great discussion you won’t want to miss. Enjoy!

It's time for the October 2022 update with Regina Phelps, as we talk about the outlook for families, communities, and organizations, with COVID and subvariants beginning to grey to horizons. We touch on: 1. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) impacting the old...and young kids (transmission, symptoms, protection...), 2, Avian Influenza (Yes, it's back...and never really went away), 3. Human Influenza (and the potential for a 'twindemic', 4. Vaccinations and boosters (and how they can help), 5. Subvariants (there are quite a few new ones...), 6. Winder is coming (flus and colds). Another informative discussion with Regina, as she explains what we need to watch out for and protect ourselves, families, and communities. Here are a few of the links Regina references if you want more information: a) https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm , b) https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions , c) https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#wastewater-surveillance.

Due to the COVID10 global pandemic, Crisis Management and Crisis Leadership have have changed, but become more important than ever. I speak with recognized Crisis Leadership expert Oliver S. Schmidt, as we talk about: 1. Defining a crisis, and the difference to a disaster, 2. The 3 phases of Crisis Management, 3. Partnerships that help 'Contain & Control' a crisis, 4. Ongoing Lessons Learned and Evaluation, 5. How did COVID changed Crisis Mgmt. and Leadership, 6. The functional areas that need to work together during a crisis, 7. Performing Impact Assessments, 8. Employees and COVID Impacts, 9. The Key Message Triangle and Communications, 10. Decision-Making. It's clear that Oliver is very passionate about Crisis Leadership and Management, and it comes across during our discussion. Don't miss his great insights. Enjoy!

The success of Business Continuity, Risk Management, and Crisis Management, can be aided in part by having strong Supply Chain Management practices. I speak with Supply Chain and Business Continuity expert Kush Srivastava. We talk about: 1. Domains and Common Elements, 2. The opportunities to leverage from the various domains, 3. The congruence analyzed, 4. The rolling impact of Supply Chain Management, 5. How SCRM aids in better BCPs, Crisis Mgmt., and Response & Recovery, 6. Mapping the Supply Chain, 7. Becoming a preferred customer, 8. De-clustering, 9. Flexibility in the Supply Chain. It's an interesting discussion that helps us understand how these four areas can work together to contribute to resilience, and realize that Supply Chain Management can be a silent lifeline for the success of each program. Enjoy!

Business Continuity is often seen as an expense, but doing it right can help an organization with profitability. I talk with long-time BCM industry certified professional Harsha Sastry. Harsha takes us through many different considerations that sometimes get overlooked or ill-perceived, but in actuality, can help an organization reap continuous profits. We talk about: 1. Re-discovery, 2. Re-qualifying speed (e.g., RTOs, RPOs etc.), 3. The CMDB (It's now what you think, it's actually the Configuration Maturity Delta Bridge), 4. Responsiveness, 5. Exercising & Testing, 6. Muscle memory, 7. Strategic goals, vision, mission, and the 'Epicenter' (you have to listen in to know what that means), 8. Agility - Shifting Right to Left, 9. Re-calibrating and Sharpening activities, 10. and much more. It's obvious Harsha is well-versed on BCM and quite passionate about the topic. Don't miss his invaluable insights. Enjoy!

It's time once again for my regularly scheduled chat with globally recognized resilience and business continuity management expert, Regina Phelps. For this episode we talk about Shifting Baselines, defined as failure to notice change over time. We also touch on ROI vs VOI, which means how resilience, BCM, and DR professionals showing value, rather than trying to 'guess' at ROI dollars. It's a great conversation with Regina, and there is allot here to capture and take back to your own organizations to ensure your programs display value - and increase your own value. Don't miss this episode! Enjoy!

Sometimes, leadership during a crisis can be lacking and ineffective. I talk with Crisis Management expert and author of Code Black: 50 Lessons in Crisis Management for Effective Leadership, Glenn C Schoen. We touch on such topics as: 1. The meaning of Code Black, 2. Decision Making Model during a crisis, 3. The 6 steps in defining a crisis, 4. Defining, addressing, and prioritizing risks (even before a crisis is declared), 5. The 7 characteristics of a crisis, 6. Escalation from a small incident to Crisis Management Team involvement, 7. Being wary of ‘default management’ thinking, 8. Defining a designated BIAS buster, 9. The C-Suite Gap (training, Crisis Mgmt. knowledge...), 10. Understanding that in a disaster you are not the only one suffering. It is a great chat with Glenn, and he touches on subjects not usually written about with regards to Crisis Management and Leadership. Do not miss what Glenn has to say. Enjoy!

Business Continuity Management (BCM) isn't just about a 'plan' - there's so much more to consider, and many other concepts that into play to create a successful BCM program. I speak with well-known and respected BCM thought leader Vito Mangialardi, about some of the many concepts associated with a BCM program. We talk about: 1. Policy, 2. Maturity Model (What’s a mature program looks like?), 3. Auditing BCM Programs, 4. Key Performance Indicators (KPI), 5. Virtual Exercises vs Realtime Exercises, 6. Climate Change and BCM, 7. Industry Certifications & Standards, 8. BCM professionals having “The Right Stuff”, and 9. Personal Preparedness, It's a lively and informative chat with Vito, you don't want to miss. Enjoy!