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What Does This Book Have to Do with BCP?
I'm a big baseball fan (Go Dodgers!). I'm also a voracious reader. So, when Mets pitcher R.A. Dickey's new book, "Wherever I Wind Up," came out recently, I figured I'd give it a whirl. Well, let me telI you, I couldn't put it down. It's a great story even if you're not into baseball (and a well-written one, Dickey's got some literary chops and majored in English lit!). It's also a fantastic tale of resilience and contingency planning.
That's why I thought many of you might find it interesting, inspirational, or even useful. No, it's not a "BCP book" per se. But it is the story of a man who signed a big time, big league contract only to have it yanked at the very last minute due to an unforeseen disaster. And talk about disasters, during Dickey's major league debut, he gave up six homeruns in three innings!
I won't ruin the plot, which is more about the man than the game, but I will tell you that it's an illustration of what all of you do every day, and it's a case study in overcoming adversity. Dickey went from major league disappointment to all-star and potential Cy Young award winner because he had a back-up plan and was able to reinvent himself and save his business (his baseball career).
And I'll admit that even though I'm true Dodger blue, I was rooting for Dickey yesterday when he led the Mets to a 6-1 victory over the Marlins. Dickey struck out 10, walked zero, and gave up only one run on five hits. Not too shabby for a guy who thought his career was over not long ago.
So, maybe as the season heats up and toward the World Series in October, you can use Dickey's story to inspire the baseball fans in your organization to embrace the idea of back-up plans and thinking creatively in a crisis. Go ahead, throw 'em a curve. Well, in this case, a knuckleball.
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Greetings!
I'm a single mom, and, therefore, a single point of failure. But I've got a great back-up plan and reciprocal agreement with my neighbor, Ken, the single dad across the street. Our kids are around the same age and friends (though his are bigger and taller than mine so we get all the hand-me-downs!). But basically, it's a toss-up, and we pick up each other's slack and put each other on emergency contact forms. So, when Ken called on Tuesday to ask me to run his teenage daughter, Alexa, to the bank, I said "Sure!" He was at a funeral and she needed to pick up her very first debit card to take with her on an overnight trip.
Off to the bank we went, with high-speed, high-pitched, teenage OMG-I-got-my-first-job-and-bank-account chitter chatter all the way. Alexa hopped out and was back in a flash with an envelope containing the magical and mythical (to her) debit card. As I was backing out of the parking space, I wasn't watching her, I was making sure I didn't hit anyone in the busy parking lot. And that's when I heard it, the unmistakable "click" of a cell phone camera. I jammed the car into park and practically yelled, "What are you doing?!" I'd already guessed that the picture was of her new prized possession. And, luckily, I reacted quickly enough to halt the Twitter/Facebook post that was just one more click away.
I explained what a BAD IDEA this was and why. We had a little Debit Card 101 course there in the parking lot and even downloaded an app to her phone so she could track her "finances" - as of Tuesday there was $45 in the account. And so, I thought I'd share that story with all of you in case you plan on arming your teenagers with debit cards and to remind you to be on the look-out for one of the most unpredictable threats known to man - man himself: human error. See below for a couple of articles on the subject.
Buffy Rojas
DRI International Director of Communications
brojas@drii.org
(610) 792-4802
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Do You Want to Speak at DRI2013? | 
The DRI2013 call for presentations is now open! DRI2013 will be held June 4-7 in Philadelphia, and it'll be even bigger and better than this year's inaugural event. We're looking for timely, innovative topics and case studies. Also, speakers receive a free full-conference pass. Click here to fill out the form and get your session in consideration. The deadline for submissions is August 31. |
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Where in The World Is BCP? |  Actually, the question is: Where in your organization does BCP report? This week's one-question survey comes to us from a Drive reader who is doing some research and asked for our help. How about it? Click here to take the super-quick survey and let us know where BCP reports in your organization. As always, your replies are completely confidential. We'll report the results in part in next week's Drive and in their entirety next Friday on our DRI International LinkedIn. |
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To Err Is Human | |
We all make mistakes. Loyal readers among you will recall my infamous hockey puck typo! And if you read my letter above, you'll have registered the reminder to be on the look-out for this threat: human error. Here are a couple of interesting articles on the topic...
Human error: models and management
The human error problem can be viewed in two ways: the person approach and the system approach. Each has its model of error causation and each model gives rise to quite different philosophies of error management.
A Compact Introduction to Human Error
The application of analytical methods in human error evaluation is in its infancy. Tools are being utilized and more important, data is being collected. Explanations of the underlying causes of human error at the individual level, developed over the last 60 years, show stability and growth on a relatively solid foundation of knowledge.
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DRI Malaysia Hosts BCM & Awards Event
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DRI Malaysia is hosting its annual BCM conference and CBCP awards in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,on September 25-26, 2012.
The conference sessions will address topics, such as insurance, BC/DR, Information Security Management System (ISMS), supply chain, and much more! Click here for a more detailed look at the schedule and to register.
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