DRI International Awards of Excellence:
Nominate Now!
You are invited to participate in DRI International's Awards of Excellence Program and Awards Gala Dinner to honor individuals and corporations who are leaders and innovators within our profession. This event will recognize those who have achieved a level of excellence in the fields of continuity management, technology recovery (DR), and crisis management. The challenges associated with building a successful business continuity management program are many and we strongly believe that as a global continuity management training and certification organization, it is our duty to recognize and celebrate excellence. For a list of awards categories, click here. To nominate, click here. And here is a list of FAQs. The awards will be presented as the culmination of the DRI International Conference at the Awards of Excellence Gala Dinner to be held at the Downtown Philadelphia Marriott Hotel in Philadelphia, on Thursday, June 6, 2013. Nominations are due by February 15, 2013. To assure a fair and unbiased assessment of all applicants, we have established a process that allows for blind judging by senior industry professionals drawn from amongst the most highly respected organizations, to independently judge the nominees in each category. For more information, contact the Awards Team by calling (866) 542-3744 or via email at info@drii.org. |
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Clyde's Corner:
When the Stars Allign
When the stars align, your career, work life, financial concerns, friendships, home life, and health, all run smoothly and without incident. We recognize that this is not always the case. The unexpected and unplanned-for occur in any and all of these areas from time to time. Sometimes, many of the moving parts in your life seem out of sync, causing considerable angst and anguish. In our jobs as BCP folks, we strive to keep the stars aligned at work and sometimes "think BCP" while managing the essential parts of our personal lives. When bad things happen at home (to us or our neighbors), we seek help or help as we can. I have spoken about how Sandy has impacted so many in the Northeast. That, of course, is the bad news. The good news is that there are many stories of heroism and helping out that are extraordinary and heartwarming. Volunteerism can be inspiring and wonderful. And it's what we are called to do. When bad things happen at work, we fire up our continuity of operations program and seek to minimize impact to core processes while protecting staff and the community. Ours is a complicated field sometimes - what with all 10 professional practices requiring attention to get our resiliency model right. BCP isn't always "common sense" as some imply. If that were true, everyone would have viable and actionable plans in place. To do BCP right, we all need appropriate and targeted education. We need the DRI International experts to help us to learn how to best put theory into logical and reliable practice. We need our peers, both internally and externally, to share their best practices. We need seminars, conferences, and local organizations, like ACP, to keep us abreast of the latest and greatest ways to build resiliency at our organizations. We also need to stay ever aware of the changing risk challenges as well as suitable response models needed to adequately address them. You have myriad choices when it comes to your education and learning for business continuity. It amazes me that there are so many new players in this space. When bad disasters occur, those that can spell BCP suddenly become experts. I caution you against taking up with those who may be brand new to selling BC consulting services, software tools, resiliency models, and life safety programs. I am probably preaching to the choir here, but do stick with those you know best when seeking help. Do your homework, and make sure due diligence is part of your selection process. I can say without fear of contradiction that the DRI International family of instructors and staffers are committed to excellence, and they have longevity and a proven record behind them. Enough said. So when you are choosing the conference that will best serve you this year, please give serious consideration to the DRI2013 in June. And as part of that work/life balance and keeping all your stars aligned, we feel that we will offer you great opportunities to learn, meet new people, share a few laughs, and do meaningful volunteer work in the Philadelphia area. As with our conference last year (where 80+ of your peers volunteered) we will be offering several volunteer day options. We will also provide a list of some 'on your own' volunteer opportunities if you cannot work on the volunteer days that we have on the calendar. The volunteer work we do helps to keep everyone's stars properly aligned by giving those in need the things that will make their lives better. We are just one small part of the larger community that works hard to give back, but we are an enthusiastic and determined lot. And if past experience is any indication of future performance, we will have fun along the way and feel good about our contribution. All the best, Clyde Berger cberger@driif.org Director of Volunteerism and Vice President |
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Issue #48
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January 11, 2013
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Greetings!
Talking shop. War stories. Whether they're about BCP or business deals, your worst boss or the time your best friend saved your skin, we all swap them. The really good ones are told and retold. They become our personal parables. That's because they entertain and teach. And stories can be your biggest ally in communicating continuity.
Last week I shared a bit of wisdom from Chip and Dan Heath (authors of the fascinating book "Made to Stick") concerning the "Curse of Knowledge." This week, I promised bit of advice from the Heath Brothers on how to beat it. And stories are one of their six key concepts of "sticky" ideas. So, let's hear it from the Heaths:
A group of UCLA students were asked to think about a current problem in their lives, one that was "stressing them out" but was potentially solvable in the future...The students were told that the goal of the experiment was to help them deal with the problem effectively, and they got some brief instructions on problem-solving.
A second group of students, the "event-simulation" group...were asked to mentally simulate how the problem had unfolded: We would like you to visualize how this problem arose. Visualize the beginning of the problem, going over in detail the first incident. Go over the incidents as they occurred step by step. Visualize the actions you took. Remember what you said, what you did. Visualize the environment, who was around, where you were. The event-simulation participants had to retrace, step by step, the events that led to their problem.
A third group, the "outcome-simulation" group, was asked to mentally simulate a positive outcome emerging from the problem: Picture this problem beginning to resolve, you are coming out of the stressful situation. Picture the relief you feel. Visualize the satisfaction you would feel at having dealt with the problem. Picture the confidence you feel in yourself, knowing that you have dealt successfully with the problem. The outcome-simulators kept their focus on the desired future outcome.
Now it's play-at-home time: Make a quick prediction about which group of students fared best in coping with their problems. (Hint: It's not the control group.)
Here's the answer: The event-simulation group-the people who simulated how the events unfolded-did better on almost every dimension. When the groups returned a week later, the event simulators' were more likely to have taken specific action to solve their problems. They were more likely to have sought advice and support from others. They were more likely to report that they had learned something and grown.
Notice that these visualizations focus on the events themselves-the process, rather than the outcomes. Mental simulation helps with problem-solving. Even in mundane planning situations, mentally simulating an event helps us think of things that we might otherwise have neglected.
The takeaway is simple: Mental simulation is not as good as actually doing something, but it's the next best thing. And, to circle back to the world of sticky ideas, what we're suggesting is that the right kind of story is, effectively, a simulation. Stories are like flight simulators for the brain.
If there's one resource BCP professionals have, it's stories. How will you use yours? Do tell.
Buffy Rojas
DRI International Director of Communications
brojas@drii.org
(610) 792-4802
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There Are 10,000+ DRI-Certified Professionals!
Growth = Worldwide Commitment to Continuity
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 Big news! In December, DRI International officially grew to more than 10,000 certified professionals worldwide. Continued growth cements DRI as the industry's leading certification and speaks to global trends regarding continuity. All of DRI's certifications surged in 2012, with both an influx of newly-certified professionals, as well as those achieving the next level of professional certification. International growth was staggering, with a 72 percent increase in applications over 2010. "Given the macroeconomic crises we've seen over the last five years, companies and governments are both investing in their survival strategies," says DRI's Director of Global Operations Chloe Demrovsky. "Business continuity is part of that." The "tremendous amount of international growth" comes from two main regions, Asia and Latin America, according to Demrovsky. "Asia has been a big player for a while, and Latin America is really giving it a run for its money," she says. "In both regions, there's been significant growth at the macro level, so there is money to invest in continuity," she explains. DRI's Director of Certification Traci O'Neal calls the 10,000 certified professionals milestone "an awesome achievement." "I have personally worked with many people to help them achieve their goals of completing a DRI certification or advancing to the next level of certification," she says, encouraging anyone who needs a hand with the process or who has questions to contact her directly at toneal@drii.org. "By working closely with applicants, I've come to realize that many of them just needed the answers to a few questions in order to proceed," she adds. "We all get busy with our jobs and lives, but I'm always here to help. I am very proud to be part of DRI and be part of the growth of our certified professionals." And we're proud of all of you too! Thank you for being part of DRI International's continued growth! |
Where in the World Is DRI? Istanbul!
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DRI International is pleased to announce the launch of our newest international affiliate, DRI Istanbul. DRI Istanbul will serve the Turkish market and immediate surrounding areas for business continuity education and certification. Istanbul is an important strategic location for DRI International as it represents the cross roads of East and West. Along with the launch of DRI Istanbul, we are excited to also announce our first course offering in Turkey. The BCLE 2000 course and accompanying certification exam will be held in Istanbul the week of March 4, 2013. Registration is now open, and more information on this course can be found here. |
Survival Kit? No, Survival KILT!
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 Bet you don't have one of these! But, who knows, you might start seeing them at industry events if they catch on. Survival kilts, made by Utilikilt, is "the most advanced" kilt the company offers. Billed as "the Cadillac" of utility kilts, the Survival model's maximum capacity is "20 bottles of the survival beverage of your choice." Claims Utilikilt, "With the Survival around your waist, you'll never go thirsty." According to the company's website, "each cargo pocket on the Survival can be pulled off and used like a belt pack. Wading across a river and don't want to get your stuff wet? Pull off the cargo pockets, stuff the rest of the Utilikilt inside and toss it across to shore. Pockets stuffed full as you get to the airport? Pull off the pockets, drop them on the x-ray conveyor belt, and stride on through the metal detector. Each cargo pocket is equipped with elastic-rimmed gussets, so it'll expand to fit all your junk, and fold right back to flat after use. Wear the Survival for a while and you'll be shocked at just how useful these removable pockets really are. The two rear pockets don't come off, but they are elastic rimmed and can hold a heroic amount of stuff." I dare you to wear it! |
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DRI's New Education Director: Gary Villeneuve
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 Meet Gary Villeneuve, DRI International's new Director of Education. Villeneuve has a Master's Degree in Systems Analysis/Business and holds three DRI certifications: Master Business Continuity Professional (MBCP), Certified Public Sector Continuity Professional (CPSCP), and Certified Business Continuity Lead Auditor (CBCLA). He has more than 30 years of experience in business continuity, disaster recovery, emergency management, and information technology.
Villeneuve has worked as a contingency planner, data center manager, database administrator, computer specialist, and university professor. He has developed Business Continuity Plans, Business Impact Analyses, Disaster Recovery Plans and Strategies, Emergency Response Plans, Risk Assessments, and conducted disaster recovery exercises. His experience spans both the private sector and government. He has been a Continuity of Operations (COOP) coordinator and was instrumental on projects implementing information technology/continuity solutions for the Defense Department. In addition to teaching business continuity classes for DRI, he has taught computer science classes as an Associate Professor at colleges and universities.
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| Register Now for DRI2013 in Philadelphia! |
You know you want to go to our second annual conference, to be held June 4-7 in Philadelphia, PA. So, why not register for DRI2013 right now? Start the New Year right by making plans to attend a truly outstanding industry event, featuring a truly international conference program, superior networking, meaningful volunteer opportunities, and innovative interaction with the provider community. Register today at www.DRIconference.com! |
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