Emergency Management Solutions Newsletter

 

Helping Managers Lead Better in Crisis

February 2013

L. Canton Photo 2013
In This Issue
Planner, Coordinator, Manager: What's in a name?
An interview with Bruce Schneier
Professional Development
Life Balance
From the Bookshelf
Speaker's Corner

Planner, Coordinator, Manager

What's in a name?

Last month I suggested the idea that we recognize that one-size-fits-all planning doesn't really work and that we should prioritize planning on the basis of jurisdictional need. I argued that jurisdictions with limited planning resources should focus first on core tasks and those jurisdictions with greater resources should be expected to plan for more complex tasks.

 

This month I'd like to take this argument a bit further by looking at the role of the emergency manager.

 

We've been wrestling for some time about just what constitutes an emergency manager precisely because there is no typical emergency manager. We've inadvertently bought into the assumption that the duties of the emergency manager must be the same in each community. Sounds like one-size-fits-all planning to me.

 

For the sake of argument, I'm using jurisdictional size as a determinant, as I did in last month's article. It's obviously a gross over-simplification but bear with me as I make the case for the concept of a hierarchy of emergency management based on the three most common roles we fill.

 

 

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE

 

An Interview with Bruce Schneier

 

Bruce Schneier - Privacy, Security & the Future - Interview
Bruce Schneier - Privacy, Security & the Future - Interview
Security technologist Bruce Schneier talks about the impact of social media on privacy and security and how this is influenced by generations. He has some interesting observations and cautions about how we deal with the future.

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Greetings!  

Welcome to the February issue of Emergency Management Solutions. Apologies for the delay - I had the opportunity to test my annual flu shot. It failed.

 

But more good news arrived this month. Instead of the series of keynotes I expected to do for Emergency Management Magazine in 2013, I've been invited to be one of the Senior Fellows at the Center for Digital Government, the research arm of the magazine's owner eRepublic.

 

There's a lot going on and I may have a few more surprises for you over the next few months, so stay tuned! Remember that in addition to this monthly newsletter, you  can also follow my personal blog, Canton on Emergency Management,or Managing Crisis, my new blog in Emergency Management Magazine.

 

If you are having trouble viewing my featured article, try clicking on the link at the top of the page. Alternatively, you can always find my articles in the white paper section of my blog site,  Canton on Emergency Management. 

 Regards,
 
Lucien Canton

Professional Development 

 

I'm not a big believer in New Year's resolutions but I am a planner. One of the things I was taught years ago was to include professional development in my annual planning. The importance of this was brought home to me the other day as I was reviewing the requirements for re-certification as a Certified Emergency Manager and noted the requirement for continuing education - I've got a bit of catching up to do.

 

Part of professional development planning is deciding why you want to take the training. There are some conferences that I attend for business purposes and other events that I participate in for the experience or for the knowledge I'll gain. Cost is not usually a determining factor: some of the free sessions or webinars I attended in 2012 were much more productive than conferences I paid to attend. 

 

Give some thought to your own professional development - it's an investment in yourself that pays tremendous dividends.

Life Balance  

 

A friend recently told me that he had, through inattention to his business, found himself in a serious cash flow problem last summer. He is a successful consultant who grosses more from his products each month than I earn in half a year of consulting. 

 

As things looked bleakest, he started thinking about what resources he had that could avert financial disaster. His solution was to share his problems with his community of followers and offer a tremendous discount on his products. His fans responded for two reasons: 1) his products are high value and 2) he shared his story and they wanted to support him.

 

Too often when we get in trouble, we find it difficult to admit it was our fault and to ask for help. We don't always consider the resources we have available. We end up making things worse for ourselves.

 

So give some thought today to your resources: your professional support group, your family, your friends. They're not just there for the good times.

 
From the Bookshelf  

 

Acts of God: The Unnatural History of Natural Disaster in America
by Ted Steinberg by Oxford University Press, USA

What really causes disasters? Is it really just luck or, as we used to say, an act of God? Steinberg offers considerable evidence that the fault is our own - that the decisions made by government and business and, yes, individuals are largely to responsible. His argument is that blaming disaster on an external force rather than looking at these vulnerabilities ultimately lead to more lost lives and costlier damage and hides the true architects of disaster.

This is a second edition, the main difference from the earlier one being the inclusion of a chapter on Hurricane Katrina, an event Steinberg predicted in the first edition. It's an excellent introduction to the concept of social vulnerability.

   

 Looking for more books? Check out An Emergency Manager's Reading List
Speaker's Corner 

Looking for a Speaker?

 

Need a speaker for your next conference? I offer keynotes, seminars and workshops. You can find more details on my website or on my SpeakerMatch page.  
Lucien Canton Seminar Excerpts
Lucien Canton Seminar Excerpts
Speaking Engagements  

 

Book early - I'll have limited availability for speaking this year!

�Lucien G. Canton February 2013