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Monthly Video
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| | Ship Ablaze - The General Slocum Disaster |
Though largely forgotten today, the General Slocum disaster of June 15, 1904 was a focusing event that had a significant impact on maritime safety and far-reaching social effects. The General Slocum was a sidewheel passenger boat chartered for a church picnic that caught fire in the East River. Of the 1358 passengers aboard, mainly women and children, over a 1,000 died - the single greatest loss of life in New York history until September 11th.
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Blog Highlights
The following are excerpts from my blog
Canton on Emergency Management. Please visit my blog to see the rest of my articles.
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The Importance of Personal Values
Is it more important to be clear on your personal values or the values of the organization you serve? The answer may surprise you. As you would expect, leaders who are clear on both have the highest level of constituent commitment. One would expect that the lowest level of commitment would be where the leader was unclear on both.
But surprisingly, commitment is lowest when a leader is unclear on his or her values but clear on the organization's values. Further, when a leader is clear on his or her values, he or she is able to compensate for being unclear on the organization's values. Here's what the research shows:
What this tells us is that being aware of your own values has a significant impact on the commitment of your constituents. In fact, the research shows that leaders who are clear about their values report being 25% more engaged than those who aren't. More importantly, the constituents of these leaders reported being 40% more engaged.
The First Practice of Exemplary Leadership is Model the Way. An important commitment of the Practice is being clear on your own values.
To find out more about the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership, consider taking The Leadership Challenge. Just click on the icon below for more information:
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Click here to take The Leadership Challenge
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The Leadership Challenge: How to Make Extraordinary Things Happen in Organizations
by James M. Kouzes & Barry Posner
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Newsletter Archive
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Welcome to the June issue of Emergency Management Solutions.
The recent tragedy in Charleston, South Carolina is dominating the news as I write this, reminding us of how suddenly the unexpected can strike. This comes on top deadly floods in Oklahoma, tornadoes in the Midwest, storms in the East, drought in Puerto Rico, and fires in the West. One can only wonder what the rest of the summer will bring.
Events like these remind us that there really is no "safe season". Disaster can happen at anytime with little or no warning. All the more reason to commit to continuous improvement of our plans and programs.
Regards,
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Featured Article
A Leader's Journey
Why The Leadership Challenge Matters
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For the past couple of years I've been a big proponent of the Leadership Challenge, a program that I believe can greatly improve anyone's leadership. Knowing my dislike for canned, one-size-fits-none solutions, several of my colleagues have asked me why I'm so committed to this particular program.
The answer is easy: it validates the leadership lessons it's taken me over forty years to learn. But to explain why this is so, I'll need to take you on my personal leadership journey.
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CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE
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If you are having trouble viewing my featured article, try clicking on the link at the top of the page. You can always find my articles in the white paper section of my blog site, Canton on Emergency Management.
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Professional Development
Don't Be A Slave To Technology
Many years ago, the concept of "time management" enjoyed a certain popularity in the self-improvement world. There was a raft of books and a crew of time management consultants who made a pretty good living. I still remember some of the rules I was taught, such as only touching any paper once and burying anything with a suspense date in the bottom right hand drawer until someone followed up on the request.
The age of technology was supposed to fix a lot of our time management problems. Right. How has that worked for you?
Effectively managing our time requires a certain amount of discipline. You need to free yourself from the constraints imposed by technology and actually make it work for you. For example, one suggestion is to only check your email twice daily and turn off any email notifications. However, email is no longer analogous to the letters of old. We don't send one with the expectation that the recipient will get back to us when possible; we expect an almost immediate answer. But if you can change your mindset and those of the people with whom we correspond, this could work for you. Even limiting yourself to only checking mail once an hour can help.
One of the tools I've found most useful are the programs that allow me to schedule group meetings without sending out a thousand emails. It essentially polls the group about proposed dates and lets you see at a glance the best option for the meeting. I also use programs that let clients select a meeting date with me from a range of options. They save me a lot of time.
So rethink how you're using technology. Don't let it add stress to your day by being a slave to perceived expectations. Take control and let it work for you.
Upcoming Educational Opportunities
40th Annual Natural Hazards Research and Applications Workshop
July 19-22, Broomfield, CO
The Annual Natural Hazards Research and Applications Workshop is designed to bring researchers and practitioners from many disciplines together for face-to-face discussions on how society deals with hazards and disasters.
International Association of Emergency Managers Annual Conference
November 13-18, Clark County, NV
The IAEM Annual Conference provides a forum to discuss current trends and topics, share information about the latest tools and technology in emergency management and homeland security, and advance the work of IAEM. Conference sessions encourage stakeholders at all levels of government, the private sector, public health and related professions to exchange ideas and collaborate to protect lives and property from disaster.
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Reduce Stress By Breaking the Cycle
Emergency managers are no strangers to stress. But there is a big difference between the stress that comes with the job and the personal stress we carry around with us daily. We have little control over the causes of job-related stress but we can do something about the stress in our personal lives.
Consulting guru Allan Weiss suggests using a five step sequence to eliminate unnecessary stress:
- Identify the immediate cause of your stress.
- Identify the cycle of stress. That is, look at the cause of the stress, contributing factors, and the impact the stress is having on you
- Identify the aspect which will most immediately break the cycle. Look for things that, no matter how painful, can change or end the cycle.
- Determine what help you'll need. Weiss suggests that the odds are you cannot break the cycle on your own and may need family support, a talk with a mentor, spiritual guidance, or even professional counseling.
- Make the changes, no matter how painful. Exercise your potential for control by making the changes. Recognize that not doing so leaves you in the cycle and in the end will be more harmful than the immediate pain caused by the change.
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From the Bookshelf
The Attacking Ocean: The Past, Present, and Future of Rising Sea Levels
by Brian Fagan
Brian Fagan is a popular speaker at emergency management conferences and his latest book is both a fascinating read and highly topical.
Combining archaeology with climatology, Fagan traces the change in sea levels over time and the impact this has had on humanity. Fagan's focus should resonate with any emergency manager: his focus is on the increased vulnerability of modern civilization to sea level rise and the catastrophic events that the ocean can spawn. Prehistoric hunter-gathers could simple move away in response to rising sea levels but the development of agriculture and, later cities. means this is no longer a viable option.
Fagan examines a number of at risk areas such as the Netherlands and Bangladesh and cities such as Shanghai and Venice and discusses what works and what is being considered for the future.
In a world where a discussion of climate change invokes heated opinions. Fagan sets the rise of sea levels in a historical context and presents solid evidence for our need to plan for the future. Definitely worth a read.
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Interested in more books on emergency management and related topics?
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Looking for a Speaker?
Need a speaker for your next conference? I offer keynotes, seminars and workshops.
 | | Three Reasons Why I'm the Right Speaker for Your Conference |
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Speaking Engagements
August 18-20 Jacksonville State University EM Doctoral Program, Jacksonville, AL
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Free Resource Guide for Solo Consultants
For solo consultants, true wealth is discretionary time. Don't waste yours on simple tasks that can be handled by technology. This free resource guide reveals the four essential online tools I use to manage my solo consulting practice and save hours of valuable time. And the best part is - they're free!
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