Volume 8 No. 7 July 2016

In This Issue

Featured Video

Blog Highlights

The Leadership Challenge

Consulting Transitions

Featured Article

Professional Development

Life Balance

From the Bookshelf

Speaker's Corner

Featured Video

Top 10 Signs You Know Disaster Recovery Strategy Needs Updating

Kristy Dalton, known affectionately as GovGirl, is a video blogger and columnist for Government Technology magazine.She is a former city government web manager who "has a passion for social media, technology and the lighter side of government life." In this short clip, attendees at the Texas Digital Government Summit identify their top 10 indicators that your IT recovery plan is in serious trouble. It's a bit tongue in cheek but the point that reviewing strategy regularly is important to success is something on which we can all agree. You can find more videos at Kristy's YouTube channel or her website at http://www.govtech.com/govgirl/

Blog Highlights

Visit My Blog

The following are excerpts from my blog

Canton on Emergency Management. Please visit my blog to see the rest of my articles.

Is It Time for Emergency Managers to Think Globally?

07-26-2016

The increasing inter-connectedness of the global economy can have an impact on local social vulnerability. It may be time to for EMs to think beyond just local hazards and immediate threats....�

If you are having trouble accessing these articles, go directly to the blog by clicking either the logo or the green "Visit my blog" button.

Visit My Blog

The following are excerpts from my blog, Managing Crisis, published by Emergency Management Magazine. Please visit my blog to see the rest of my articles.

Is ICS Missing an Essential Function?

07-21-2016

In a Journal of Emergency Management article titled The evolution of shortcomings in Incident Command System: Revisions have allowed critical management functions to atrophy, researchers Kimberly Stambler and Joseph Barbera make a strong argument that four decades of policy/procedure changes have reduced the effectiveness of ...�

If you are having trouble accessing these articles, go directly to the blog by clicking either the logo or the green "Visit my blog" button.

The Leadership Challenge

The Leadership Challenge Workshop

August 9th, 2016, 10:00 am PDT

Over 3 million people around the world have taken The Leadership Challenge Workshop - the most effective leadership development program available today.

This highly interactive, experiential program, along with The Leadership Practices Inventory� (LPI) 360-degree assessment, develops the skills needed to take leaders to the next level.

To learn more, join us for a complimentary 1/2 hour overview of the model on August 9th, 2016, 10:00 am PDT

Is The Leadership Challenge right for your organization? In this webinar we'll discuss:

The proven benefits of the model
Why a research-based program
How it can be customized
How to get started, now

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:

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

The Leadership Challenge is a registered trademark of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. www.leadershipchallenge.com

Consulting Transitions

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!

Interested in exploring the world of consulting? My new membership site might be just the resource you need to get started. You'll have access to blogs designed to answer very specific questions, a resource library of templates and articles, the opportunity to network with peers, and discounts on coaching and training programs. Download the free guide or click on the logo above to go straight to the site.

Quick Links

Quick Links

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Archive

Welcome to the July issue of Emergency Management Solutions.

There were two significant anniversaries in the Bay Area this month, each of which would have been worthy of a featured article. July 17 was the anniversary of the 1941 explosion at Port Chicago that contributed ultimately to desegregation in the US Navy. July 23 was the centennial of the 1916 bombing at the Preparedness Parade in San Francisco, an event similar in many ways to the Boston Marathon bombing. History is all around us and we have much to learn from the past.

This month's article deals with the future, however. A friend recently brought my attention to the proposed draft of the NIMS Refresh and it contains some truly disturbing changes that will generate considerable work and expense at the local level for little return. I hope you find it food for thought and make your feelings known to DHS and FEMA. The official comment period is over but this is of enough concern that you might want to take a position on this issue.

Regards,

Lucien Canton

Featured Article

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Are We Overthinking ICS?

The proposed NIMS Refresh does more harm than good

In a recent article titled Hang On, Here We Go... Again my colleague and friend of many years, George Whitney, raises concerns about the latest proposed revision to the National Incident Management System (NIMS). Specifically, Whitney questions the need to create an entirely new system, the Center Management System, to manage operations within the emergency operations center (EOC). He suggests that this might be a task best left to local emergency managers.

I believe there is an even bigger question that we must ask. Are we overthinking the Incident Command System?

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.

Professional Development

New FEMA App

The latest version of the FEMA mobile app has several features to support individuals before, during, and after a disaster. App features include:

Weather Alerts: Sign up for National Weather Service alerts for up to five different U.S. locations to stay updated on severe weather forecasts impacting family and friends.
Preparedness Information: Receive tips to survive natural disasters and customize your emergency checklist.
Safety Reminders: Set reminders that will alert you when it's time to change smoke alarm batteries, replenish emergency supplies kits, and practice your family's emergency communications plan.
Disaster Resources: If a disaster occurs, search for shelters and Disaster Recovery Centers in your area.

Professional Development Opportunities

64th Annual IAEM Conference and EMEX

Savannah, GA

October 14-19, 2016

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.

Life Balance

It's Just Routine

The philosopher John Stuart Mill once said, "The disease which inflicts bureaucracy and what they usually die from is routine." There is certainly some merit in what he says but routine, like bureaucracy, is not always a bad thing. Athletes use it to develop consistency and calmness under pressure. Martial artists use it as a way to focus before a match. Routines can be powerful.

The problem is we often don't recognize them in daily life. I never realized that I had developed a routine for calming myself at the end of the day when on disaster duty with FEMA until my family came to visit and disrupted it. It took some adjusting. I start my day with a walk or a run with my dog, something I've done for years. It took me a while to realize that I used that quiet time to plan out my day and to mentally begin drafting work projects. My day wasn't as productive when meetings or conference calls prevented those walks. Our walk ends at the dog park where contact with friends from varied backgrounds helps keep me from the isolation that can plague solo consultants.

Another routine I have is to share a pot of tea with my wife each Friday at our favorite Chinese restaurant. It's a time for us to get caught up on our busy week and to just focus on each other. We occasionally have to miss it because of work or social commitments but that doesn't diminish the importance of our routine.

Obviously, we can't be slaves to our routines, particularly in a profession dealing with unexpected crises. But it's good to recognize the importance of routines that serve to reduce stress or make us more productive and make use of them. By recognizing the good routines and eliminating any negative ones we are in a better position to achieving balance in our lives.

From the Bookshelf

Managing the Unexpected: Sustained Performance in a Complex World

by Karl E. Weick and Kathleen M. Sutcliffe

The saying "failure is not an option" is a bit cliched but there really are organizations where failure would produce catastrophic results. In this slim volume, researchers Weick and Sutcliffe distill their years of research into high reliability organizations such as nuclear power plants and aircraft carriers into a system they call "Mindful Organizing".

Mindful organizing is based on five principles that are present in successful high reliability organizations:

Preoccupation with failure
Reluctance to simplify
Sensitivity to operations
Commitment to resilience
Deference to expertise

Understanding these principles goes a long way to heading of potential crises and substantial improves response. Although well documented, the book reads easily and uses examples from a variety of environments to make its points. This is one of the books I consider required reading for any emergency manager.