When we write business continuity plans (BCPs), we right them in a vacuum. We only know that they work if we: 1) do an exercise or 2) have a disaster. The East Coast is now experiencing a disaster like never before. Other events like Irene hit less business populated areas – now in the heart of business, New York and New Jersey, BCP’s are being put to the test. A rather chilling photo posted by [...]
Captain of Costa Concordia Sues Costa Cruises For Wrongful Dismissal – WHAT?! Wasn’t He The Guy Who Ran His Ship Into A Rock and Then Left?!
Yes, indeed…that guy is the one and only! The captain of the Costa Concordia which ran into a rock and capsized off the Italian coast in January, killing up to 32 people, has sued for wrongful dismissal. And yes, he is the same Captain that abandoned his passengers and crew and was found in a lifeboat and refused to go back to the ship. WHAT?!?!?!?!? Italian Francesco Schettino was not only fired by Costa Cruises [...]
What are the crisis leadership and business continuity lessons from the Titanic? Here are 10 lessons we can all take to heart.
In a recent New Yorker, Daniel Mendelsohn writes, “It may not be true that “the three most written-about subjects of all time are Jesus, the Civil War, and the Titanic,” as one historian has put it, but it’s not much of an exaggeration.” Hundreds of lives were lost, many families were torn apart, and the world was in agony. Many tiny acts of carelessness caused the ship’s downfall and continue to provide us lessons today…assuming [...]
At Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education Program on Crisis Leadership Program this week expanding my horizons…
This week I am attending the one-week Executive Leadership seminar –Program on Crisis Leadership (PCL). There are 60 individuals in my cohort, from 10 countries, many disciplines and zillions of years of experience. How cool is that! The introduction yesterday focused our week on four areas: Comprehensive preparedness – the need for comprehensive preparedness as the “unusual disasters” become the usual. Be ready for two types of emergencies simultaneously – the “routine” and “those we [...]
