THE STORMY WEATHER SHIELD

When the idea of implementing an incident and crisis management program is suggested to managers, they often say something along these lines “It has never happened to us, and is practically impossible that it will ever happen in the future”; “We have a very strong and clear safety procedure for our business and facilities, there are no issues and everything is under control”; “We don’t need to spend extra money in an incident or crisis management program.”

A crisis, by definition, is an abnormal and unstable situation, an undesirable event that might rarely occur. However, reality shows that major incidents and crises really do happen, there are plenty of examples on the literature, and it does not matter how strong our safety procedures are or how many barriers we have in place. These seldom events occur because we are human beings, and humans make mistakes, it is in our nature. Therefore, Organizations need to be well prepared to successfully respond to the unpredictable. The real test for an Organization and its leadership team is during the stormy weather, because it is much easier to do business during peaceful times.

Spending money to implement and maintain a proper and sounded Emergency and Crisis Management System is an Organizational investment. Being prepared really ads business value for better managing risks, enhancing resiliency, minimizing disruptions, and preventing and diminishing crises that might place the Organization out of business. Hope is not a strategy.