Five Star Values for Critical Incident Survival

I've written and spoken about it so many times that to some people I must be starting to sound like a cracked record. But just in case this is completely new to you then let me crank the gramophone handle one more time....

The most amazing thing about critical incidents that impact organisations is not that they happen but that they do not happen more often. Turn on the news and you'll find one in an instant. Right now, somewhere in the world, an organisation is experiencing a critical incident. And you only have to look at the "Wall of Terror" below to see some potential consequences.

So if there is a certain inevitability surrounding the fact that the organisation that you work in will experience a critical incident then what can leaders do to ensure that their organisation will survive? 

Here's our suggested top 5 values, attitudes and behaviours:

Communicate the vision
Organisations that keep going through critical incidents have a strong sense of vision. A clear vision provides a sense of purpose, a compass that provides a directional base upon which all decisions can rest. If a vision is clearly embedded in an organisation then the greater the chance that individual decisions will be taken that move towards the vision. When decisions move towards the vision, then organisational purpose and mission can be preserved. The alternative is fragmented, ill directed 'firefighting', where alignment and vision are lost.

Be aware
As Tolkien wrote; "It does not do to leave a dragon out of your calculations if you happen to live near to him". In this context, it is important to be constantly horizon scanning and looking for patterns (or dragons) that may be headed your way. Be aware of external hazards. When do the hazards actually become risks? This isn't rocket science. The more blind you are the more likely you are to fall into a hole. Being aware and able to know when to be prepared increases your chances of either avoiding, or coping with, the incident.

Be prepared
There's a great quote from Mike Tyson: "Everybody has a plan until he gets punched in the face". And, as we know, although no plan survives contact with the enemy if you don't have a plan then you are planning to fail. And if we can see through that cliche where does that leave us? Well, for resilient organisations it puts them in the first category. The plan does not have to survive contact with the enemy if those elements of your force who are in contact with the enemy have the authority, vision and creative adaptability to construct a fresh tactical plan in the face of enemy activity. Yes, I know I am mixing my metaphors or whatever but you know this to be true. There is a need to be prepared and an inherent part of that preparedness is tactical flexibility. Without doubt the ability of your organisations front line leaders to identify critical incidents is crucial. And it's crucial for two reasons. Firstly, these are the people who are capable of making the course corrections that enable the incident to be avoided in the first place and, secondly, if and when an incident cannot be avoided then they have the ability and authority to take immediate action without having to refer their decisions up the line. So traditional top down management styles might come a cropper whilst supportive leader cultures may be at an advantage.

Invest in openness and let go
OK, so I cheated. There are two aspects under one heading. Let me explain. Problem solving is best done close to the problem. To continue the analogy started above, if your front line decision makers are making the best front line decisions, then they are brilliantly positioned to react favourably to the situation they face. But there needs to be an organisational confidence in the power of this frontline decision making. And that only comes through an open culture. Building that culture means managers letting go and creating a culture of trust. Trust comes through experience, and experience can be built through exposure and practice. And when the incident happens, the openness will conduct information like lightning, and will enable your front line managers handle the detail, whilst you are free to focus on providing the top level vision.

Practice, Practice, Practice
Although I have left it to last, this is by far the most important factor. In fact, the more you practice the more the need for the other four factors becomes blatantly obvious. Some industries and organisations are heavily regulated and are used to dealing in high risk situations but for the vast majority of everyday companies there is no precedent when it comes to dealing with critical moments. One of the many excuses that organisations give against being prepared is that the possible range of disaster scenarios are almost endless. From hijacked compounds in the Sahara (BP), the complete collapse of your market because of technological advances (HMV) or the possible collapse of faith in your product (Boeing and it's Lithium ion batteries)  the next crisis is just around the corner. Yes, organisations plan, but only the best ones actually practice. Would you get in an aircraft where the pilot hadn't practiced what to do in the event of en engine fire? No, of course you wouldn't, yet everyday organisations expose themselves to similar risks. The business continuity cycle has an important role in this. My worry over this is the extent to which the continuity mindset has a place in the C-Suite of most companies. Exercises tend to be local (which is great) and whilst they are excellent for handling what happens if a server room goes down (for instance) they seldom stretch to the more far reaching strategic implications of extended outages. Continuity exercises tend to have a focus on physical acts that have a physical impact and that can be solved. They tend not to look at market conditions or the risk of someone "selling the farm". For those scenarios, something like business wargaming or scenario based exercises are far more efficient.