Special Announcement
The Emergency Management Network is excited to continue our relationship with the Crisis Response Journal (CRJ). We will feature articles from the CRJ in our weekly newsletter. Relationships, information sharing, and collaboration are why we started the network to create a community of emergency managers and response leaders worldwide.
Why are we working with the CRJ? In its 18th year, Crisis Response Journal, along with its associated channels, is the global information resource covering all aspects of human-induced disasters or natural hazards, spanning response, disaster risk reduction, resilience, business continuity, and security.
Our goals aline to bring all disciplines together to increase the understanding of our differences and similarities. Together CRJ and the EMN serve the people who respond to the world's disasters bringing relief to individuals and communities.
Embracing The Commander’s Intent
I have spoken a lot about how a decentralized command structure is more effective than a top-down heavy control system. Over the years, I have had the privilege of interviewing many leaders from different disciplines, and the most successful used the idea of "I intend to" instead of a "may I" approach with their team. In his book, Turn the Ship Around!: In a True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders, L. David Marquet takes a hard look at why his boat went from the worst boat in the Navy to the most successful command in the Navy in a short time. The transformation came because of three profound, straightforward mind shifts; the shift from master and commander to the commander's intent. The commander trusts the team/system and encourages "I intend to" instead of "may I" do this.
A current example of the decentralized command is the Ukrainian forces fighting off Russian invaders as the world focused on the overwhelming Russian forces, which are better equipped, trained, and have a substantial size advantage with troops. All indications were that Ukraine would be under Russian control in a short time.
Then we learned of the many Russian logistical problems and the lack of combined arms maneuver. While those material problems exist, Ukraine's battlefield success can be attributed to a critical component: morale based on a culture of trust and freedom – mission command.
Understanding "commander's intent," let's use this definition: "exercise of authority and direction by the commander using mission orders to enable disciplined initiative within the commander's intent to empower agile and adaptive leaders..."
The most powerful idea of the Commander's Intent is to develop and empower the leaders to make decisions at the lowest level. Decisions do not need to be sent up and down the chain of command.
Mission command goes beyond orders and requires an environment of freedom and trust between leaders and subordinates.
With mission command, commanders provide subordinates with the envisioned end state and allow subordinate leaders the freedom of initiative to help achieve that end state. In Adopting Mission Command: Developing Leaders for a Superior Command Culture, Donald E. Vandergriff offers why mission command works and what it encompasses: In the chaos and uncertainty of modern war, our troops must be empowered to make decisions, take the initiative, and lead boldly.
Moving to a commander's intent culture, leadership style, and operating concept embraced by armed forces the world over is a critical step in how disaster management and response needs to transition.
The antithesis of mission command is "top-down" command, in which trust and freedom are not necessary, and commanders do not desire initiative from subordinates. We have witnessed the problems with this " leadership " style in the national response to the pandemic.
Today, we are seeing an increase in natural and human-caused disasters. We need to have leaders who trust the decisions made at the lowest level where they better understand the situation.
What to Read
In this quarter’s Crisis Response Journal:
Leadership learning from Covid-19- Regina Phillips, CEM
“The pandemic highlighted the need for information – situational awareness – as perhaps never before. It also shone a light on a constellation of skills under the broad umbrella of what we term ‘HEART’. In a crisis, the first physiological response for everyone, including leaders, is that we revert to our reptilian brain, which filters all incoming sensory messages to determine whether something is dangerous or not and produces our fight-or-flight reactions. This is helpful when being chased by a saber-toothed tiger, but it can lead to poor decision-making in a crisis. How can the reptilian brain be calmed? With good, solid information – i.e., situational awareness. Situational awareness is the ability to identify, process, and comprehend critical information elements regarding an incident. Achieving situational awareness requires two activities: Collect – observe, acquire and compile the information, and process – assess the information, and orientate yourself to all the possible impacts. Where can good, accurate, and credible information….”
Sea level rise in the USA
COASTAL FLOODING WILL increase significantly over the next 30 years because of sea-level rise, according to a new report by an interagency sea level rise task force that includes NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and other US federal agencies. Titled Global and Regional Sea Level Rise Scenarios for the United States, the report published in February concludes that sea levels along US coastlines will rise between 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 centimeters) on average above today’s levels in 2050. The report forecasts sea level to the year 2150 and, for the first time, offers near-term projections for the next 30 years. Agencies at the federal, state, and local levels use these reports to inform their plans for anticipating and coping with the effects of sea-level rise. “This report supports previous studies and confi rms what we have long known: Sea levels are continuing to rise at an alarming rate, endangering communities worldwide. Science is indisputable and urgent action is required to mitigate a climate crisis that is well underway,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. ■ The full report can be viewed at: oceanservice.noaa.gov
Podcasts
Planning for An Unstable Supply Chain
Regardless of industry, the planning/decision-making function should have one goal: to reduce the latency between analysis, decision, and direction change. Organizations must look at their data holistically and communicate any new inputs across the organization to make that turn instantly. In today's uncertain world, the supply chain can change at a moment's notice. It is the most agile company that will soar.
The Cooling Solutions Challenge DHS's Fight Against Climate Change
Join Prepare. Respond. Recover. as we explore the Department of Homeland Security’s prize competitions on strengthening the nation’s resilience to climate change. The “Cooling Solutions Challenge” is part of DHS’s effort to implement a proactive approach to climate change resilience. DHS is looking for novel ways to protect those at risk of heat-related illness or death, including first responders, households, or group quarters without access to conventional cooling systems or are experiencing sustained power outages, plus displaced or homeless populations. Relative to current cooling solutions, these new designs will be more eco-friendly and energy-efficient while being cost-effective, scalable, durable, and allowing for alternate power sources.
Leadership lessons from the Gettysburg Battlefield
We are coming up on the 159th anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg. The lessons learned in early July of 1863 are still pertinent today. The battle that was not supposed to happen occurred in the heat and humidity of the small farming community in Pennsylvania. The decisions that were made, and not made on the fields, in the woods, and crossroads of Gettysburg changed the direction of the US Civil War and the history of the Union. Join Dr. Kelly Garrett (Retired US Army Colonel) as we discuss leadership lessons from Gettysburg.
Baker's Dozen book of the month: “Think Again.”
As the world changes, we too must change with it. In this month’s book “Think Again” by Adam Grant, we explore the notion of rethinking what we know not only in a particular instance but as a continuous practice in everyday life. Everyone should strive to break the rigidity of our minds seeking mental agility to remain relevant and become better practitioners, leaders, and humans.
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