Synopsis
A crisis strikes out of the blue, at the time and place least expected. In a word, you're blindsided. According to Bruce Blythe, managing a crisis is an ultimate test of leadership, requiring leaders who inspire loyalty and trust as they rise to the occasion to meet the needs of people. In his new expanded edition of Blindsided, Blythe shows you what it takes to be an effective and humane strategic crisis leader, a "crisis whisperer." Blythe has divided Blindsided into two operational sections - giving you two books in one. Much of his emphasis is on the often-neglected human side of crisis management. He goes beyond protecting tangible assets to instilling principled concern for human well-being into every decision. Part 1. Crisis Response: - Using the technique of focused imagery, Blythe places you in a dramatic and realistic scenario. You're now an unprepared manager blindsided by the reality of an active shooter loose in your building. Some workers may already be injured or dead. - What's your next move? How do you make sure everybody is safe? How do you set up teams, command centers, crisis containment, and effective communication? How do you protect your corporate reputation throughout this life-changing event? Can you rebuild the spirit, cohesion, and productivity of employees in the post-crisis "new normal"? - At the start of the book - before you lived the sudden crisis in this simulation, a crisis response plan may have been "someday" project - now it's a priority. Part 2. Crisis Preparedness: - Now you embark on building a crisis response plan - or enhancing the one you have. - Without losing the urgency and probable fear of the specific event, Blythe guides you and your teams to analyze foreseeable risks, evaluate existing controls, add new ones, test and re-evaluate the plan. - Analyzing the behavior of national and world leaders, you distinguish clearly the two kinds of leaders who emerge in a crisis: the "crisis whisperer" who becomes a calm center in the storm, and the one in the "crisis red zone," worsening the situation with every word and every decision. - You learn to employ the Be-Know-Do leadership model (adapted from military) that has been implemented by senior management teams throughout the world. If there is ever a time that training and informed quick response action matter most, it's in a crisis. Blindsided includes practical forms, checklists, case studies, real-life examples, glossary, index, discussion questions, and other take-and-use tools, including: - Quick Use Response Guide: Each of the 15 chapters end with a summary checklist - together they form a ready-reference pocket guide. - Incident Checklists for 9 Major Crises: Practical checklists for accidental deaths, aircraft crash, chemical/toxic exposure, civil unrest, earthquake, explosion/fire, flood, kidnap ransom, shooting, plus 20 other foreseeable risks. - 20-Page Guide for Addressing Families of the Injured: What to say/do to help families of fatalities or seriously injured with medical/financial assistance, emotional support - and training teams assigned to work with them.
About the Author
Bruce T. Blythe is an internationally acclaimed crisis management expert. He is the owner and chairman of three companies that provide employers with a continuum of crisis preparedness, crisis response, and employee return-to-work services. Crisis Management International (Atlanta-based) is the preparedness arm of the three companies. CMI has assisted hundreds of companies worldwide with crisis and business continuity planning, training and exercising. CMI also provides workplace violence preparedness programs and threat of violence consultations through a specialty network of threat management specialists, including former FBI and Secret Service agents. Crisis Care Network (based in Grand Rapids, Michigan) responds to corporate crisis situations 1000 times per month through a North American network of crisis mental health professionals. Behavioral Medical Interventions (Minneapolis-based) accelerates employee return-to-work for workers comp and non-occupational injury cases.
Blythe has been personally involved in crises such as the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, mass murders at the U.S. Postal Service, the Oklahoma City bombing, 9/11, commercial air crashes, rescue of kidnap and ransom hostages, Hurricanes Andrew and Katrina, earthquakes, fires, floods, and reputational crises. He serves as a consultant and certified coach to numerous Fortune executives and managers in Strategic Crisis Leadership preparedness and response. He has served in the Military Police for the U.S. Marine Corps. He's a certified clinical psychologist and has been a consultant to the FBI on workplace violence and terrorism.
Widely regarded as a thought leader in the crisis management and business continuity industries, Blythe has appeared on NBC s Today Show, CNN, ABC s 20/20, CBS 48 Hours, CNBC, NPR and others. Fast Company Magazine published a cover-story article about Blythe s leadership in responding to 204 companies onsite, all within three weeks following 9/11. He provides commentary in The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Business Week, Smart Money, New Yorker, Fortune Magazine and USA Today.
He serves as a keynote presenter to 50 national and international conferences per year.
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