Leading People Through Disasters: An Action Guide

Flood, fire, hurricane, earthquake, workplace violence, bombings, even the arrest or sudden death of the CEO—sooner or later, most organizations will face some sort of disaster. Leading People Through Disasters breaks new ground in disaster-recovery by focusing on supporting the people who keep the business running in times of crisis.

Kathryn McKee and Liz Guthridge show how to ensure that your business continuity plan addresses human as well as business issues and they offer detailed advice on what to do when disaster actually strikes—how to keep people safe, calm, and informed; help managers care for employees; and deal with employees’ immediate and ongoing emotional and psychological needs while getting the organization back on its feet. This comprehensive guide features a wealth of examples, checklists, forms, and other practical tools that will help you take action when you need it most.

Kathryn McKee began her career in Human Resources at Mattel, Inc. in its early years, where she learned to thrive and survive in a fast-paced Human Resources/Industrial Relations environment. She then moved to Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp and helped create one of the first HR functions in the motion picture industry.
She moved next to First Interstate Bancorp as Senior Vice President of Compensation and Benefits. Kathryn then moved to First Interstate Bank Ltd., as the Chief HR officer of that division, and she then joined Standard Chartered Bank as Senior Vice President and Region Head of HR for the UK-based bank. She now is President of Human Resources Consortia, where she offers consulting on Human Resources strategy, leadership, and executive coaching.
Her leadership and governance background includes serving as 1991 Chairman of the Society for Human Resource Management; and President of the SHRM Foundation, the Human Resource Certification Institute, and the National Human Resources Association. She is listed in Who’s Who in America. She was honored by NHRA as its 1986 Member of the Year; by PIHRA in 1990 with its Award of Excellence in Human Resources; by SHRM in 1994 with its Award for Professional Excellence; and by the Santa Barbara Human Resources Association in 2004 as its Member of the Year.
She loves to write, and her previous publications include the chapter “Moving as the Markets Move: Planning for Resizing,” in Resizing the Organization; “Human Resources: Insurrection or Resurrection,” published in the Human Resource Management Journal; and “New Compensation Strategies for Emerging Career Patterns” with Beverly Kaye, which was published by HR Magazine and won the distinguished William W. Winter Award from the American Compensation Association.
She graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara and is a graduate of UCLA’s Anderson School of Management Executive Program.
Liz Guthridge specializes in strategic employee and change communication. She is the founder of Connect Consulting Group LLC, based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
A results-oriented, seasoned consultant, Liz has more than 25 years of experience helping companies communicate more effectively with employees to build trust and achieve business goals. Liz excels in helping leaders to confirm, clarify, and communicate what they want to do and to build buy-in from key constituents.
Over the years, she has consulted with companies across a variety of industries facing a range of challenges, including bankruptcy and mergers and acquisitions.
In addition to her award-winning communication consulting for her clients, Liz frequently writes and speaks on communication and change topics. She also advises communication professionals on how to increase the capabilities and capacity of their communication functions.
Before starting Connect, Liz worked for several change management and HR consulting firms, including Mercer Delta, Towers Perrin, and Hewitt Associates. She also worked for Amoco (now BP) in public and government affairs and was a reporter for the Huntington (W.Va.) Advertiser.
Her first job was serving as the first female vendor for the Tulsa Oilers, the Triple A affiliates of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team. As a crusading junior high investigative reporter she experienced firsthand as a vendor being the subject of media coverage. The job provided other excitement too. She still remembers listening to the organist play Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head as a tornado touched down a few miles from the ballpark.
She holds an MA in communication management from the University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication; an MBA from the University of Connecticut; and a BSJ in journalism from Northwestern University, Medill School of Journalism.