Quote of the Month:  “Hoping nothing bad will happen is NOT an intelligent crisis preparedness strategy!”
– Unknown

You may be doing a great job leading your organization — staying out of trouble and off the front pages.  You may even be doing some innovative and notable things. Suddenly an action taken by someone else in your organization lands you all in hot water.  Newspapers and bloggers are stirring the controversy, embarrassing you personally and leaving a stain on your organization’s reputation.

A recent example occurred in late April.  A Deputy Secretary in the White House Military Office decided that it would be a good idea to update the official photos of Air Force One.  Someone (as yet unnamed to my knowledge) had the bright idea of using the Statue of Liberty as the backdrop.  A preliminary discussion of these plans evidently took place within the hearing of Louis Caldera, the Director of the White House Military Office, and he did not voice any objections.

Panic on the Streets of New York

You probably read what happened.  On April 27, people in lower Manhattan saw a large Boeing 747, escorted by a fighter jet, circle low over the Hudson River and then fly frighteningly close to the skyline.  For people who had witnessed the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center towers on September 11, 2001 - whether in person or on TV — it was unbelievably traumatic.  Cell phone cameras captured images that were later replayed over YouTube of panicked citizens running and crying and yelling about “a plane falling from the sky again.”  Buildings in New York and New Jersey were hastily evacuated.

Criticism was immediate, widespread and pronounced.  A former Homeland Security Advisor called the decision to do this “felony stupidity.”

Enough Blame to Go Around

There were a lot of choices at whom to direct anger. Certainly the Director of the White House Military Office came in for his share.  The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was castigated.  (The Air Force spokesperson said that local law enforcement officials and the FAA were informed about the plans, but local law enforcement personnel said they received “directives not to disclose information about it.”)

Frequently, in situations like this, the top dog comes in for his share of blame.  For those who believe “The Buck Stops Here,” they look to the President, asking how he could let something like this happen.

Who Could Have Prevented This Debacle?

I believe that few people hold President Obama personally responsible.  The person at the top cannot possibly know of every day-to-day decision made by everyone in his administration.  It’s not a good organizational model.  You trust your key people to run their departments efficiently and intelligently, only going to the head person with serious questions or concerns.  On the day of the flyover, President Obama expressed he was “furious” and pledged that something similar would never happen again.   The Director of the White House Military Office submitted his resignation on May 8th (which was accepted).  Many people believe he should have been perceptive enough to have nixed this idea when he first heard it.  (The fact that he was out of the office with back spasms for several days before the event when the specifics were being planned and didn’t open his e-mails gives him a bit of cover, but not enough.)

But my question is this: where were all of the other people who could have raised their concerns?  Surely some folks in that military affairs office or in the FAA must have had misgivings.   And didn’t anyone question the expenditure of over $328,000 during this time when all branches of government have been directed to look to cut unnecessary expenditures? When I see something like this, I always wonder about the corporate culture. Is it one where people just go along with whatever “the boss” or “management” says?  Isn’t there some way for conscientious and concerned employees to be able to question decisions, to ask that another look be taken at it from a different perspective?  In my opinion, there should be.

A Little Communication Would Have Gone a Long Way

Finally, had this been an important mission that was deemed worthy of the expense, all of the panic and most of the criticism could have been avoided had advance notice been provided to the local authorities.  Back in the days when I was the Community Relations manager for a chemical manufacturing company in upstate New York, whenever we planned a special test of our emergency fire/evacuation siren or mobilized our plant emergency response organization for a disaster drill, we made sure to give plenty of advance warning.  We personally notified the municipal leaders and emergency responders as well as our neighbors (residents and businesses).  It was only common sense.  People were used to hearing our emergency whistles be tested at 10 a.m. every Tuesday.  If they heard them at any other time of day or night, they would be worried something was wrong that might cause them harm.

In New York City on April 27th, people were uninformed, so they feared the worst.

We All Learn Lessons the Hard Way

So remember:

(1) Think through thoroughly how decisions will be perceived by your various audiences.  Apply the “common sense litmus test.”

(2) Establish an agreed upon way for legitimate questions to be raised.

(3) Provide proper advance notification as appropriate.

I hope these tips will keep you out of trouble some day.  It’s too late for Mr. Caldera, but not for you.

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FOLLOW-UP TO LAST MONTH’S EDITION:  I recommended that organizations frequently check Google and other search engines to see if their name appears so that they can try to nip a controversy in the bud.  I was reminded by one of my past clients that you can actually have Alerts sent to you every time your organization’s name is found by their search function.  Just go to the search engine and sign up for an alert. Think of appropriate key words - your organization’s name, your competition, important issues in your industry, etc.  I actually do this and it has been helpful.  Thanks, Joann, for the reminder!

PERSONAL NOTE:  I’m sending out this edition a few days earlier than usual for a special reason.  At the end of this week, my husband and I will be in Nashville, TN where we will have the special privilege of observing while our younger daughter makes her final presentation on her dissertation to a faculty committee at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody School.  If all goes well, we’ll be proud to call her “Dr. Hoffman” by Thursday night!  Send good vibes Cheri’s way or, if you are willing, say a little prayer, will you?  Thanks!

Until next month…KEEP COOL!

Judy Hoffman
(919) 550-8302
www.judyhoffman.com
jchent@earthlink.net

JCH Enterprises, 116 Nelson Lane, Clayton, NC 27527, USA