A Crisis is an Opportunity
After Hurricane Katrina, I organized a learning event for the Center for Creative Leadership with frontline leaders who were instrumental in relief efforts. The report we published titled Stepping Into the Void was used as a teaching resource at West Point and Yale. With the recent storm that has devastated Western North Carolina and other places, I wanted to share the report & findings.
With the storm, we have an opportunity to rally together and help others in at a time of great need. Post-COVID and in the current political environment, we’re more isolated and divided than ever. This is an opportunity to bring us back together. The Chinese symbol for crisis is the same as the one for opportunity. Our actions determine which way things go.
A few key ideas
A Crisis is Not What We Expect: A crisis challenges our standard ways of thinking and operating. With Helene, we didn’t expect the storm to have such a devastating impact on the mountains, so far from the coast. Isolated hamlets in the hills are hard to see and reach compared to coastal areas when roads and communications are down.?
System Failures: Crises expose systemic failures in infrastructure, communication, and organizational processes. Crisis and response planning efforts often focus on what’s most likely rather than what‘s unexpected. During Katrina, the streets were flooded preventing the planned use of emergency vehicles to reach and rescue people. With Helene, not only are cities like Asheville cut off but the water system is compromised creating an acute need for the most basic thing - water.
Emergent Leadership: In times of crisis, informal leaders often step up, which underscores the importance of both individual and collective leadership capabilities. Formal institutions are often slow, overwhelmed, and unable to respond to the great need. They tend to focus on larger communities rather than isolated people. It’s here that everyday individuals can make a huge difference.
Networks are key: There are many who may wish to help but may not know who to help or how to help. Grassroots institutions can organize to channel help and resources to people in need. Community organizations, churches, schools, and media are all conduits for organizing and mobilizing collective leadership. When Katrina hit, we didn’t have social media but this is a key asset today, though we should recognize that the information online is not always accurate.
A Crisis is Not Short-Term: There is a lot of attention during the immediate rescue and relief efforts but recovery takes years. People from the outside quickly move on while people affected face long-term hardship without as much help. While the external world will move on, we need to not lose sight of the need for long-term assistance our fellow North Carolinians will need.
Here’s a link to the full Stepping into the Void report (https://lnkd.in/e3_Mnc93). Reach out if I can share more or be of help.
Controller at Decibullz & CURVD Earplugs
3 个月The EMC Insurance Companies tote was a hit! ??