Finger Pointing

"After any crisis ... there is a lot of finger-pointing. Any tips on how to help my team avoid finger-pointing when we face a crisis?" - Harvard Business Publishing

Today I recommend the article, 7 Steps to Stop Finger-Pointing in a Crisis by the Harvard Business School. The advice includes

• "help more, judge less"
• Focus on the future, not a past that cannot be changed
• Everyone should take responsibility for their own behavior
• Ask, "What can I learn from this crisis?"
• Avoid speaking when angry or out of control

I was inspired to talk about this topic after reading the article, Death, destruction, darkness strike Gulf Coast. The writer describes the finger pointing between FEMA and local government after hurricane Ike:

FEMA came under fire as several dozen trucks filled with water and food were not set up in surrounding communities a day after the storm passed. While taking criticism reminiscent of Katrina, FEMA officials immediately pointed a finger at someone else.

In a press conference at FEMA headquarters, Homeland Security
Secretary Michael Chertoff faulted state officials for handing his department the “unexpected challenge” of preparing distribution points (PODs) in addition to delivering supplies.

But state officials said it was the duty of local government, which came as a surprise to Houston Mayor Bill White and Harris County Judge Ed Emmett. “If I could have known something 18-hours-ago, we
could have made plans to pick up something a lot quicker, that’s a fact,” a frustrated Mayor White said in a press briefing on Sept. 14.

Confusion between relief agencies is normal after emergencies. At best once a year emergency response organizations get together to role play a disaster and practice inter-agency communication.

BOTTOM LINE

Don't count on the government save you; save yourself. It was families without survival kits in their homes or apartments that anxiously awaited the word about points of distribution (PODS) after the horror of Hurricane Ike.

If you are self reliant you won't be in this situation of this person...

"It is a damn shame that they’ve been sitting up arguing like children about whose fault it is when my family and others were in serious need. I was standing in line for nearly six hours waiting for water and food to arrive at one site.” - FinalCall.com

See CERT for details on personal emergency training.