Tag Archives: emergency management

GET OVER YOURSELF AND GET AHEAD

Emergency Management, Motivation, Inspiration, , ,

Jhull|3/15

GET OVER YOURSELF AND GET AHEAD!

TIP: That sense of self-importance in business –OR– life in general, will never get you a seat at the head table.

If you want to get ahead and make people want to propel you, here’s the secret.  Sometimes, you just have to get over yourself.   It’s not always about you.  That’s the mistake that breeds interpersonal relationship problems and insecurity, not to mention, it will constantly keep you looking over your shoulder for the next fabricated infraction.

TIP:   Be instrumental in helping someone excel or,help someone get back into the game.  It’s a great feeling and, a team player, whether in your own family or, in your business, IS noticed. 

Most people have many responsibilities in their life, i.e., children, parents, elderly or sick relatives; the list goes on and on.  However, as difficult as this new concept is to process,(especially in an economy when most people are working very hard just to keep their heads above water and, the heads of their family members as well), there really are people out there who have been given gratis for most of their adult lives.   This type of person continues to expect the same special treatment in the workforce while attempting to judge unkindly those less fortunate. Needless to say, that attitude does not translate well in the business world or, for the matter, any where else.

Don’t be so consumed with yourself that you forget to be a team player. Try giving some encouragement to someone not as fortunate at the moment or, someone who is also trying to get ahead.   Have some compassion, lend a helping hand, maybe lend and ear… Be a mentor. 

TIP: In business and in life, everyone is not going to understand, agree with, or even like, all of your concepts, ideas, and choices.  Why? Because they don’t have to!  That’s correct.  EVERYONE will not applaud you all of the time.

Be prepared to accept applause graciously but, conversely, be just as prepared to accept constructive criticism just as gracefully. Don’t be so quick to judge someone else’s back story.  You may think someone is making a big deal out of something you have decided is as simple as a shattered or broken glass.  You have to believe there may be reasons you don’t need to understand.  Everything is not worth the fight.  Pick and choose your words wisely from an understanding point of view and not a superior or dismissive one.

There you have it in a nutshell…… The get over yourself trick.

We are all cogs in rather large wheels (be it family, friends, or co-workers and, most times, all of the above).  Once you start believing you are the “wheel” then, that’s the time to take inventory.

If you have estranged yourself from family, friends, and co-workers, by making excuses to yourself about how unfair and mean spirited people are to you because, they don’t always agree with you or your choices…….WELL maybe, JUST maybe,  you have become your own problem.

TIP………………GET OVER IT AND GET AHEAD!

A TRUE ROCK STAR

Emergency Management, Leadership, Motivation, Inspiration, Professional Coaching,

A TRUE ROCK STAR

AKA

THE REAL DEAL

1/1/15 Jh

Everyone needs a reason to wake up in the morning.  Everyone needs to be a productive member of society.    NOT a POSER….THE REAL DEAL.   Not a person who will try anything to be trendy but succeed at nothing because they walk away or quit when the going gets tough, or when it begins to feel like a real job with real responsibility.

We all know the type.  The person who believes hard work is for the other guy and they are “gifted” because they have found someone who will continue to blow that blue smoke for them and endlessly enable that figment of their own imagination.

Not everyone can or will be a rock star, musician, movie star, talk show host or become a member of any of the so called “glamour jobs”.

By no means is Emergency Management a “glamour job”.   Emergency Management is hard work.  However, any adult with a sense of responsibility wants a profession, and of course, a paycheck.  It’s the American way.

Emergency Management will never be considered a so called “glamour job”. There is no applause, and no canned laughter…..IT’S THE REAL DEAL.   Emergency Management is a serious profession, a difficult profession, and one to be very, very, proud of.

You’ve paid your dues because this job comes with blood, sweat and tears.

You are a true ROCK STAR……Rock on Emergency Managers….

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

You’ve earned the real applause!

EVERYONE HAS SOMETHING TO SHARE !

Emergency Management, Leadership, Motivation, Inspiration, Professional Coaching, Reflections, ,

EVERYONE HAS SOMETHING TO SHARE

12/14-Jh

SOAR AND SET NEW BENCHMARKS……..Everyone has something to share.  Each of us has a wealth of resources at our disposal to call upon to enlist and pass along to others.

You see it every day on  social media, that digital interconnection…a new frontier. That virtual environment altering the dynamics of every one of our “personal”, and not so “personal” interactions.

As Emergency Managers and leaders, we should be duty-bound  to enable our staff,  and promote opportunity for growth and development.  Platforms of knowledge and cross-training experiences create far-reaching partnerships enabling a multitude of career opportunities by motivating others.  By sharing ideas, knowledge, and talents, the formula and prerequisite for success  becomes carved in our mission statement…. a pursuit of our common goals.

A transcendent approach, one that goes above and beyond  any universal definition of your job performance requirements, is needed to succeed.  Break out of your comfort zone, that safety niche and share your thoughts, progress, and skills– become a teacher, student and mentor.

Don’t conform to a norm… rather… SOAR AND  SET NEW BENCHMARKS !

In any career choice, including Emergency Management, there will always be a series of competing perspectives. Don’t run and hide from them , rather, embrace them.  Share what you know and be openly receptive to what you don’t know.  Try looking at new concepts, with different optics.  Step back and see things from other’s perspective— a different, but very unique vantage point.  Weed out all limitations and make your primary focus  not so internally tunneled that you close the door on a new approach.   Innovation is the magic that creates successful leaders and mentors for future missions, and a standard for never ending possibilities.  Focus your efforts, foster new and exciting partnerships and share your knowledge, ideas, and experiential learning.

Don’t conform to the norm…the sky is the limit. SOAR !!

Experience Over Bravado Any Day !

Emergency Management, ,

EXPERIENCE 

Joanne Hull|September 25, 2014

I’LL TAKE EXPERIENCE OVER BRAVADO ANY DAY .  We’ve all seen it.  That one blowhard who thinks they know it all.

NOT ON MY TEAM.

Anyone can talk the talk, wear the logos, and strut their stuff.  I’ve seen more letters and certifications after surnames that defy the existing alphabet.

NOT IMPRESSED.

I want the person who can walk that walk on my team….EXPERIENCE…..That’s the name of the game.  If you haven’t done disaster field work, been on the scene, in the moment, in the aftermath then my friend, you only talk the talk.  Arrogant is not the same as confident.  Confidence comes with experience.  A strong network of experience and confidence is needed to connect and collaborate for any mission to succeed.

The issues we face are too complex to be addressed by someone who thinks they know it all.  The world we work in is a fluid universe which presents multi-faceted challenges at any given time.  Team work– with an experienced team.  We feed off each other’s experience, drill down for the answer and act swiftly to provide the need and fill in the gaps.

HOW ?

By bringing experienced people together sharing a multiplicity of ideas, perspectives and courage to meet any challenge.

INCIDENT ACTION PLAN–IAP

Chief of staff, Disaster, Emergency Management, Incident, Incident Action Plan-IAP, , , ,

INCIDENT ACTION PLAN –IAP

 Joanne Hull | July 28, 2014

I see it at every incident…..that deer in the headlights look.  You can always tell when someone is arriving at an incident for the first time.  That confused, where do I go now look on their face.   You’re certainly not underrepresented so don’t be alarmed because frankly , you may just happen to be part of  the vast majority.

If you were to ask any of the seasoned emergency managers what is the most intimidating thing about a disaster, they will probably respond by saying, “just showing up”.   Your first day at any field office can be intimidating.  Emergency workers flying in from every part of the country, wearing shirts with more federal, state, local and agency logos than you every knew existed. Hundreds, sometimes thousands of staff depending on the size of the incident.

The overarching question now is…how to find clarity and neutralize the intimidation in what seems like, on this first day,  a complex and alternate universe.  How do you find the intersection between confusion and resolve?

First Clue……

Run, do not stop at go, and find a copy of the INCIDENT ACTION PLAN or, IAP as it is referred to by every disaster manager and responder.

This remarkable platform will tell you everything you need to know.  Your own personal force multiplier for clarity and understanding, dissecting the incident, and bringing balance to all the confusion.  This disaster diary just states facts; it doesn’t attach opinions.

Translation: It speaks optically to you with maps, graphs, charts, forms, etc., all at your disposal just by turning pages.  It peels back the intricacies and navigates the incident objectives right before your eyes….including no ambiguous line of authority.  The staffing pattern and organization chart appear like pieces on a chess board allowing you to locate the staff  members you may be looking for at any particular moment in time.

THE IAP SETS PRIORITIES AND WILL ADDRESS:

The Operational Period.

Incident Objectives

Strategies and Tactics

Organizational Charts

Branch, Division, and Group Functions

Assignments

Climate Conditions

Communications Plan

Logistics Plan

Medical Plan

Safety Plan

Maps 

 

Incident Playbook– Diary– Bible…….

Call it what you will but, whatever you call it, a view from the catbird seat is ever so fabulous.

And by the way,

If all else fails— come and see me, the Chief of Staff.   I’ll leave an arrow out for you pointing to the sign on my door.

FIRST TASK OF A LEADER

Communication, Emergency Management, Leadership, Meetings, , , , ,

FIRST TASK OF A LEADER 

IDENTIFY AND UNDERSTAND THE EXPECTATIONS OF YOUR STAFF ! 

 Successful Communication:

Joanne Hull | June 18, 2014

How confident do you appear?

Lack of clarity in your words, your questions, or your statements, usually concludes to your staff your own lack of clarity on the topic of your discussion and your overall objective.

Identify the expectation.

Your verbal message needs to model or match your non-verbal language and nuances and not act as a direct contradiction.

You’re being tested.

Be confident in what you communicate to your staff.  You’re being tested.  The old saying “You never get a second chance to make a first impression”, will ultimately decide if you are reliable.  Your staff needs to know that they can rely on what you say.  If you appear unsure, flustered or confused or off topic, you are perceived as no longer in charge of the situation.

Win their respect.

It is important to be respected not for your title but because you exude knowledge and confidence under very trying circumstances.  It is important to be credible to your staff.  When your words are secure, levelheaded and imperturbable you will stop being tested and start being respected.

DISASTERS NEVER STRIKE IN ISOLATION

Disaster Planning, Emergency Management, ,

Disasters Never Strike In Isolation

Joanne Hull | May 6, 2014

It’s not enough to know your job and, certainly in the disaster business no one has the luxury of working in isolation.  Disasters never strike in isolation.  Quite the contrary, they strike with an unprecedented magnitude that requires disciplined leadership, management and extensive collaboration across all sectors of government agencies, communities, business and industry.

In order to prepare, respond, or mitigate any of these natural or man-made challenges, multidisciplinary collaboration must be incorporated on each event.  Flawless integration of all sectors allows each Emergency Manager and Disaster Employee to expedite the recovery process without disruption.  When the disaster universe becomes aligned, and all stakeholders’ work together sharing and collaborating, this approach takes positive results to an entirely new level.   Understanding and managing different degrees of expectations and being receptive to different perspectives foster successful outcomes.

Manage the plan,

                     Manage the outcome,

Recognize divergent approaches.

 

CHARACTER IS EVERYTHING !

Additional Topics, Disaster Planning, Emergency Management, Motivation, Inspiration,

Character is Everything !

Joanne Hull | April 9, 2014

Isn’t it interesting just how much you can tell about a person working on a disaster in a matter of seconds ?  If someone is not moved by the emotional events surrounding their arrival and they can break it down to the lowest financial denominator to leverage value to their own wallet and length of their own personal timeline, that tells you everything you need to know about their character.  What more is there to say?

Maybe this……….”You can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.”    Coach John Wooden-UCLA, Aka- Wizard of Westwood.

 

My Take Away !

Chief of staff, Musings, Reflections, ,

MY TAKE AWAY ! 

All disasters end !

Joanne Hull | February 19, 2014

No matter how long you live in a strange state, the time comes…..You have to go home.

When I pack my bags to leave a disaster I take away something as well.   I don’t mean my nameplate on my office door, or the tons of clothes jammed in the tiny closet.   No, not the tangible things.

Think about it!   During hard times you hear more good stories than bad–community helping community, neighbor helping neighbor.

The mind has that special way of filtering out all of the painful stuff to let you focus on the good.

What I take away is something that lasts forever because it’s something you can’t pack in your bags.  I take away something you pack in your heart…lots of memories and many, many lasting friendships.