We knew that Hurricane Katrina would devastate the Gulf Coast and we should act promptly, decisively, and effectively. But we didn’t.
We knew that we were vulnerable to terrorist attack via hijacked airplanes and we should take preventive action. But we didn’t.
We knew that the power grid in the United States is fragile and stretched to capacity and we should protect it against blackouts. But we didn’t.
We could have, we should have. We didn’t. If we spent one-tenth the energy on preparation, protection, and prevention that we spend on repair, blame, and fear, we’d live safer, more-prosperous lives. But we don’t.
WHAT WILL IT TAKE FOR US TO DO BETTER?
We know it’s critical to train emergency responders - law enforcement, fire fighters, medics, Coast Guard, and so on - and we do that well. Only now, after Hurricane Katrina, are we realizing how critical it is to train leaders, too.
Communities pay a heavy price when leaders make bad decisions, a price measured in thousands of deaths, widespread destruction, and hundreds of billions of dollars added to the national debt. By giving leaders education that can help them make better decisions as a team, we can prevent human and fiscal misery.
There are many reasons why we haven’t trained senior leaders, some good, some bad. I’ll discuss some of them here. I’ll also explain how new technology and capabilities are making decision-making and leadership training more practical and effective than ever before.
Mark Chussil is a Founder and Senior Director of Crisis Simulations International, LLC He is also Founder and CEO of Advanced Competitive Strategies, Inc. Mark designed CSI’s DXMA™ crisis simulator (patent pending) and ACS’s award-winning ValueWar® business simulator. He has published extensively, and he has lectured and consulted on six continents. He earned his B.A. from Yale and his M.B.A. from Harvard. Please contact him at mchussil@crisissimulations.com
