Sharing Quick and Creative Ways to Energize Your Business Continuity Program

Posted on May 20, 2013 by adminlootok

Last month in San Diego, Lootok presented at the 2013 Continuity Insights Management Conference. The topic of our session was “Quick and Creative Ways to Energize Your BCM Program,” and taught attendees how to use creativity to build momentum for their program.

trash

Can we get more people to throw away their trash by making it fun to do?

We kicked it off by sharing one of our favorite videos from The Fun Theory, a site dedicated to the concept that something as simple as fun is the easiest way to change people’s behavior for the better. In “The world’s deepest bin,” throwing garbage into a trash bin “fun” made a significant difference in people’s behavior. Making a regular chore more interactive and fun naturally increased participation.

Sometimes when people learn about Lootok’s activity-based approach to business continuity to be intriguing, they have questions. BCM is serious business after all, so why games? Why activities?

First, research shows we learn best in a friendly, social and interactive environment. We prefer to be involved in our learning — not just by listening but also by talking, describing, reflecting on and interacting with the information we receive.

Second, our activities facilitate adoption by taking people beyond a written plan—challenging them to recall and examine critical data, know their roles and responsibilities, and practice skills in decision-making. Not only does this engage people in an active learning process, it results in richer analysis and data, the exchange of institutional knowledge, and insights that can be gained only from the experience of working in teams.

We’ve always stressed the importance of “play” - but instead of just talking about it, we gave people the opportunity to experience some of our interactive activities for awareness, training, and exercising. In this clip from the conference, you can watch our group demo-ing our Family Feud-style “Business Continuity Battle” and creating our own “BCM Mad Libs” scenario for assessing recovery strategies. 

Lootok's CEO, Sean Murphy, greets a visitor at the booth.

Lootok’s President & CEO, Sean Murphy, greets a visitor in the exhibit hall.

Lootok also made its debut at Continuity Insights’ conference exhibit hall – and as usual, the Masters of Disaster BCM board game was a hit! It was fantastic to meet and interact with so many people, and we were energized by their enthusiasm about our approach to doing something different.

Look for us again later this year at DRJ Fall World - we’re very excited to be exhibiting again and facilitate a workshop on crisis management. Hope to see you there!

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Work with Lootok: Senior Designer Position Open

Posted on March 21, 2013 by alisonlootok

About:
We are seeking a senior designer (minimum 7-10 years experience) to help manage our firm’s Creative Services department. This position will report to the Chief Creative Officer and will provide support and leadership for both internal and client projects. We are seeking a take-charge innovator who is highly skilled, organized, delivery-focused, and an excellent communicator. We are a fun, growing company with an emphasis on promoting a positive working environment and healthy employee lifestyles.

Required skills:
• Mastery of Adobe creative suite (Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, and Dreamweaver)
• Mastery of both PC and Mac productivity suites – Office (Word, PowerPoint) and iWork (Pages, Keynotes), particularly around formatting, styling, theming, and animation
• Excellent writing, editing and proofreading abilities
• Excellent eye for design and skill in graphic execution
• Experience managing projects and teams
• Experience presenting and/or teaching others a plus
• Solid HTML/CSS/JS skills for website maintenance – advanced skills a plus
• Final Cut Pro and other multimedia skills a plus
• Adobe Flash and other animation or motion graphics skills a plus
• Any additional skills you can bring to the table will be appreciated

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
• Develop graphic content, styles, formatting, and revision for materials including sales presentations, meeting presentations, worksheets, marketing materials, fliers, etc.
• Enhance, edit and proofread statements of work, proposals, articles, one-pagers, scripts, communiqués, etc.
• Write marketing, web, and blog content
• Develop new materials (multimedia, presentation and print) for consulting projects
• Implement content, graphic and structural changes to company website
• Contribute to building the company’s social media presence (blog, Twitter, Facebook)
• Execute high-quality printing and packaging of physical products and materials
• Manage projects and other team members to meet deadlines with minimal supervision
• Deliver presentations and lead activities at client meetings in support of the consulting team

You will do well and enjoy this position if:
• You have a lot of ideas and enjoy taking ownership of developing them into reality
• You have a talent for reworking content to provide an interesting and easy-to-follow final product
• You are a self-motivated problem-solver and enjoy taking initiative to meet new challenges
• You are an independent worker that can prioritize tasks and manage own work schedule to meet billing requirements, weekly hours requirements and deadlines
• You are friendly, positive, flexible and value collaborating with others

What’s in it for you?
• Competitive pay commensurate with experience
• Health insurance and paid time off (PTO)
• Management that values your personal life and individuality
• Exposure to other aspects of the company including client-facing consulting and sales

To apply, please submit your resume, portfolio, and a cover letter/brief description about you: why you’re in the market for a new job, what you do for fun, favorite vacation of late, recent reads, go to brunch spot, must watch TV…

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2013 Business Continuity Awareness Week Posters – Free Download

Posted on March 4, 2013 by alisonlootok

Are you ready for this year’s Business Continuity Awareness Week (March 18-22nd)? This year’s theme is “Business Continuity: for the risks you can see, and the ones you can’t.” In recognition, Lootok has created three different posters to illustrate this BCM concept and get people talking – free for all to download and print!

Here’s to a successful Business Continuity Awareness Week!

fishGoldfish in a Blender:

 

 

Free Business Continuity Awareness Week PosterMousetrap

 

 

Free Business Continuity Awareness Week PosterPolar Bear

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Carnival Cruise Lines: What They Should Have Done

Posted on February 22, 2013 by adminlootok

At first glance, it appears that Carnival Cruise lines was well prepared when one of their ships, the Triumph, had an engine fire and subsequently lost power last week.

Credit: AdWeek via CNN

The list of actions Carnival took in response to the problem is long and robust, indicating that the cruise line had planned for handling disabled ships in advance and was prepared to take action. The fire in the engine room was quickly extinguished by the ship’s fire suppression system. When power was subsequently lost, crews were able to shift auxiliary power to the most critical systems.

Carnival contacted the Coast Guard, who quickly arrived on scene to organize shipments of supplies. Upon notification, the leadership team and Carnival Care team immediately mobilized. The CEO offered a public apology and promised refunds, $500 cash, free flights home and credits for future cruises. After determining Mobile, Alabama, was the best port to tow the beleaguered ship, Carnival booked more than 1,500 hotel rooms, 20 chartered flights and 100 motor coaches to house passengers and get them home.

The cruise was ruined, but passengers were safe and the ship was stable.

The media, however, tells a different story. Virtually every mainstream media outlet in the U.S. has continuously reported on the story. Though they generally noted the positive steps taken by the cruise ship, they overwhelmingly focused on the negative. Headlines described the ship as “befouled,” a “nightmare,” “horrible,” and even “hellish.”

Credit: Jezebel.com

Rather than highlight the steps Carnival took to mitigate the disaster, the media focused on the difficulties the passengers faced, including raw sewage in hallways and walls, muggy conditions, lack of ventilation to clear out the smells and inadequate food supplies.

As the crisis wore on, stories emerged detailing the cruise line’s history of incidents, fostering the perception of Carnival ships being unsafe. Doctors got on the air to talk about the extended health risks associated with exposure to sewage and lack of proper ventilation. This led to coverage about the general unsanitary nature of all cruise ships. Within a few days, Carnival’s sound response to the incident was overshadowed by negativity. This will likely harm Carnival’s reputation and sales.

So, what went wrong and what can we learn? There are three points that Carnival may have overlooked in their crisis response.

1. Carnival may not have adequately understood their risk environment.
A key component to business resiliency is understanding operational risks to the business. You cannot implement resiliency strategies or prepare plans if you do not know what you are protecting yourself against. Carnival had a good sense of the safety risk to passengers and their ships, as well as a clear understanding of how incidents could impact reputation and revenue. This was made clear by the installation of a fire suppression system and clear plans identifying the most critical systems in the event of a power failure. To mitigate reputation and revenue risk, they were prepared to offer refunds, credits and cash to their customers.

However, they did not consider the impact and risk that the media could have on their reputation, and did not develop a plan to mitigate it. This is particularly surprising because they point to marketing as the core strategy behind their massive growth over the past two decades (revenues have risen from $600 million in 1988 to approximately $16 billion in 2011). That being the case, Carnival should have understood the risk to revenue posed by media and developed robust resiliency plans to counter it.

Risk assessments are a core strategy for determining risk to operations, however, they are not perfect. Risk assessments can often produce misleading results because the core tool for performing a risk assessment, the risk matrix, is a subjective, qualitative exercise subject to personal interpretation and anecdotal evidence. It is subject to individuals’ unique perceptions of risk, which are highly influenced by certain “dread factors,” as described in Amanda Ripley’s The Unthinkable. Research shows these dread factors can drastically alter one’s perception of risk.

One dread factor is media exposure.

This means that many organizations, including Carnival, may not have a realistic view of the risks they face. Given this, one way to ensure that an organization understands their true risk environment is to introduce risk managers to this concept. Understanding the pitfalls of risk determination, before conducting a risk assessment, can inform those responsible for determining and managing operational risk.

Read the rest of the article on RIMS’ Risk Management Magazine blog.

By Dov Gardin
Business Continuity Advisor, Lootok

Posted in crisis management, crisis management case studies, risk management, risk perception, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

What’s in a Name: Dissecting Nemo

Posted on February 17, 2013 by adminlootok

Credit: New York Post

Earlier this month, NPR asked, “Can you really be afraid of a storm with the same name as a cartoon fish with a bum fin?”

The news station was referring, of course, to Nemo, February’s northeast blizzard. Although Nemo’s rank in history is relatively low, the blizzard was ranked a three on a scale of five (three is “major”; level four and five storms are considered “crippling” and “extreme”). Despite public skepticism, Nemo caused nine deaths and caused power outages to 650,000 homes and businesses, not to mention a slew of car-related accidents.

Nemo got its name from The Weather Channel, following their decision made last year to start naming winter storms. Officially, hurricanes and tropical storms get names in the U.S., while winter storms do not.  The National Weather Service won’t acknowledge the name’s existence, and says it has no plans to name winter storms.

Why all the ruckus about naming a winter storm? Joel N. Myers, Founder of Accuweather, argues it’s “not good science and importantly will actually mislead the public.” The Weather Channel is using unpublished and seemingly arbitrary criteria, Myers says, in determining whether a storm is big enough to earn a name.

But according to Bryan Norcross, a meteorologist and hurricane specialist interviewed for Business Week, there’s a bigger motive for getting buzz. “Everything needs a hashtag to get noticed,” he says. Norcross, who created this year’s list of names, says the intention behind the names is to draw the public’s attention to severe weather. While winter storms may not have as large of an impact as hurricanes, they can often be erratic; for example, dumping snow in one area while leaving nothing more than rain or fog in another.

Credit: The Weather Channel

Heidi Cullen, chief climatologist at a Climate Central and former Weather Channel expert, also points out that when we give things a name, it allows us to connect with it. She says, “It gives it a narrative. We’re hard-wired for stories and we can turn these weather events into stories.”

Other meteorologists, however, complain the name is indicative of more media hype, a meager marketing gimmick by The Weather Channel to promote its coverage. After what many perceived as media hype surrounding Hurricane Irene in 2011, many people may have had a false sense of confidence when preparing for Hurricane Sandy.

Is it possible to strike a balance between providing adequate warning and “crying wolf”? While there are no clear answers, it seems we’ll have to get used to it.

Academics use something called a “hype cycle” to illustrate the way society adopts new technologies. Now, it’s becoming clear that superstorms have hype cycles of their own. NPR breaks down the phases of a “storm hype cycle” as follows:

Phase One: The Trigger
Meteorologists agree that a major storm is on the way; a storm name triggers the start; and assorted social media hashtags follow.

Phase Two: The Expectation Buildup
Headlines with words like historic, extreme, crushing, and imminent appear; state and local officials prepare; airlines and trains cancel; and public anxiety sets in.

Phase Three: The Wait
The public “gets whipped up into a frenzy” that often crests before the storm even begins, leaving a gap until the storm arrives that the media fills with images such as empty airports and grocery stores stripped of bottled water, batteries, and nonperishable food.

Phase Four: The Storm
While many storms are shorter than the preceding stages, Nemo’s exceptional length provided added fodder for news coverage.

Phase Five: The Coverage Plateau And Petering Out
“Coverage shifts from the disaster to what it left behind” and may drag out for a week or more.

To learn more details about the hype cycle of storms, visit NPR.

 

 

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Preparing for Nemo: What to do when a severe winter storm hits

Posted on February 8, 2013 by alisonlootok
With the winter superstorm Nemo rapidly approaching the Northeast with expected impact in major hubs like Boston and New York City, here are some last minute tips on what to do when it strikes:
 
What to do when a severe winter storm hits:
  • Response inside a building:
    • Stay inside the building.
    • Ensure there is proper ventilation for any alternative heat sources being used.
    • If there is no heat, close off unneeded rooms and stuff towels or rags in cracks under doors.
    • Have plenty to eat and drink. Food provides the body with energy to produce its own heat. Drinking plenty of fluids prevents dehydration.
    • Wear layers of loose-fitting, lightweight, warm clothing. Remove layers to avoid overheating, perspiration, and subsequent chill.
  • Response outside:
    • Find shelter immediately.
    • Try to stay dry and cover all exposed parts of your body.
    • If you cannot find shelter, prepare a lean-to, wind-break or snow cave for protection from the wind. Build a fire for heat and place rocks around it to absorb and reflect heat.
    • Do not eat unmelted snow; it will lower your body temperature. Melt it first.
  • Response in a car:
    • Stay inside the car. Disorientation occurs quickly in wind-driven snow and cold.
    • Run the motor about ten minutes each hour for heat. Make sure the exhaust pipe is not blocked and the window is opened a little for fresh air.
    • Make yourself visible to rescuers by turning on the dome light at night when running the engine, tying a colored cloth (preferably red) to your antenna or door and raising the hood after the snow stops falling.
    • Exercise from time to time by vigorously moving arms, legs, fingers, and toes to keep blood circulating and to keep warm.
Winter Storm Links:

To prepare your workplace for the next blizzard, here are some key tips:
  • Winterize your workplace by clearing rain gutters to avoid clogging and flooding, cutting away tree branches that could fall on the building during a storm and applying insulation to pipes to prevent freezing.
  • Install a generator for emergency power and test it regularly.
  • Make sure your site has a designated shelter-in-place location and all associates are aware of where it is.
  • Prepare a winter storm kit containing the following:
    • Flashlights and extra batteries.
    • Battery-powered NOAA Weather Radios and portable radios to receive emergency information. These may be your only links to the outside.
    • Extra food and water. High-energy food, such as dried fruit or candy, and food requiring no cooking or refrigeration is best.
    • First-aid supplies.
    • Heating fuel. Fuel carriers may not reach you for days after a severe winter storm.
    • Emergency heating sources such as space heaters. Learn to use properly to prevent a fire.
  • Keep approved, maintained and regularly tested fire extinguishers present.
  • As part of your emergency response training, train associates so that they know what to do in the event of a severe winter storm.
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How Oreo Stole the Spotlight During the Super Bowl Power Outage, and Other Lessons for Scenario Planning

Posted on February 6, 2013 by adminlootok

The highest rated Super Bowl in history may go down in the books for the 34-minute power outage that upstaged the million dollar ads. More than 110 million TV viewers were left in the dark. During that time, a whopping 231,500 tweets were posted per minute.

Oreo’s tweet: “Power out? No problem”

With all the chatter about the blackout, advertisers were concerned about the effect on television ratings, while some brands capitalized on the opportunity to own the conversation through social media. Many are claiming the real winner of Sunday’s game to be Oreo, whose clever blackout tweet got retweeted 10,000 times in less than an hour.

CBS did its best to honor its commercial commitments, though the reaction from advertisers remains to be seen. Once game play resumed, CBS reran ads from Bud Light and Subway, concerned that the outage may have disrupted viewing of the spots. Bud Light’s “LuckyChair” spot starring Stevie Wonder was played twice. Negotiated discounts on ad buys or compensations for ad inventory are difficult to accommodate for a ratings shortfall when $4 million equals 30 seconds of prime airtime.

Being prepared means anticipating the failure of your business partners. CBS doesn’t run the Superdome, but they might have foreseen various incidents causing the venue to shut down. Today, news outlets are revealing that Superdome officials sent a memo just months before the Super Bowl, warning that the electrical system could experience a power outage and showed “a chance of failure.”

When it comes to planning, the power outage also demonstrated that organizations must consider not just critical processes and recovery time objectives, but should also anticipate the impact of potential scenarios. For example, instead of developing a business continuity or crisis management plan that focuses on specific tasks (“What to do in a power outage”), organizations should focus planning around critical failure scenarios that center on their impact (“We can’t run the ad”).

Oreo was certainly ready with its real-time response to the blackout. Though the company had already aired a “Cookie or Crème” spot on TV, it poised itself to make a presence on social media. The brand’s marketing company, 360i, explains on their blog that their real-time content creation involved setting up a “central command center” at their offices, with key brand executives and team members from strategy, creative, community, tech and account. In an interview with Buzzfeed, 360i’s president, Sarah Hofstetter quoted, “…when the blackout happened, the team looked at it as an opportunity.”

Business continuity is about bouncing back, as well as taking advantage of the situations that may present themselves during incidents—particularly in this case, high profile events. Have you considered this when doing business continuity scenarios or exercises?

To plan for success, start by visualizing failure.

We’re often so focused on planning for success that we forget to plan for failure. The exercise of going through a pre-mortem, for example, opens us to consider and prepare for worst-case scenarios. In Sources of Power: How People Make Decisions, research psychologist Gary Klein advises to imagine a crystal ball showing the outcome of your plan, which is a failure—“Not just any failure, but a complete, total, embarrassing disaster.”  By taking the time to think about what we want to happen, envisioning that our efforts failed, and then brainstorming with reasons for failure, we can tease out our biggest concerns and strategize how to avoid or minimize them to change the outcome.

With events of any scale, we can’t expect to control success or fix all the flaws. By expanding our imagination and anticipating some potential incidents, however, we can train our teams to make the most of a situation when it falls beyond our control.

 

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Visualizing the impact of Hurricane Sandy

Posted on December 4, 2012 by adminlootok

Hurricane Sandy is the largest hurricane to ever form in the Atlantic Basin. Along its path, 253 people were killed in seven countries and total damage resulted in over $65.5 billion. How does superstorm Sandy compare to major disasters from last year? Check out this helpful infographic created by Lootok’s Holly Rankin, published in today’s Continuity Insights Bulletin.

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BCM Exercises Don’t Have to Be Boring

Posted on November 27, 2012 by adminlootok


When was the last time you sent out an invite for a business continuity (BC) or disaster recovery (DR) exercise and got back a “woo-hoo”? If you are responsible for a BC or DR program you know how difficult it can be to get people to come to your exercise, let alone express enthusiasm about it. Exercises are serious business, but with some inspiration from popular party games you can let participants have a little fun while raising awareness about your BC management (BCM) program.

Learn how by reading the rest of Continuity Insight Magazine’s article, “BCM Exercises Don’t Have To Be Boring: 3 Party Games For Effective & Memorable Exercises,” by Alison Kashin, Lootok’s Chief Creative & Technology Officer.

By Alison Kashin
Chief Creative and Technology Officer, Lootok

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It’s never too early to prepare for the next superstorm

Posted on November 22, 2012 by adminlootok

Credit: New York Magazine

By some estimates, Hurricane Sandy has wreaked $50 billion in damages, with some calling it the second most expensive storm in U.S. history. With the arrival of this “Frankenstorm,” areas of New York City that normally do not experience flooding were suddenly faced with rising waters. Buildings collapsed or were simply demolished. Electricity and natural gas service were out for extended periods of time, and subways were rendered inoperable for days (some at this point have still not resumed service). Gasoline supply became limited due to increased driving and generator usage.

Tens of thousands of people whose homes were destroyed by the storm are in need of housing help. To contribute to relief and rebuilding efforts, please contact the following organizations:
United Way Hurricane Sandy Recovery Fund
InterOccupy Sandy
OccupySandy Registries

The aftermath of this storm has been a wake-up call for all of us to heed warnings seriously. Here are some steps to prepare yourself and your business for the next big one:

Are you or in a flood zone?
You should know the answer to this question, even without a hurricane in sight.  If your home or business is in an area that typically is not subject to flooding, it may still be in a flood zone.  To find out, type in your address using FEMA’s Map Service Center.

If you are indeed in a flood zone, regardless of the risk level, you should consider purchasing flood insurance. Many people believe that their homeowners or renter’s insurance will cover their contents in a flood. Most insurance policies, however, do not cover damages due to flooding. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and can provide information about options for commercial and/or residential flood insurance.

Move to higher ground.
One of the best actions you can take to protect your business inventory, equipment, and personal belongings (especially if you are located in a flood zone) is to move your items to higher ground and disconnect electrical devices.  Anything located in basements should be moved to a higher floor.  Even with sump pumps located in your basement, torrential rainfall and/or sewage backups could overload them and leave you with massive flooding.  In general, the rule of thumb is to keep items 12 inches (31 centimeters) above the flood elevation for your location.  In addition, it is wise to have electronic copies of important documentation, and that they are backed up at an alternate location.

Prepare your building.
You can start preparing your to-be affected building by making sure that all unsecured items outside are moved inside.  This will help reduce damage to your building and those surrounding you.  If you will be affected by extremely high winds, you may want to consider boarding up windows to prevent debris from entering your home/office.

Gather emergency supplies and make your evacuation plans.

Credit: Office of Emergency Management, Philadelphia

In preparation for any natural disaster, keep emergency supplies handy. You should have at least 3 days of non-perishable food and water (1 gallon per person per day), flashlights, battery operated radio, batteries, first aid supplies, and cash (if electricity is out, cash machines are unavailable). Keep these supplies readily available in a backpack (Go-Bag) as well, which should be stored in a safe and accessible place ready in case of evacuation.

Even if you are not subject to mandatory evacuation, you should still have a game plan on how to escape your area in case it becomes necessary. Make arrangements with a friend or relative, or know where you evacuation center is, and how to get to these places in an emergency situation  Public transport, roads may not be accessible, and gasoline may be in short supply during this time, so having an alternate route/method of transport is key.

Test your recovery strategy.
In terms of your business, you should develop a recovery strategy and plan, that is a plan on how to resume your business after it has been disrupted by an incident. Will you have employees work from a secondary location or at home? Are you able to transfer any work to another location/branch? It is important to test your strategy at least once a year to ensure it will work for your business. Also, it provides employees with necessary training on implementing the recovery strategy. Prior to the hurricane, the strategy should be tested if it has not been recently. This will help ensure a smoother recovery of your business after the hurricane strikes. Also, make sure you have an employee contact list handy. This will help you in facilitating speedy communications with your employees.

Perform a damage assessment and take action.
After the hurricane has passed, and you have accounted for family, friends, and employees, it is time to perform a damage assessment. Be sure to take pictures of damaged property, record any damage related costs, and assess and record the value of damaged property. These will aid you when you contact your insurance company to report your losses. Once your damage assessment is complete, contact your insurance company with your assessment.

If the damage to your primary location of your business is extensive, and you will not be able to operate business as usual in that location, it is time to invoke the recovery strategy you have developed. Communication with your employees is key to ensuring a smooth recovery. Utilize your employee contact list to contact your employees on the next steps in recovering your business, including your decision to invoke your recovery strategy.

Remember, your safety and the safety of others is the main priority during any sort of disaster. By taking concrete steps to prepare in advance of an crisis, you’ll be in a better position to recover faster – both personally and professionally.

By Michael Longo
Business Continuity Consultant, Lootok

 

 

 

 

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