Crisis in Conversation

Since beginning this blog, I’ve been closely following Jonathan Bernstein’s Internet Newsletter, Crisis Manager, available on his site, Bernstein Crisis Management Inc. This site has been a wonderful source of information for me, as Bernstein focuses much of his crisis management advice on community crises—the very topic of my blog. A recent newsletter article titled, Crisis Manager University, by Mark Towhey, addresses school crises plans as related to the always tragic school shootings and intrusions.

In the article, Mark discusses the difficulty of school crisis planning’s ultimately two-faced effect. One face: planning helps students and faculty become familiar and, thus, comfortable with emergency response plans such as evacuations, lock-downs and fire drills. Second face—the unavoidable, negative side-effect of preparation: planning allows intruders and criminals a formula for your response, a crafted action that they will learn how to react to in their advantage.

The key to keeping lock-down plans and other crisis-response drills effective then, is flexibility. Flexibility is what allows these plans manipulation for each new circumstance. In studying crisis situations, what seems to go most wrong is the lack of adaptability from managers, staff and students. While the students, of course, rely on instruction and guidance in emergency situations at schools, the managers and faculty must quickly adapt seemingly dry-cut response plans into more malleable guidelines for their emergency at hand. Yes, schools should continue with emergency drills like lock-downs and evacuations, Mark says, but drilling should emphasize adaptability. Innovative ways to keep your students safe and hidden from intruders should be an emphasis and new approach added to crisis workshops and training sessions. Flexibility allows the leap to be made from trial to reality—the difference between a sheet of glass or metal stronghold between your classroom and what Mark describes as the “copper jacketed bullet.”

There’s been a disappointing trend I’ve watched develop over my college years. A trend, I suspect, that has been present through decades and centuries, each time with a new twist relevant to the times. This trend, brought to my attention through numerous male acquaintances and a few male friends, is the scoffing of men at their female counterparts for discussing successful women and female accomplishments. “Girl power,” as they sarcastically and with an accompanying “girlie” tone say, is a mockery for them, a good chuckle as they shake their heads and roll their eyes. Now, I am certainly not saying my male friends are all sexist jerks, but I have certainly noticed the lack of seriousness and a “feminism is oh-so overdone” quality to all female success-related conversation. The sad thing is, is feminism has become equated for these men with hairy-legged, decades old, bra-burning antics. Perhaps the mention of “bra” in history class grabbed their attention and resulted in that description leading their feminist definition. While that may have been a harsh guess, the reality is that many early-twenty-something males seem to think feminism is both a cliché and a bore.

Feminism is simply the support of equal social and political rights for women, and, while I do not fall into the superficial category of a feminist brought to mind by most of my same-aged male peers, I do overwhelmingly support equal rights for women, gravitate toward articles on women’s rising accomplishments in the workforce and in social endeavors, and will gladly spend any conversation persuading my listener of the needs for flex schedules and accommodations for working mothers. In fact, even my term-long empirical project for econometrics investigates the impact of rising child-care costs on women’s participation rates in the labor force.

My interest in these topics lies in the ulterior motive—as I’ve mentioned before—that I, one day, would like to be a mom in the midst of a successful, thriving, and busy career. Far ahead of schedule, I am already looking into types of company adjustments and offerings for working mothers (for the corporations that are catching on) and have a few advice/support blogs for working moms in my feed reader. While some may think this is overkill, especially as I am only 21, this early research makes perfect sense for my goal of establishing a professional career—becoming a smart and efficient employee and mom. Perhaps my early concern is the result of seeing the somewhat recent new wave of working mothers spark blogs, articles and support groups for their kind. Realizing how difficult all these publishing make the process seem, I want to be prepared (as well as I can, anyway) for the transition of becoming a mother during a career, without compromising my talent in both the workplace and at home.

I was delighted then, to see my interest in successful women and my search for advice on working mothers coupled together in a new website founded by five ultra-successful and inspiring women: Joni Evans, former president of Simon and Schuster and an ex-publisher at Random House; Liz Smith, author and famous New York gossip columnist; Mary Wells, advertising executive whose work includes the “I Love New York” campaign; Peggy Noonan, political columnist and former presidential speech writer; and Lesley Stahl, television news reporter and a CBS 60 Minutes correspondent since 1991. The website, Wowowow (somewhat standing for Women on the Web), is aimed at women 40 and older, but is full of information that I believe women of every age can find useful.

With over 15 contributers including Candice Bergen and Marlo Thomas, Wowowow is an inspiring source of female talent and energy for more than fashion advice, with sections like Change the World and Conversations. The New York Times covered the launching of the website here, and explains the humorous process of choosing a domain name, learning about blogging and becoming part of the Web 2.0 culture. The site does cover what The New York Times says is, “in some ways no different than that of other women-focused community Web sites like iVillage: horoscopes and posts about love and marriage, health and fashion,” but Wowowow is also an inspiring culmination of talented minds with advice and political commentary for its readers. More than another site for women, Wowowow is a step toward social media being utilized by all generations and I couldn’t be prouder, nor more inspired by these successful women.

Now, if only they’d add an RSS Feed icon…

Searching for a great photo is the first thing I do when beginning every post. That photo must slightly hint to my reader each posts’ topic, while at the same time mirror the tone and suggestions of my writing. To explain my response to this week’s Linky Love post on Generation Y then, I immediately typed Generation Y into Google, clicked on images, and began searching for two opposing images: the sluggish, lazy, early-twenty something, and her same-aged young professional counterpart. I did settle on two satisfying images, but what I came across in the search was much, much less satisfactory. Many of the Generation Y images were on pages written about Generation Y-ers, of course—newspaper and magazine articles, blogs and others. And, most dishearteningly, a quick scan at each story just to see the images was more than enough for me to blaze across words like self-centered, self-promotion, self-motivated and self Self SELF! Oh, and quite possibly the worst title, that of the story belonging to the ever-intrigued girl to your upper-right, holding the magazine and just waiting to roll her eyes: The Graduate Diva. Being female myself, The Graduate Diva title was just all too much for me. Come on! I began this post in response to the Business Week Article “Getting to Know Gen Why,” but now feel much more compelled to write a response to well, the greater blogosphere on all topics related to my millennial peers.

Born in 1986, I am grade-A Generation Y. I look to the computer to answer almost every question, I text at a shockingly comparable speed at which I type (god bless T9), and I have grown accustomed to immediate information and even faster change. In his Business Week article, writer Marshall Goldsmith sits down with President Eric Chester of Generation Why, a consulting firm that analyzes generational differences. The first highlight from the interview asks for the most common complaint employers have of their new Generation Y hires. Eric answers: “They don’t want to pay their dues, play by the rules, or give their best to any project unless they are sure it will get them a promotion, a raise, or some kind of recognition. And then if they aren’t totally happy, or if you look at them wrong, they’ll bolt for the next job!”

Two things. First, I am extremely taken back at even the possibility of this being the most common “rant” from everyone from a “shift manager at a burger joint, [to] an exec at a Wall Street investment firm.” More than harsh, this complaint is over-the-top and a generalization of all Gen Y workers in one statement (I won’t even go into my response to Eric’s insulting “weird looking” description of the “impossible-to-understand 16- to 24-year-olds” on the front page of his company website). And second, should I be ashamed that my peers and I are being smeared across many articles and web pages under such description as this? The answer to this question is, well, I don’t know. A soon-to-be college graduate followed by a most likely miserable (yet, excited) 1L in law school, I fit the mold of Generation Y yet see no resemblance between myself and the new employee described by Eric. I go through most days surrounded by intellectual peers in both my Journalism and Economics classes—different types of strengths and qualities from two very different groups of people; both equally brilliant and creative. I’ve also seen my share of the lesser brilliant portion of my peers, usually out at parties on weekends. The majority of my interactions on campus, though, and a large part of conversations held with classmates in these months nearing graduation, focus on career-savvy tips, discussion of a PR plan, or help on a regression analysis for econometrics. While I have fallen in love with school, I would like to emphasize—for full comprehension of my position purposes—that I like to have fun, meet new people and spend my time out on the weekends. Work hard, play hard—you’ve heard it before. I find it difficult then, to believe that the hundreds of college campuses around the country filled with students who succeed at their undergraduate schools under this same mantra can evoke such feelings from employers—enough so that a generational analyst comments on it. How can I be spending so much time with so many hardworking, sharp, soon-to-be graduates, when the supposedly most common complaint heard by employers describes a fickle, self-serving newbie??

The article continues on to have Eric answer why Generation Y seems to be this way—pop culture, increased parent time in the workforce, “raised with change as a constant”. What we haven’t learned, Eric says, is how to put our nose to the grindstone, show up for work on time and dress in appropriate attire. While I may not be a typical 21-year-old, I do believe I am a near-typical college graduate seeking a professional career. What is disappointing about this article is it paints all Generation Y-ers the same nauseating color: unmotivated, undedicated and unappreciative. Admittedly, I do know there are twenty-somethings out there like this, and yes, many are also college graduates. But, also admittedly, I am banking on those specific twenty-somethings to show up to the same interview I’m at, looking unkempt and unshaven. I am counting on those specific twenty-somethings to be too lazy to research the company, prepare questions to ask the interviewer, and perfect their portfolio. In my defense to this article, there are a number of Generation Y graduates out there looking for a professional career and are absolutely expecting that career to come at the price of hard work, time and sacrifice.

Yes, I do agree we are keen to change and quick to speak up. A story my step-dad recently shared with me—he is an engineer in Portland, and has been loyal to his company for many, many years—made me beam so widely and nod my head so eagerly that I couldn’t be prouder of my millennial counterparts. Chris explained how they had just recently hired a handful of new graduates, slightly older than me and enthusiastic to work. Chris then described how, following a meeting, one of the new hires walked into the boss’ office on his “open door policy,” and voiced her opinion that the meeting seemed to have no clear objective, and it was difficult for her to see the need to take time out of the day for such an event. “Gawking,” as Chris explained, my step-dad and his own peers were more than shocked she so confidently strolled into the boss’s office and gave such an honest recount of her opinion about meetings that had been carried long before she’d arrived. Well, I asked, does your boss say it’s O.K. to walk into his office when the door is open? “Well, yes,” Chris answered hesitantly. “Then why not??” I burst out. What I can confidently say we have been taught is, if invited to talk and share our opinions, we will talk and share our opinions. As it turns out, the boss agreed. There didn’t seem to be a clear objective to the meeting and this one Generation Y-er’s opinion revved up a new process for planning and implementing team meetings with visible objectives and structures for time.

Now, I am not saying this glory moment will always be the case, but I am saying we are more likely than our older co-workers to speak up when we see necessary, even when in a new environment. What I don’t see, however, is evidence to Eric’s statement that my generation “hasn’t been taught the rules”—rules like hard work and necessary time commitments. Yes there are the slackers of my generation, but working hard, pulling all-nighters and stretching myself thin with 20hrs a week at work and four 400 level college courses is not only the norm for hopeful professionals, but it is also expected of myself in order to reach the successful career I dream of. Different than Eric points out, I absolutely value hard work and admire my peers for notable persistence, as well as my professors and mentors who can just seem to “do it all”. Rather than Graduate Divas, myself and many of my female peers are fiercely competitive, eager to learn, and excited to put in the hours to first break into the industry, and then succeed in it. As indicated in my About page, I will speak up when I feel the need, but I will also know my place as both a beginner and a learner. As I’ve said before, learning is absolutely what I do best. As a Generation Y-er I value hard work, I recognize integrity’s importance, and I am humbled by experience and education. As a Generation Y-er I will not fall into Eric’s common complaint from employers: Instead, I will defy it.

Graduate Diva courtesy of http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=511379&in_page_id=1770.

Young Professional courtesy of http://www.salaryexpert.com/images/job-salary.gif.

With too much to do this week, I have lagged behind the relentless blogosphere and am struggling to stay up-to-date on my school work, let alone the hundreds of potential posts I want to read but simply couldn’t get it done. So, taking a break from crisis and PR blogging, I thought I’d direct you to my crisis and PR podcast. This podcast was made about two weeks ago during my first experience with any type of recording equipment and program, and certainly during my very first experience podcasting. I’ve been waiting to publish this for the public and found a great site at podcastpeople.com where I could post my podcast for free!

After deciding on a topic, the experience went rather well. Much better than I had hoped and, like blogging, once I settled on what I wanted to say, maaaannnn did I have a lot of talking I wanted to do. The time requirement—as this was an assignment for my Advanced PR Writing class—was no challenge for me, and I quickly found talking out loud, alone in my room, making hand gestures to no one in sight, was all quite easy =).

Posted here are my show notes for the podcast—a casting about crisis terminology, Dr. Peter Sandman’s risk formula, and three categories of risk management in crisis situations. I was originally introduced to Dr. Sandman’s formula by my Plans Professor, Tom Hagley, and have since analyzed its use and application in local community crises. Dr. Sandman, a professor at Rutger’s University, identifies risk (a useful replacement for the term crisis—listen and you’ll see for yourself) as a compilation of varying levels of hazard and outrage. That is,

Risk = Hazard + Outrage.

Dr. Sandman then creates three categories of crisis situations to accommodate different combinations of hazard and outrage. Like I said, this formula and its indications are extremely useful for community crisis. Have a listen to my very first podcast—I apologize for the sound of my voice in advance (I swear, it doesn’t, err, sound like that in person!)—and gain some useful basic knowledge of analyzing and handling different types of crisis situations…plus the intro/outro music I’ve chosen is awesome.

Here it is: http://www.crisisincommunication.podcastpeople.com/

Show Notes for Week 1: Defining Crisis and the Risk Formula

On this episode of Let’s Talk Crises, I will discuss the lesser-known distinctions between the terms crisis and risk. I will then examine crisis communicator Dr. Peter Sandman’s formula for risk management: Risk = Hazard + Outrage. This episode will also explore Dr. Sandman’s three proposed management techniques for varying levels of hazard and outrage in his risk formula.

Intro Music 0:00 – 0:15

Introduction, Myself 0:16 – 1:32

Introduction, Podcast 1:33 – 2:59

“Risk” vs. “Crisis” 3:00 – 5:13

Risk = Hazard + Outrage 5:14 – 6:24

Precaution Advocacy 6:25 – 7:55

Outrage Management 7:56 – 9:22

Crisis Communication 9:23 – 10:49

Closing Summary 10:50 – 11:55

Thank you, Goodbye 11:56 – 12:23

Outro Music 12:15 – 12:39

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Photo 1 courtesy of stock.xchng at http://www.sxc.hu/photo/81101

Photo 2 courtesy of stock.xchng at http://www.sxc.hu/photo/468911