Old wine – New bottles

So on a reflective Friday morning over coffee, I have browsed through some of my early writing – partly for fun, and partly to see how well it still “stands up”. It may depend on how you measure it 😂 From my point of view – and context at the time – they were written… Read More

Add silent scooters – and silent policy – as one of your hazards

In Melbourne on the weekend I was nearly “cleaned up” a couple of times with near miss e scooter incidents. So I thought I’d do a quick check on some questions around whether it’s an issue in Melbourne – and elsewhere. The answer is YES In England In Adelaide A hazard – whispering up behind… Read More

Too heavy …

Enjoying Paramount’s 1883 with lessons left, right and centre. Business continuity 101 – in an extreme event adjust your load – trim your sails – reconfigure.

What might coming out the other side look like?

Beyond the jargon of “petri dish and pivot” there are opportunities in ‘the risk’. Wherever we start from, I think it is useful to – stealing a Steve Covey line of “end in mind” – be clear about our preferred Outcomes and necessary and sufficient Outputs. The models and frameworks sketched out below use a… Read More

Move over “resilience”

Move over “resilience” – make room in the disaster management lexicon for “uninsurable enclaves”. It has been recognised for nearly five decades that disaster risk is a function of hazard and vulnerability.  Our efforts have focused on supporting those at risk to be more resilient – more prepared. This focus – I suggest – has… Read More

It’s not rocket science

How often have you heard someone say that in a conversation? It may not be “rocket science” (that is to say “requiring the application of expertise”) to them, but it is just rude to be dismissive. It alienates and it isolates. It erodes respect. Things which are “not rocket science” are often just not very… Read More

Can you manage uncertainty in three straightforward steps?

Management processes should always be as simple as possible – yet as complex as is necessary. First, clear, understandable, straightforward risk statements come out of mindful conversations about context. Second, we assess risks – not as an academic exercise – but in order to determine whether we need to do anything about those risks. So… Read More