Crisis Ahead

How well did government agencies and the private sector respond to recent disruptions to supply chains? How should government and business leaders be proactive when protecting their supply chains from another crisis? Brian Alster is the general manager of the North America Finance & Risk and Enterprise Platform businesses at Dun & Bradstreet. In this “Crisis Ahead” episode, he shares his insights, perspectives, and recommendations about urgent supply-chain-related issues.

Quotes

"Anticipating future events in advance enables faster reaction and finding new suppliers or nearshoring options to mitigate the risks." - Brian

“Continuous monitoring helps to identify if the key suppliers could pose a risk due to environmental or macroeconomic factors.” - Brian

Featured Guest

Brian Alster
General Manager, Finance & Risk Solutions - Dun & Bradstree
thttps://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-alster-6908284
https://www.dnb.com

Chapters

00:00 Introduction
00:53 Threat to supply chains
01:54 Effect of Ukraine-Russia ward on supply chain
02:37 Gov’t and private sector’s response
03:32 Challenges and lessons
06:00 Gov’t and business’ proactive response
08:34 How company size is a factor
13:21 How Dun and Bradstreet prepare its clients
14:57 Explaining ESG programs
16:07 Potential risks to supply chains
18:00 Disruption trends in the supply chains
19:24 Forecasting crisis in the supply chain
20:28 Readiness for another supply chain crisis
22:45 Takeaways from Brian

Produced by Heartcast Media
http://www.heartcastmedia.com

Faced with a crisis, are you prepared? Ed Barks, a communications strategy consultant and president of Barks Communications, provides valuable insights to help organizations be ready for the unexpected. His message: utilize media training proactively as part of an ongoing process rather than viewing it as just a one-time deal. Proper media training is essential during times of turmoil. With this system in place, you can successfully verbalize their message while internalizing what needs to be said - setting yourselves up for success when disaster strikes!

Quotes

"If you don't have that kind of professional development, and ongoing routine, then you're going to fall behind the competition. So find a way to do that." - Ed

"Have an understanding of who you're talking to, and what their readership or listenership or viewership is like, and go from there and tailor your message accordingly." -Ed

"If you're in a larger organization and you do not have former reporters in your media relations office, get some now, get them today because they can translate reporteries and reporter language and reporter perspectives to your spokespeople." -Ed

Featured Guest

Ed Barks
President of Barks Communications
https://www.linkedin.com/in/edbarks/
https://barkscomm.com/

Chapters

00:00 Introduction
02:25 Professional Exchange with Reporter During Crisis
06:03 How to Prepare Spokespeople for Crisis Situations
07:59 Media Relations: Off the Record, On Background, Questions to Reporters
13:25 Importance of Nonverbal Signals in Crisis Communication
15:35 The Benefits of Having Former Journalists on Your Communications Team
19:20 The Impact of Zoom and Other Video Platforms on Media Relations and Communication Efforts
19:54 Dangers in Postponing Professional Development Programs
22:36 Final Takeaways from Ed Barks
24:34 Outro

Produced by Heartcast Media
http://www.heartcastmedia.com

When disaster strikes, can small businesses count on the federal government for the resources they need to recover? Isabella Guzman is the administrator of the Small Business Administration. She discusses the agency’s recent reorganization and how it will improve the help it provides to companies after a flood, hurricane, tornado, or other disaster.

Quotes

We must be highly responsive and provide simple products to support disaster survivors. This includes helping them rebuild, collect necessary data, setting up local responses, and providing technical assistance. - Isabella

The SBA's expansion during the pandemic helped millions of small businesses through programs like the Paycheck Protection Program, and now they want to use this momentum to raise awareness about the resources available to support small businesses. - Isabella

Featured Guest

Isabella Guzman
SBA Administrato
rhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/isabelcguzman
https://proxy.www.sba.gov

Chapters

00:00 Introduction
01:02 SBA’s reorganization for disaster recovery and resilience
03:00 Two phases of reorganization
04:31 SBA's commitment to disaster recovery
05:58 SBA’s network of support
08:08 SBA's disaster response and recovery efforts
10:36 Transforming SBA services for resilience
11:44 Different types of disasters that SBA responded
13:03 Lessons learned throughout the years
15:58 Post-analysis for every disasters and crisis
18:16 pre-crisis preparation of SBA
19:11 SBA and FEMA coordination during a crisis
20:08 Best practices for businesses before a crisis
21:58 The budget allocation of the govt for the SBA
24:06 Small business loans and opportunities for growth
26:20 The challenges ahead for SBA
27:37 Final takeaways

Produced by Heartcast Media
http://www.heartcastmedia.com

How is the Biden administration managing the crisis at the southern border? What more can or should be done? Is there a role for the business community in addressing this worsening situation?

In this episode, Jeh Johnson, former Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, shares his insights and observations in a candid conversation about the continuing immigration crisis.

Quotes

"If the economy in the source country improves levels of illegal migration from that source country go down." - Jeh Johnson

"We need comprehensive immigration reform to solve these problems. The problem of our southern border is a solvable problem." - Jeh Johnson

Featured Guest
Jeh Johnson
Former Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security
Profile: https://www.dhs.gov/medialibrary/assets/images/26178

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:57 Biden’s action on the border crisis
04:09 Reviving the old immigration policy
06:17 Tools we used for the crisis
08:13 Lessons learned from the past years
11:38 Roles of gov’t agencies on border crisis
13:54 Roles of business leaders on the crisis
15:41 How to measure success on addressing the crisis
18:35 Helping the southern communities on addressing the crisis
20:03 Importance of visuals in conveying the border crisis
25:04 Final takeaways from Jeh Johnson
26:09 Outro

Produced by Heartcast Media
http://www.heartcastmedia.com

Every industry is facing some level of cyber risk. Kate Kuehn, Chief Trust Officer at Aon, shares her advice and insights on how those in the private and government sectors can determine their readiness for a cyber crisis and prepare for and keep up with the latest threats.

Quotes
In order to protect your business, you should have mandatory minimum security solutions which are important for good cyber hygiene and maturity. It's like "pay to play" and sets a responsible baseline for protection. - Kate

Maintaining good cyber hygiene and security can provide organizations with the confidence to be more creative, and innovative, and embrace new opportunities like the metaverse. Despite the risks, the benefits outweigh them. - Kate

Featured Guest
Kate Kuehn
Chief Trust Officer at Aon
https://www.linkedin.com/in/katekuehnhttps://www.aon.com

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:02 The status of the cyber climate
03:44 Private and Gov’t cyber crisis preparedness
06:05 Importance of Cyber Maturity
08:40 Better understanding of cyber risks
11:10 Evolving role of Chief Information Security Officers
14:41 Keeping up and responding to the latest threats
16:17 Importance of Cyber risk insurance
19:12 Best practices to be prepared for cyber attacks
20:54 Key takeaways from Kate
22:17 Conclusion

Produced by Heartcast Media
http://www.heartcastmedia.com

Social media platforms can be mixed blessings for government agencies and the private sector. While Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other sites can be used to reach target audiences quickly in a crisis, the messages and misinformation people post on the platforms can create a crisis for organizations.

In this episode, Shannon Tucker, vice president of NextPR, shares her advice on how to communicate when a social media-related crisis strikes.


Quotes

If the comments are racist or derogatory in nature, I would say leave them and determine if it's a best practice for you to respond or to ignore. - Shannon Tucker

Smart social media management won't please everyone. It's better to stand for something and attract loyal customers, even if some people want you to stay in your lane. - Shannon Tucker

Quickly, assertively, and say something substantial if you're going to get involved with a certain crisis . - Shannon Tucker

I want to really double down on the importance of having a crisis communications plan with a social media strategy. - Shannon Tucker

Featured Guest
Shannon Tucker
Vice President, Next PR
https://www.nextpr.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-tucker-42756a31
https://www.instagram.com/nextpr/

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:00 Shannon’s experience in social media related crisis
01:48 social media platforms create crisis
03:53 How quickly should companies respond on a social media crisis
04:20 Different approaches of gov’t and private sectors on social media crisis
05:40 Humor as an approach to social media crisis
07:14 Social media crisis management planning
09:18 Risks and warnings of social media platforms
10:35 Incorporating social media crisis into their crisis plan
13:04 Considerations for responding to crisis and Issues
14:12 Managing social medias
15:52 Good and bad Social Media crisis responses
19:55 Security threats from social media
20:25 The Importance of Glassdoor in social media management
23:07 Final takeaways

Produced by Heartcast Media
www.heartcastmedia.com

Just because a company or government agency did not have a crisis today, there’s no guarantee they won’t have a crisis tomorrow.

Paul Washington is the executive director of The Conference Board’s Environmental, Social & Governance Center. In this episode, he discusses the challenges, issues, and obstacles organizations can face when confronted by a crisis.

Quotes

Crisis management is part of the broader picture of organizational resilience. - Paul

Business continuity planning is essential to continue operation during a crisis. - Paul

One of the biggest challenges that we're facing and we've all been experiencing lately are that crises are occurring simultaneously. They are interconnected.- Paul

Featured Guest in this episode
Paul Washington
Executive Director, The Conference Board’s Environmental, Social, & Governance Center

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pfwashington

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:03 Paul’s background
01:40 CEO’s preparedness gap in Crisis management
04:01 Type of crisis on the report
04:46 Companies vs Federal agency in handling crisis
06:22 Handling internal crisis
07:28 Lessons from private and government sectors
09:14 Steps on doing post-crisis investigation
12:25 FEMA’s crisis management
14:23 Challenges of private and federal agencies during crisis
16:23 Preparedness of companies in America
18:29 Importance of simulation and drills
19:51 Mitigating the risk of crisis
21:27 New crisis that will emerge in the future
23:20 Final takeaways from the guest
24:00 Outro

Produced by Heartcast Media

www.heartcastmedia.com

How well are the Biden administration and corporate America communicating about the worsening climate crisis? And what could they learn from each other?

Stacy Rosenberg is an associate teaching professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College, where she teaches graduate-level courses on writing for public policy and strategic presentation skills.

In this episode, Rosenberg shares her insights and observations about the strategies the federal government and the private sector are using to discuss climate change and the most effective tactics and techniques they could employ.

Quotes

Using terms like global warming and climate change are outdated and politicized, businesses and government officials should focus on communicating the economic and health benefits of climate initiatives. - Stacy

They must consider how to communicate the impact of climate change on daily life instead of just focusing on glacial melt which is difficult for people to relate to. - Stacy

Featured Guest in this episode

Stacy Rosenberg

Associate Teaching Professor, Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz CollegeProfile: https://www.heinz.cmu.edu/faculty-research/profiles/rosenberg-stacy
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacyrosenberg

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:58 Stacy’s expertise on Climate Crisis Communications
01:40 Biden Administration's Climate Crisis Communication Efforts
03:33 EPA's Missed Deadlines in Addressing Climate Crisis and its consequences
05:33 Private sectors’ action on addressing climate crisis
07:37 The challenges of Communicating Climate Change
13:03 Best practices and recommendations on climate crisis communications
18:20 Overcoming difficulties and things to keep in mind about climate crisis communication
23:20 Conclusion

Produced by Heartcast Media

www.heartcastmedia.com