Preparing for the Unexpected

Sometimes the size and scale of Business Continuity Management (BCM) can be intimidating - to people in our own industry and to those trying to understand the industry. I speak with noted expert and author of 'Business Continuity Management: A Practical Guide to Organizational Resilience and ISO 22301', James Crask, For this episode we talk about: 1. Defining resilience, 2, What can be learned from international standards (the benefits and the pitfalls), 3. Lessons for the BCM and resilience industries from COVID19, 4. Establishing governance in BCM and Resilience, 5. Writing plans and procedures (and what to do with the 'fluff'), and 6. Exercising our plans - and who should be involved. And much more! James helps bring clarify to many key BCM topics to enable any professional and organization thrive in their BCM and resilience programs. Enjoy!

Climate Change is one of - if not the most - important issue facing individuals, communities, organizations, and the world today. It's become a key component that many Business Continuity (BC) professionals must address; from the Risk Analysis (RA) to the Business Impact Analysis (BIA), to preparedness and response plans. I talk with noted industry expert Margaret Millett about what BC professionals can do to address Climate Change concerns in their organizations. We talk about: 1. Historical Information (cities, species...), 2. Risks and Impacts, 3. The challenge facing the BC profession and professional, 4. Considerations for organizations, 5. What opportunities exist for the BC industry/professional?, 6. Getting ahead of the Climate Change risk, 7. The Risk Analysis (RA) and Business Impact Analysis (BIA), 8. Policy and standards, 9. Company response (Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, Recovery), 10. Metrics, 11. Sharing information with Leadership and the Board of Directors...and more. It's an insightful discussion on how we as professionals, can address the challenges Climate Change posses us and our organizations. Enjoy!

Being a leader is hard. It's even harder during a crisis. I speak with psychologist and author, Gavin Freeman about leadership psychology as it pertains to crisis management. It's quite insightful and at times, surprising. We touch on: 1. The Ardent – Dreamworld Incident (Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? Outcome?), 2. The mind of the CEO – Upper Echelon of the CEO, 3. Regulatory Theory, 4. Promotional vs Preventative to Performance vs Preventative, 5. Behavioral Agency Theory, 6. Reputation Management, 8. Value = Insight + Tension (This is really interesting and worth a listen), and 9. What can leaders, professionals, and organizations do? It's a very interesting talk about psychology and crisis management, and Gavin does a great job of turning theory into something lite and understandable. It become clear quite quickly, that being a leader during a crisis is much more than following a plan. Enjoy!

It's my regular chat with noted industry expert Regina Phelps. For this episode we talk about: 1. A quick COVID pandemic update (Vaccines and vaccine expectations, world statuses - China, US, Canada… - boosters, the mess some are findings themselves in, 2. Shanghai, China and the coming impacts on the supply chain, 3. The Ukraine War and its continued impacts, 4. Ransomware and Cyber Threats (What happens in a ransomware attack? 5. Designing a ransomware / cyber exercise (What a cyber exercise is – and what it isn't, Ransomware design principles), 6. 10 critical elements that make a cyber exercise work (We only cover elements 1-4, but to hear elements 5-10, go to the Preparing for the Unexpected YouTube channel). Regina shares some key information on cyber/ransomware attacks and how we can prepare for them. Don't miss her vital insights. Enjoy!

rganizing our Business Continuity Management Systems (BCMS) is key to long-term viability. in other words, setting up everything is everything. I talk with BCMS expert Jacopo Caparelli, as we talk about how organizations can set-up their Business Continuity programs as valued management system. We talk about: a) defining the BCMS and its various stages/components, b) the key components we really need to focus on, c) How, why, and what we need to do to set up 'everything', d) 4 Guiding Questions we should be asking ourselves, e) Clarity around the Policy vs the Program f) How to write a good policy and what is should contain, g) Governance, and much, much more. Jacopo insightful knowledge of BCMS systems will help any professional or any organization understand how they can make their programs more successful, or identify how they can turn that not-so-well-performing program around, onto a path of success. Enjoy!

The COVID pandemic impacted everyone around the globe. No country or business has escaped its wrath. I speak with University Extension Specialist of the University of the Philippines Institute for Small-Scale Industries (UP ISSI), Joanna Rose Laddaran, who discusses 'Inclusivity in Business Continuity and Supply Chain Resilience: Lessons from Philippine MSMEs'. Joanna talk about: 1. Inclusivity in business 2. The definition of MSME (Micro, Small, Medium businesses) 3. Define the ECQ program and the impacts upon implementation 4. Philippine supply chain disruptions with a couple of case studies 5. Financial resources available to MSMEs for Post-Disaster Recovery 6. How to help MSMEs recovery from the effects of the COVID Pandemic 7. The meaning of HANDA and how promoting it has helped MSMEs 8. The lessons learned from promoting BCP amongst MSMEs 9. Strengthening partnerships and collaboration...and lots more. We often hear about what's happening in Europe, or North America. This episode sheds some light on activities and the lessons learned from the Philippines. Enjoy!

The last few years have taught us allot about organizational risk, business continuity, and lessons learned. I speak with noted expert Andrew Witts, about the lessons learned during 2020/2021...and perhaps into 2022. In this episode we talk about: a) Why do we need to rethink the way we do business continuity? b) Some of the lessons learned from 2020 (e.g., Loss of Resources, Locations, Staff, Vendor, Applications, c) Compound Threats and what this means, d) The supply chain, e) Cyber impacts caused by the pandemic, f) Human capital impacts, and g) How risk can help Business Continuity. Lots of great topics with allot of great insights. Enjoy!

It's our monthly discussion with renown expert Regina Phelps, and we talk about a wide variety of topics this month. For the March 2022 episode we discuss: 1. Crisis Leadership and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (a masterclass in crisis leadership) 2. The ongoing war in Ukraine and the collateral damage (Supply chain effects. Global Food supply, Trade, Energy: petroleum), 3. Economic impacts ( Stock market, Inflation, Energy costs...), 4. What companies should be doing regarding the Increased possibility of cyber attacks 5. Making them cry with Cyber exercises, 6. The latest on COVID and the BA.2 variant (North America, USA, the world...), and 7. A 4th Wave? As always, the March 2022 talk with Regina is insightful and chock full of information you don't want to miss. Enjoy!

We do something a little different for this episode. Globally recognized Business Continuity Management and Resilience expert and author of 'My Experiments with BCM', Daman Dev Sood, will read a few chapters from his new book, and then we'll talk about the chapter content after each reading. We touch on chapters titled: a) And a Million Dollar Question, Answering While I Close this Book (What do Business Continuity Mangers Do?), b) Communication and Commitment (Continued Commitment) c) I am the Boss, I know the Business, and d) My Principles Valued @ Half a Million INR. All the chapters are from Daman's own personal experiences in the BCM industry, and you're sure to relate to the stories and follow up discussions, as we talk about each experience (Chapter) in detail. Enjoy!

Climate Change is one of the hottest topics in news headlines and in the business world. I talk to climate change evangelist Pinaki Bhaduri about the effects of climate change on organizational resilience. We touch on: a) how businesses can reposition themselves b) Changing BCM and Resilience strategies c) the impacts on supply chains and risk management d) Environmental, Sustainability, Governance (ESG) e) mitigation activities f) the Board room, and much more. Pinaki shares many thoughts and ideas for organizational leadership and industry professionals about what they need to consider with regards to climate change. Either organizations will adopt climate change into their plans, or they won't...and end up failing. A very enlightening talk, so don't miss it. Enjoy!