What Makes a Good Crisis Leader?

December 13, 2013 by ·

After a natural disaster, the media always focuses on how the disaster was handled. It is up to a crisis leader to take on the responsibility of handling such events as well as dealing with the consequences of his or her actions. Conversely, if the crisis leader does a great job they will be praised as someone with wisdom, bravery and prove themselves as accomplished in our society.

The ideal candidate for a crisis leader will use their technological knowledge to the fullest in difficult situations. Teamwork is another huge part of being an effective leader in times of chaos. Handling challenging situations, being able to navigate high-stress situations that change rapidly while maintaining unity in their team is crucial for success. The right person is hard to find, but when they are found and perform well, whole communities will be grateful for their work.

Leadership is critical to stop crisis's from getting worse.

Leadership is critical to stop crisis’s from getting worse.

There are many things that identify a good crisis leader.  Some key skills are, positive outlook, strong communication skills, experience and expertise in disaster relief.

Having a positive attitude is very important in these high-stress situations. Keeping a level head and not getting too worked up so you can make critical decisions is paramount. When everything around is chaos, people will look to the crisis leader to keep everyone on track with real-time decision making abilities.

Communication skills are an absolute must when dealing with disaster relief efforts. Being able to listen and asking the right questions when necessary are very important. Some other communication musts are, being open-minded, revamping your plan to incorporate others, being understanding as well as being involved in the team and group effort.

Crisis leaders should have a good bit of experience when dealing with situations. The more real-life experience the better. Training can be a good substitute for real life experiences. Having any kind of hands on experience is always good practice as much as it is necessary.

 

 

Filed Under: Brian Schupbach ·

Damage Restoration: Go Green!

November 26, 2013 by ·
Green-Building

Save yourself time, money, and headaches by restoring your property with a LEED AP Certified contractor.

Dealing with damage from a natural disaster is never a pleasant experience.  It can be painful, difficult, and time consuming for all parties involved.  However, renovating after disaster strikes can also present an opportunity.  More and more restoration projects are taking advantage of green technology when rebuilding.  While these types of repairs are rarely planned for, rebuilding after damage can allow you to take advantage of technology which will both help the environment and save you money in the long run.

When hiring a restoration vendor, you should make sure that they are well versed in green building and repair.  The  U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, also known as LEED provides certifications for builder and restoration experts, and you would be wise to check to see if your restoration vendor is LEED AP Certified.

There are many reasons to hire a LEED AP certified restoration vendor.  Here are a few of the major ones:

  • Restoring by LEED AP standards could qualify you for insurance benefits.  More and more insurance companies are encouraging green rebuilding by paying for a portion of labor and material costs
  • Save money in the long run – Green appliances and building materials will help your business save money on energy costs while also being beneficial for the environment
  • Future proof your building by ensuring your properties meet and even exceed current building codes.  The tide of green building is only getting stronger and you may be required to re-renovate your properties a few years down the line

Whether your home or business sustained damage, there are many advantages to working with a contractor who is experienced in green building practices.  Restoring your home by LEED AP standards will put you ahead of the curve as far as building requirements are concerned and will save you regulatory headaches in the future.

 

Filed Under: Brian Schupbach · Tagged With: , , , ,

Responding to Hurricane Damage: Retail

November 25, 2013 by ·
Hurricane

Hurricane’s can be especially damaging for large retail facilities.

Everyone in the retail business knows that the last thing you can afford is to have your doors shuttered.  Every hour, day, or week you spend closed due to disaster damage is more time that you are compounding your losses.  Repairing damages costs money, but having your store closed for an extended period of time can be even more costly.  You can’t predict nature, but you can be prepared.  Here are some tips for staying prepared in the face of a natural disaster which will help make sure you minimize the amount of time you have to stay closed and the money your business will lose.

More expansive facilities can often be more susceptible to hurricane damage due to sheer area.  Many times large retail complexes span multiple stories, putting them at a higher elevation and therefore a higher risk for wind damage from hurricanes.

Property manages of such complexes, especially in major coastal areas, should always be aware of their surroundings.  Do you know where the local levee systems and damns are?  Knowing this type of information will help you be better suited to predict where potential flood waters will come from, and therefore inform your preparations.  You will have a better idea of how to spend your resources when prepping your facility and making sure water runoff areas are in place.

How to Prepare for and Minimize Damage

Natural disasters such as hurricanes sometimes develop quickly and having contingencies in place which allow you to respond quickly will help mitigate your damage and loss of revenue.  Make sure all of your facility’s large doors and windows can either be shuttered or that you always have materials at the ready should you need to board and seal them before an impending storm.

Hurricane damage can also put your facility at risk for fire.  While many newer buildings are built to withstand fires, it can be easy for a property manager to overlook their products.  Always know how flammable your facility and the products it houses are.  Managers may also want to consider installing redundant sprinkler systems since hurricanes and loss of power frequently come as a pair.

Finally, consider the scale of your facility and take into account how the size will affect potential hazards and how you plan on repsonding to them.

Filed Under: Brian Schupbach · Tagged With: , , ,

Damage Repair: The Hospitality Industry

October 29, 2013 by ·
Hotel Room

A good contractor will be able to juggle the needs of the guests, the operations staff, and the facilities staff all at once.

It’s easy to lump “disaster restoration” into a single category.  To someone unfamiliar with the inner workings of the industry, repairing damage caused by a natural disaster may seem to be a blanket set of skills that can be used regardless of the type of structure.  Approaching disaster recovery with this mindset, however, is a major mistake.

Every job is different and repairing damage caused to a hospitality centered building is much different than say a residential or even other type of commercial job.  Here are a few ways you can ensure your hotel repair project runs as smoothly as possible.

See it From All Sides

An easy mistake to make on the job is failing to view the project from the perspectives of everyone involved.  As a contractor, you must be able to see the viewpoints of both the facilities staff and the operations staff.  Everyone has a different goal and it’s important to understand what these are.  In general terms, operations is concerned with making sure the hotel’s guests (paying customers) are happy, comfortable, and receiving the level of service the hotel brand most likely prides itself on providing.  Facilities on the other hand is usually feverishly working on getting everything up and running as quickly and safely as possible.  As a contractor, your goal is to complete the repairs and the best way to do this is to pick out the common causes between operations and facilities.  This will allow both parties to work together to succeed and will reduce friction.

The name of the game is getting the hotel operating at full capacity and an effective contractor will be able to get all parties to unite under that banner.

Treat Guests like Guest, Not Obstacles

The other perspective that must be taken into account by an experienced contractor is that of the hotel guests.  It’s easy to forget that they are why the hotel exists in the first place and they are the number one reason to restore the facility to working capacity.  Guests pay the bills and happy customers tend to be repeat customers.  Hotels who have happy customers even in the face of disaster damage, will be more satisfied with their contractors.  Go out of your way to make sure guests are as comfortable as they can be given the circumstances.  This will make them much more understanding of the situation and much less likely to complain or write negative reviews about the hotel brand.

These are just a few of the steps an effective contractor should take to provide the best possible disaster damage repair service for a building in the hospitality service.

Filed Under: Brian Schupbach · Tagged With: , ,
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