When the world relies on you, how do you manage crises and continuity of care?
By Leah Fertig From birth to our final day, there may never come a time we aren’t dependent on a compassionate healthcare provider. Like the fragility of our lives, healthcare institutions are challenged with many risks that may take their focus off of critical patient care. This is unacceptable, mainly if you or your loved one is reliant on critical attention during the distraction. According to The Joint Commission, the top reported sentinel event of 2017 was unintended retention of a foreign object (URFOs), with a total of 116 cases reported. In April 2017, a California woman had abdominal surgery that resulted in an emergency return approximately two weeks later after experiencing extreme pain. During the emergency visit, doctors found the 8-inch surgical forceps inside her abdomen from the previous surgical procedure, and her small intestine looped through the surgical forceps handle. The woman had to have 18 inches of her small intestine removed. While stunning to most people, not entirely new news to those who work in the healthcare profession. As a result, a lawsuit requesting medical and incidental expenses, loss of past and future earnings, and more claims were filed by the patient. It’s not just the isolated, event-specific financial impact that’s concerning, the long-term reputation of the institution and the healthcare providers are at stake. Not only are lawsuits public record, but named parties may also eventually reach the court of public opinion where judgment is rendered on a moment’s notice. Crisis isn’t a matter of “if,” but “when.” There are thousands of law firms that focus exclusively on medical malpractice because it is considered a preventable mistake, which can ultimately lead to a wrongful death suit. While tragic on many levels, the posture of the healthcare institution and its legal counsels will impact reputation. The stakes are high as the decisions leaders make today will be judged by many for years to come. To learn more about how healthcare organizations can reduce their points of exposure and effectively lead during life’s most critical times, email info@fallstongroup.com and one of our experts will connect with you. Remember, if you don’t tell your story, someone else will. And, when someone else tells your story, it certainly won’t be the story you want told!
Organizational Muscle Memory – Why It’s Imperative!
By Rob Weinhold, Chief Executive On the cold afternoon of January 15, 2009, Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger nosed US Airways Flight 1549 into the clear skies above New York’s LaGuardia Airport. Less than four minutes later, after a “bird strike” from a flock of Canadian geese knocked out two of the jet’s engines, he coolly and skillfully made an emergency landing in the frigid Hudson River that saved the lives of all 150 passengers and five crew members, earning him international acclaim and admiration. “Within eight seconds of the bird strike,” Sullenberger wrote in his book “Highest Duty,” “realizing that we were without engines, I knew this was the worst aviation challenge I’d ever faced. It was the most sickening, pit-of-your-stomach, falling-through-the-floor feeling I had ever experienced.” As to how he was able to focus and execute his duties during one of the most compelling dramas in modern airline history, the answer—personal heroism aside—was surprisingly simple. “My life is all about routine. It’s about checklists and procedures,” he said in a training video not long after his ordeal. “Be prepared for the unexpected by doing the little things day in and day out. You ready yourself for the big things…” Clearly, what Capt. Sullenberger relied on heavily during his ordeal is a concept that I teach and call organizational muscle memory. This applies to corporations and businesses as much as it does to everyday citizens in all walks of life. In the context of preparing for, navigating through or recovering from issues of sensitivity, adversity or crisis, there’s no question that—to use the old cliché—people play how they practice. And what Capt. Sullenberger and his co-pilot did in those nerve-wracking moments in the sky high above New York, was begin working their way down the checklist of airline emergency response procedures put in place for just such an event. They were doing what they’d been trained to do and followed the protocol as it was laid out to them and drilled into their heads for decades. Immediately after Flight 1549’s engines failed, Capt. Sullenberger took over the controls of the crippled aircraft from First Officer Jeff Skiles, who began handling the emergency checklist. Sullenberger quickly focused on the three general rules of any aircraft emergency: maintain aircraft control, analyze the situation and take proper action, land as soon as conditions permit. As detailed in his book, there is also a variation on those rules that pilots find easy to remember: “Aviate, navigate, communicate.” “Aviate: fly the plane,” he wrote. “Navigate: make sure your flight path is appropriate and that you’re not flying off course. Communicate: Let those on the ground help you, and let those on the plane know what might be necessary to save their lives.” Also aiding him was this: as a young pilot in the Air Force, he had studied aircraft accidents to learn from the experiences of the pilots involved. “Why did pilots wait too long before ejecting from planes that were about to crash?” he wrote in “Highest Duty.” “Why did they spend extra seconds trying to fix the unfixable?” Sullenberger’s many flights from LaGuardia in the past had also given him an encyclopedic knowledge of the terrain he was flying over, as well as the distances to the nearest airports should he attempt an emergency landing at one. In the end, his training, military experience and geographical knowledge would help him conclude that all four nearby airports (LaGuardia, JFK, Teterboro and Newark) were unreachable by the damaged aircraft. Not to be discounted in any re-telling of what happened to Flight 1549 that day is that Capt. Sullenberger had the perfect demeanor to handle the stress of the moment. When you think about leadership, you think about composure. This was a case study in pilot composure if ever there was one. As the aircraft flight lurched and dropped through the skies, Sullenberger would write in his book, the badly shaken passengers in the quiet cabin reacted in a variety of ways. Some prayed. Some texted loved ones. A U.S. Army captain and his fiancé kissed and told each other “I love you” and “accepted death together.” A management consultant from Charlotte, North Carolina thought about how he was his mother’s only surviving son, and that his death would no doubt kill his mom, too. A man who had survived a near-deadly incident on a plane some 20 years earlier took out a business card and wrote “I love you” to his parents and his sister and thought: “This could be the end of my life. In 10 or 20 seconds, I could be on the other side, whatever the other side will be.” But Capt. Sullenberger remained calm and focused on the task at hand, which was to avert a catastrophe either above or in one of the busiest cities in the world. In any crisis, people look for direction. Absent that direction, presented in a composed manner, chaos will ensue. But there was no sense of that on Flight 1549. As he continued to struggle with the damaged plane, Sullenberger radioed air traffic control and said, in a remarkably even voice: “We may end up in the Hudson.” In fact, the aircraft was already descending below the tops of Manhattan’s skyscrapers toward the wide, sparkling river. Too busy in the early moments of the emergency to fill in the passengers on what was happening, he now intoned: “This is the captain. Brace for impact!” Attempting to control the aircraft without critical engine thrust, he nevertheless guided it to a hard, slightly nose-up landing. After that, he supervised the emergency evacuation of shivering passengers out onto the wings of the sinking plane, where they were quickly helped into a flotilla of rescue boats. Perhaps as much as any pilot in history, “Sully” Sullenberger had proven to be prepared for the ultimate crisis of his career. “One way of looking at this might be that for 42 years, I’ve been making small regular deposits in
It’s All in the Subject Line!
By Patrick Seidl, Strategic Communications Coordinator New Year, New You? Who’s to say that same mantra can’t be applied to your organization’s email subject lines? With email marketing flooding inboxes day in, day out and at ALL times of the day (even at 11 p.m. – yes, that happened, and yes, I had to order that new kitchen gadget before it ran out of stock) it’s becoming increasingly important for your business to stand out. A great place to start is with your email subject line. Here are a few tips to help ensure your email subject lines open doors, rather than close them: Be short and to the point. It’s important to consider that a large percentage of your constituents are opening their emails on their mobile devices, meaning that you have even less space to draw in your audience. The sweet spot among many of the leading email platforms today is about 40 characters, or five to seven words. Use those merge tags! Ever received an email that was personalized to you by including your first or last name? Have you wondered how it’s done? They’re called merge tags, and many email platforms have the capability of utilizing them. Simply, the email platform pulls data directly from your database and drops it into your subject line. If your contacts are entered correctly into your database, you’ll avoid any potential snafus. When an email subject line incorporates a personal touch, we’re all a little more inclined to click, right? Ask a question. When I was in school, I always had a hard time starting writing assignments. A trick I was taught is to begin your story or writing piece with a question. Why? Because it draws in your reader (thanks, Mrs. Kirschner!). Next time you’re planning a company email, try opening with a question and see how it affects your open rates. Establish a sense of urgency. We’ve all received email invites to upcoming events where you have weeks and sometimes months to purchase tickets. If your event has sold out in the past, be sure to let your audience know! Incorporate video. At Fallston Group, ever since we began incorporating videos into our email updates a few years ago we’ve experienced a dramatic increase in open and click through rates. If you have a video you’re looking to promote, let your audience know in the subject line! We all get a little tired of reading these days, so why not let your people watch a quick video and give their minds a break? If you need help with your email marketing, give us a call at Fallston Group today at 410.420.2001. We look forward to hearing from you! To learn more about our Strategic Marketing & PR vertical, click here.
Rob’s Reflections
Admittedly, taking our first mission trip to Haiti created a strong sense of excitement and nervousness. However, the invigoration we felt before traveling abroad to help the poorest of poor children far outweighed any personal concerns, health or physical safety. Yes, we had to take a preventative approach to healthcare and embrace safety precautions while in the country, but within a few hours we were comfortable with our environment and our ability to maintain a strong sense of safety, both emotionally and physically. When people asked us about our Haiti experience, there were no words to adequately capture this transformational time in our lives. It was an awakening, like no other, where the visible level and volume of poverty was trumped by the beauty of the human spirit. We continue to be in awe of a people that had so little materially, but gave so much of their essence. During our trip, the heat was oppressive, and we didn’t have the comforts of home, or even the basics in many respects. What we did have was a wonderful, diverse travel party who gelled quickly for a singular purpose. There was something we absolutely loved about the simplicity of life without the many distractions of home, or today’s electronics. A new world opened-up and we experienced and witnessed, first hand, an unfamiliar, yet very appealing terrain. We wish every privileged person could take this trip to truly humanize the real struggle to survive and the human beauty that exists among the most desperate and dire of circumstances. The children and staff at St. Marc School is our collective happy thought. To wade among the morning sea of children who simply want to hug, smile and connect with you is surreal. Their hearts are big and smiles captivating – and, we marvel at their desire to learn. You see, school is the most stable force in many of their young lives and interacting with them was more than fulfilling. St. Marc School is a privilege to Haitian children, not a chore. Candidly, they can’t wait to come to school in the morning and don’t want to leave when the afterschool activities end. We understand why. During the school day, we found a disciplined approach within a chaotic country. The laughter, singing and playful nature of this population’s young people are magnetic. You see, the beauty and innocence of these children transcended any barometer of poverty, race or stature – the life lesson was loud and clear, we are all human beings who are in place on this earth together for a very short period of time. And, we have an inherent responsibility to help one another. The High Hopes for Haiti organization is amazing; their work is God’s work, made possible through the conviction of many to provide hope and opportunity. Our admiration for Dr. Mortel is deep as his life experience, vision and drive for results is unrelenting. He, and his team, fight for Haiti’s most vulnerable children so they, too, may one day realize their dreams, just as St. Marc native, Dr. Mortel, was able. We can think of no higher calling. There is a question we often ask of ourselves – When all is said and done, what do we want to have said and done? Since our trip to Haiti, while personally observing the essential work of the Foundation, our life’s calling is even more clear. We couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity to serve and support our world’s young people. They are our future.
Crisis Strikes: Who to Call
FACT VS FICTION: Are you at risk?
Build Your Social Champions
Some of your biggest champions during a crisis may end up being your social media followers…but waiting to build those ambassadors until crisis strikes means you’re too late to capitalize on this important communications outlet. Check out our video for some quick tips, and contact us at https://fallstongroup.com/contact-us/ or call 410-420-2001 for more information.
Immunize Yourself Against Anxiety and Excessive Stress
By George S. Everly, Jr. Ph.D., ABPP. Originally posted via Psychology Today Psychologically speaking, the most significant factors that will keep you from realizing the happiness and success to which you aspire are anxiety and excessive stress. Both of these contribute significantly to depression, as well. Over 44 years of clinical practice and university teaching, I’ve heard people say time and time again, “I’m an anxious person, I was born that way.” Or they might say I don’t do well under stress.” Or perhaps they say, “I get psyched out really easily.” Indeed social anxiety inhibits your ability to make friends and engage with other people. Performance anxiety inhibits your ability to perform academically and athletically. Stage fright can cripple performers. Here is the good news…“You are not stuck with the brain you have. You can make it better.” – Daniel Amen, TEDxTalks – Oct. 16, 2013. While Dr. Amen’s statement sounds like hyperbole, there is actually considerable evidence that, not only is he correct but, you may be able to cultivate some degree of “immunity” from excessive stress. Think of it as a form of “psychological body armor.” Neural pathways in your brain are malleable. Research has shown that your brain is highly responsive to both environmental stimuli, as well as your thoughts and emotions (Volkow, 2010). This phenomenon is referred to as neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity allows the brain to create functional neurological pathways and networks, as well as to reorganize previously existing pathways and networks in order to create the neurologic infrastructure for virtually every aspect of human behavior. This has important implications not only for adult learning, but also for our understanding of stress and anxiety and how to better manage them. TUNING OF THE HUMAN NERVOUS SYSTEMS A musical instrument can be tuned sharp and over-responsive. It can also be tuned down to be less reactive. So too can your nervous systems be “tuned.” Based upon elegant research investigations in the 1960s, the brilliant physiologist Ernst Gellhorn concluded that, based upon one’s thoughts, emotions, and experiences, the human nervous systems are capable of being “tuned” so as to be irritable, hypersensitive, and over responsive. This is especially true for the sympathetic nervous system responsible for the “fight or flight” response. This hyper-sensitization he called “ergotropic tuning.” So the more negative thoughts you have, the more negative experiences you have, the more negative emotions you experience, and the more you worry about things, the more likely you are to actually train your brain to experience stress and anxiety reactions with less and less provocation. He cogently argued that such hypersensitivity was the foundation for the development of crippling anxiety and a host of psychological and physical stress-related disorders. But the good news is that Gellhorn also concluded that your nervous systems could be desensitized. This he called “trophotropic tuning.” It suggests that we should have a far more optimistic view of what we once thought were intractable stress and anxiety disorders, even if you think you were “born that way.” If neural patterns of excessive stress can be acquired, they can be altered and more positive functional neurologic pathways can replace them. More specifically, it suggests that highly sensitized mechanisms causing anxiety and stress may be effectively desensitized. The only question is “How?” Psychologically speaking, the most significant factors that will keep you from realizing the happiness and success to which you aspire are anxiety and excessive stress. Both of these contribute significantly to depression, as well. Over 44 years of clinical practice and university teaching, I’ve heard people say time and time again, “I’m an anxious person, I was born that way.” Or they might say I don’t do well under stress.” Or perhaps they say, “I get psyched out really easily.” Indeed social anxiety inhibits your ability to make friends and engage with other people. Performance anxiety inhibits your ability to perform academically and athletically. Stage fright can cripple performers. Here is the good news…“You are not stuck with the brain you have. You can make it better.” – Daniel Amen, TEDxTalks – Oct. 16, 2013. While Dr. Amen’s statement sounds like hyperbole, there is actually considerable evidence that, not only is he correct but, you may be able to cultivate some degree of “immunity” from excessive stress. Think of it as a form of “psychological body armor.” Neural pathways in your brain are malleable. Research has shown that your brain is highly responsive to both environmental stimuli, as well as your thoughts and emotions (Volkow, 2010). This phenomenon is referred to as neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity allows the brain to create functional neurological pathways and networks, as well as to reorganize previously existing pathways and networks in order to create the neurologic infrastructure for virtually every aspect of human behavior. This has important implications not only for adult learning, but also for our understanding of stress and anxiety and how to better manage them. TUNING OF THE HUMAN NERVOUS SYSTEMS A musical instrument can be tuned sharp and over-responsive. It can also be tuned down to be less reactive. So too can your nervous systems be “tuned.” Based upon elegant research investigations in the 1960s, the brilliant physiologist Ernst Gellhorn concluded that, based upon one’s thoughts, emotions, and experiences, the human nervous systems are capable of being “tuned” so as to be irritable, hypersensitive, and over responsive. This is especially true for the sympathetic nervous system responsible for the “fight or flight” response. This hyper-sensitization he called “ergotropic tuning.” So the more negative thoughts you have, the more negative experiences you have, the more negative emotions you experience, and the more you worry about things, the more likely you are to actually train your brain to experience stress and anxiety reactions with less and less provocation. He cogently argued that such hypersensitivity was the foundation for the development of crippling anxiety and a host of psychological and physical stress-related disorders. But the good news is that Gellhorn also concluded that your nervous systems could be desensitized. This he called “trophotropic tuning.” It suggests that we should have a far more optimistic view of what we once thought were intractable stress and anxiety disorders, even if you think you
What’s the “Why” Behind a Crisis?
Many crises are sustained campaigns, not situational media events. In my view, reputation leads to trust and trust leads to valuation. You see, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat is all about the restoration of trust and restoring that reputational piggy bank balance which succumbed to overdraft status. We know crises can be natural, like an earthquake, or human-induced, like an egregious crime or gross mismanagement. Crises can be sudden or smoldering, high-impact or low-impact. Sometimes organizations recover. Many times, they do not. Crises can take on many forms: data breach, social media attack, negative press, natural disaster, bankruptcy, crime, litigation, investigation, compliance issues, employee relations complications, job loss, labor unrest, audit sanction, poorly managed mergers, workplace violence, terrorism, war, riots, accidents, health issues, product recall, hostile takeovers, abuse, ineffective leadership transition, and discrimination—to name some of the prominent. Life is a complex struggle at times, with a seemingly high level of unpredictability. But one thing is certain: crisis will strike. It’s not a matter of if. It’s a matter of when. In recent years alone, many high profile leaders have faced serious reputational issues that have cost them tremendous amounts of time, money, customers and, ultimately, their careers – generally in that order. And, in the worst case of scenarios, lives. In my decades of managing crisis—the overwhelming number which are human induced—I’ve found premeditated crises are deeply rooted in the issues of power, control, money, sex and revenge. Yes, these are the core motivating factors of why people do bad things. Some are driven by a singular vice, others are firing on many motivating cylinders. As wonderful as the human spirit is, there is often another side to some of us, a side in which these dark, addictive triggers become more important than life itself. And sadly, it’s generally those who orbit the lives of those in crisis—and depend on the afflicted people or organizations emotionally, financially or spiritually—who suffer the most when crisis unravels. Life lesson for today – closely evaluate who you have in your ecosystem, personally and professionally. Are the people you inherently trust with your business or reputation motivated by any of the core factors outlined above? Are they really making the right decisions for you, your business, your brand? Take a hard look at “why” these people make the decisions, or act, the way they do. You just may find that YOU need to make some tough eliminating choices as you work your way toward a more brilliant and prosperous future. To learn more about building, strengthening and defending your company’s reputation, please contact us directly at Fallston Group, or call 410-420-2001.
Today’s “The Day”
By Patrick Seidl, Strategic Communications Coordinator Today’s the day that you’ve been working so hard toward for months. It’s the day of your biggest fundraising or other business event. You’ve spent hours marketing your event beforehand – from e-blasts, to scheduled social media content and submission of your pre-event press releases – you’ve done everything right. You’ve even achieved your ticket sales goal. Hooray! Your catering order and bar selection were confirmed far in advance and you’re positive that there’s something for everyone. You’re excited. You’ve neatly packed away all your event supplies in clearly marked bins. Your name tags have been stuffed into their clear plastic holders and they’ve been alphabetized to ensure they’re easy to find. You’ve got everything covered! Mr. & Mrs. Jones arrive 45 minutes early, but the rest of your guests arrive right on time. They’re not waiting too long in line, things are going smoothly, and everyone is in high spirits. “This is going really well,” you say to yourself as you run across the room to make sure your VIP guests have everything they need. “Almost perfect,” in fact! Your cocktail hour ends, your guests are ushered to their seats and your programming goes off without a hitch. Your speakers stuck to their dedicated four minutes of air time and your chicken Chesapeake arrived piping hot. People are truly enjoying themselves. Dinner ends, and before you know it the event is over. All your hard work came to fruition. You’re so happy, and exhausted! Then it hits you. Despite your greatest intent of posting to your company’s social media accounts throughout the event – from pictures of your top sponsors to your elegant and thoughtfully planned tablescape – you simply forgot… and you know it’s too late now. Face palm. In today’s marketing world, utilizing social media is critical – especially when documenting events. It brings excitement and shows people who “forgot” to purchase their ticket to your event what they’re missing out on – something they WON’T do next year because, you know…FOMO (fear of missing out). I think back to one of the very first projects I worked on when starting at Fallston Group: dedicated social media for an amazing conference in College Park that celebrated professional women in banking and finance. The client had it all figured out and knew beforehand that they would need some social media support to help tell their story throughout the day. With an early 7 a.m. start, my fingers were afire as I posted updates to their Facebook account and Tweeted out live commentary on the spot from my smartphone. I was their social media correspondent. The best thing about it for our friends who put on the event? It was something they never had to worry about and were able to achieve fabulous results by delegating the to work to Fallston Group. What results, you might ask? During that event, we were able to live stream a video that was the company’s top-performing post OF ALL TIME on Facebook. An achievement they were very excited and proud to hear about. If you have an upcoming event and you want to make sure you don’t “drop the ball” when it comes to social media, feel free to contact us for a bit of advice. We can be reached via phone or email. You can also shoot us a message on social media and we’ll get back to you.
