**Management of a Crisis**

[^1]

by Capt. M.E. Gilbert, '58

There are many books and articles written on the general subject of
management. Few if any are devoted specifically to the management of a
crisis which is the subject of this paper. Much of what is here comes
from my experiences in managing recovery efforts from two
all-encompassing tragedies in Tampa Bay in 1980. Early that year USCGC
BLACKTHORN sank with the loss of 23 young men, and later a collision
between the M/V SUMMIT VENTURE and the Sunshine Skyway Bridge caused the
bridge to collapse with the loss of 35 lives. Both incidents blocked
Tampa's channel and set in motion massive recovery efforts.

An obvious initial question is: "**How do you know you are dealing with
a crisis?**" Personal problems such as "My mother is coming whether you
approve or not" and "the rabbit died" are not covered here. Response to
a major crisis by your organization when you are its leader is the
focus... Here the surest sign of a crisis is that when you have a major
problem no one tries to tell you how to do your job. Small problems
produce a plethora of ideas and suggestions on what you should be doing,
which are strangely absent when a big problem hits. So when everyone is
standing back looking for some magic solution from you, rest assured you
are dealing with a big time crisis.

What are some of the things you should do (or not do) as you cope with
the crisis? Here are my thoughts and recommendations. They have helped
me, and I offer them in the hope that they may be helpful to you should
you be faced with handling a major crisis.

**First and foremost,** **don't make it worse**. While this is simple,
logical, true, and obvious, it's hard to grasp. You must remember the
world hasn't ended, life will go on, and you will get over this. Not
making it worse may well be the best you can do. So internalize this
thought and act on it. Events will run counter to this rule and many
people will try so hard to be helpful that the chances for making things
worse can be substantial. Get a good grip on the situation, restore law
and order, don't let people take foolish chances, and don't make it
worse. Vietnam, Watergate and the ancient Pharaoh with his plague
inducing decisions come to mind as examples of crisis situations where
managers made things substantially worse.

**Capture control of the information flow.** The problem here generally
is too much, not too little. Reliable filters must be established so you
get some isolation from all the input information clamoring for your
attention. Equally important is the formulation of a plan to pass
information to the outside world quickly. Others need an overview of
what you are doing to provide support.

**Save yourself for the main events**. Start putting problems in "boxes"
early and give them to others to work, while insuring a smooth pass off.
You can't possibly deal with everything, so start trying to identify
coherent aspects of the problem to give to someone else. Insist the
boxes come back to you in better shape than when they left. Successful
managers in any environment should be good delegators, but there are
differences in the ad hoc crisis management environment. This is a
special form of delegation, and some time must be spent in defining the
boxes and what is to be done with them. It is also useful to remind
ourselves of the necessity to be good delegators. I have never heard of
a manager who characterized himself as a poor delegator. However, many
are, and constant reminders to pay close attention to the need for
effective delegation are a must.

**Refuse to be drawn into trivia.** Demands that you personally deal
with even the most mundane problems will be made constantly. Don't do
it. Keep your focus on important things and positively refuse to deal
with anything else. This is another rule that is obvious, but many times
we see it violated. In the latter days of the Civil War, President Davis
spent much of his time selecting clerks for the War Department. Moses
was overwhelmed in the wilderness dealing with all sorts of trivia until
he got himself organized. Trivia is a trap that requires a lot of
discipline to avoid. At times dealing with little problems can be
satisfying because we can't come to grips with the big ones.

Remember, **silly people** **will continue to be silly.** You may feel
you are dealing with all that one human can handle and that everyone
should understand your problems, state of mind, fatigue, etc. and act
accordingly. Many will, some won't. Sibling rivalries on staffs will
surface, people will act irrationally, etc. Be prepared to deal with
these facts of human nature and don't let them frustrate you. Crisis
situations tend to bring out the best and worst in all of us.
Unfortunately, we seldom know in advance which of these characteristics
will emerge in us or others. As managers, it is our responsibility to
understand people, make use of their strengths, and mitigate their
weaknesses.

**Insist helpers get adequate rest**. They won't otherwise, and you will
be left with people who are performing poorly because of exhaustion.
Remember this rule applies especially to yourself, and if you don't
follow it no one else will. The crisis will last longer than your
initial estimate, so this rule is especially important to remember. You
should start almost immediately assigning enforced rest periods to all
of your people.

**Make sure everyone knows what's happening.** Bring key organizations
and people together fairly often to disseminate in formation and
exchange views. People and organizations react irrationally when they
perceive a dearth of information. The mind abhors a vacuum and will fill
the void with rumors and speculation. Counter this by fairly frequent
meetings. Abolish these ad hoc crisis management teams early after the
need has been served, lest they become imperialistic and be perceived as
a threat. You may need their cooperation in the future. Here and in
everyday management, insist on economy of communications. People can
communicate succinctly if they really try.

**Select a good boss.** Good overview without excessive interference is
key to successful management under these (or any) circumstances. An
overview is needed as a check and to obtain added resources. A
comfortable working relationship must be established if you and your
boss are to be mutually supportive and not try to do each other's job.

**Return to OPS normal, ASAP.** Return to normal operations as soon as
possible. In the interim, appoint a responsible staff officer whose only
job is to supervise

normal day to day operations. We must always keep the store open even
while fighting tigers.

**Maintain maneuvering room.** In the face of uncertainty remember to
select the option that leaves the greatest freedom for subsequent
actions. You won't have enough

information available in many cases to be comfortable with your
decision. Face up to the need for possible future reversals and act to
minimize their impact.

**Litigation will follow.** Legalman will be served, and you must keep
in mind that many conflicts of interest will emerge. You need to keep a
good audit trail of reports, actions, conditions, and decisions to
facilitate your de­fense should it be necessary. Others will be equally
interested in their own legal position, and they may try to weave a web
of confusion and doubt to support their own ends. Establish from the
outset a systematic effort to gather and store data to assist you in the
future. Try to find yourself a legalman who will offer more than: "Don't
act in a capricious or arbitrary way."

**Beware of abdicators.** Do not let individuals or organi­zations
abdicate their responsibilities. For various reasons some will want to
do this. They may be needed by you. Hold their feet to the fire and
insist they carry out their responsibilities regardless of how painful
it may be to them.

**Know your territory.** Try to establish relationships, learn of other
organization capabilities and limitations, and test lines of
communications well in advance if possible. A time of crisis is no time
to get to know people.

**Critically reexamine assumptions.** Here and in everyday arrangement
most of our decisions are based on assump­tions. Some of these are in the
forefront of our thought process -- many are not. Critical reviews and
updates of all assumptions going into the decision making process are
vital.

**Feed (don't fight) the media. Establish a professional** relationship
with the media. They will go through three fairly distinct phases:

-   Stunned by tragedy. They will share your early feeling of the
    magnitude of the loss and show genuine concern for you, your people
    and the job you have to do.

-   Accusation. This will follow early on after the initial shock.
    Generally something did go wrong, so there is going to be a hunt for
    who did it. Expect to be asked, "When are you going to stop screwing
    up."

-   The story behind the news. After the two above phases, the search
    for controversy and the story behind the news will start. What
    really happened and why? Why and what are you covering up?

If we reflect for a few moments, we will realize these three phases are
logical processes that our own minds follow as we witness news unfold.
We should not be surprised nor upset that the media seeks information to
support these needs.

Some general rules for dealing with the media. Remember the role of the
media is important and has a job to do. Each of the three major media
has a different audience, different deadlines, and different needs:

**Newspapers:** Generally only one or two major dailies (over a large
metropolitan area). They have a critical need for pictures and details
and their deadlines are tight.

**Radio:** Most areas have at least twenty stations that provide
immediate coverage. They will be especially interested in actual voices
from the major players to give their story maximum impact.

**TV:** Generally there are only 2 or 3 stations in an area with any
significant news capability. Here the need is for short film clips of
the story for coverage on the noon or evening news. There is a growing
trend, however, toward live coverage whenever a story is in progress.

Some specific guidelines for dealing with the media:

-   Establish fair and uniform rules. These will be followed if
    scrupulously enforced. Media representatives can wait for an aspect
    of the story as long as no one is getting it ahead of them.

-   Never, never get into an adversary position regardless of the
    provocation.

-   Establish good access for your media spokesperson and insure that
    he/she remains fully informed so that he/she has credibility.

-   Don't let questioners put words into your mouth.

-   Be their conscience if necessary. Tough to do and it's not your job,
    but you may have to do it. Many of them will know survivors should
    not be interviewed, gory details divulged, etc., but pressures on
    them not to be "scooped" are enormous. You have control so act as
    their conscience and don't let them force the situation out of
    control.

**Assign a Casualty Assistance Officer.** Assuming casual­ties, assign a
casualty assistance officer immediately. Insist that as casualties are
recovered and identified he/she gets this information first, repeats it
to you, and controls its release. If military casualties are involved
insure that he/she has established communications with the medical
examiner, your boss, the local funeral director, and the network through
which the news of the loss will be delivered to the next of kin. Require
a description to be approved by you of the process information will
follow from identification to last rites and payment of benefits.

Assign an experienced mature chaplain to work with him/her, make this
chaplain your personal representative to meet and care for the needs of
next of kin who may arrive at the scene of the crisis.

Obviously casualties are news, news that travels rapidly. If you fail to
put this process in place quickly, next of kin will suffer needless
distress and you will achieve notoriety as a heartless monster more
interested in economics and machinery than in people. Do this job well
and you will be supported by the people who have the greatest clout with
the general public. i.e., those who suffered the greatest loss.

**Provide for survivor needs.** Survivors will go through predictable
stages of shock and distress or lose control of the situation. To meet
their needs you will need medical officers, counselors, chaplains, and
someone to coordinate all the offers of help that will come from
organizations outside your command.

You may be confident the following needs will apply, roughly in this
sequence. Survivors will have an over­whelming need for reassurance that
they are alive. This **will** be expressed in the need to touch others
and be touched, to talk out their feelings over and over, to talk to
their loved ones and be reunited with them. They will have great
security needs which will be expressed in the question, "Who's in charge
here?"

They will exhibit the classic symptoms of shock among which are the
following: erratic heart and blood pressure behavior, hysteria,
numbness, acute denial (a key identi­fier for serious future problems),
restlessness, loss of appetite, nausea, sleeplessness, irrational
outbursts of anger, guilt, silly acceptance of all responsibility for
what went wrong, etc.

During the first 48 hours after the onset of the crisis you will have an
acute need for all accurate list of survivors, their location and
condition.

After about 48 hours most of the survivors will be ready to make the
transition from the acute phase of the crisis to ignore routine
management of their problems. This transi­tion should he marked by
reuniting them with their families or by firm plans to accomplish this.
Their final acute need will be for opportunity to express their relief
at being alive and their grief at the loss of shipmates. Before they
separate an informal small ceremony should be held to allow them to
express these feelings. The ceremony should be limited to survivors,
next of kin, and members of your staff who have worked closely with
them.

Following the acute phase of the crisis the survivors will need a public
memorial service in which participants can share their sense of pride
and loss with the public. They will need continuing medical and pastoral
care as delayed stress reactions occur. Some will be required to appear
before investigating bodies which will involve reliving the crisis. The
numbness will have worn off by then and this may be the most painful
part of the ordeal for them.

To cope with all of the above, take the following actions:

-   Put one of your most experienced, compassionate, patient officers in
    charge of survivors. A good medical officer or chaplain is ideal.

-   Insure that they have adequate physical and transpor­tation
    resources. See that they have adequate medical officers, chaplains,
    counselors, nurses, and corpsmen. These resources can be had from
    the USN SPRINT team, the reserves, and sister services.

-   Try to keep the survivors together. They need each other and your
    job will be easier.

-   Require that the list of survivors be current at all times; and that
    it contain a description of their condition. It should also contain
    the names of the medical officer, chaplain, and next of kin and when
    the survivor talked to each of these people.

-   See that necessary security personnel are assigned to protect the
    privacy of survivors. They are in no condi­tion to talk to the media,
    investigators, or law enforcement officers. All of these will insist
    they have a right of immediate access. Do not make exceptions to
    this rule except upon the advice of a medical officer or chaplain.

-   Insure that someone is designated to coordinate and communicate with
    all the organizations and individ­uals who want to help. They call
    help in many ways but without supervision they will create chaos.

-   Require regular reports on plans to reunite survivors and families.
    If it drags, use muscle. You have a limited time to accomplish this
    or lose control.

-   Keep informed about plans for the small informal memorial service
    and the public one. Do not let either take on the character of a
    political gathering. When they are held, attend and stay in the
    background.

-   Make sure that medical officer and chaplains remain available to
    survivors and their families as the delayed stress reactions occur
    in the aftermath.

**Beware of post‑crisis letdown.** As the crisis winds down expect some
delayed stress reaction in your own people who have been deeply
involved. Depression, physical complaints, friction in routine work and
at home, irra­tional outbursts will occur. Arrange for your associates to
get together and debrief. See that they, too, have access to the medical
officer and chaplain. Don't be surprised when you discover these
symptoms in yourself. You are not made out of cast iron. If you were,
you couldn't manage this crisis.

The last three points (Casualty Assistance, Survivor Needs and
Post‑crisis considerations) are theories you will most likely neglect.
Strange that we forget these so easily: on reflection it is obvious that
these three areas have the greatest potential to create short and long
term problems. Together they present the greatest likelihood of
destroy­ing our management of the crisis.

**Do what you should do. Have the courage to do what you know is best.**
Here is the one time in life when we should consult with inner self and
determine to live the remainder of life with some form of peace.
Presumably managers of a crisis have some background and training to do
the job. Here then is a final test; and for future peace, success in
those areas under our control is important. We should not view these
situations as some form of ultimate test of manhood, but we must have
the courage to do what is right regardless of the consequences not only
for success in management of the crisis, but for our own peace of mind
later. We can live comfortably with many things that go wrong, mistakes
in judgment, lack of knowledge, bad breaks, etc. We cannot live
comfortably with failure to do what we knew was right at the time.

[^1]: ^^From the *Commandant's Bulletin* \[on-line\], November/December
    1982. Text reprinted with permission of the editor.