In this episode of the Managing Uncertainty Podcast, Bryghtpath Principal & Chief Executive Bryan Strawser talks about how to choose the right business continuity certification. Topics discussed include the need for business continuity professional certification, offerings from the Business Continuity Institute (BCI), offerings from the Disaster Recovery Institute International (DRI or DRII), and how to …
Starting a Business Continuity Program: The 11 Elements and Where to Begin
Starting a business continuity program is not the same as writing a business continuity plan. A plan is a document. A business continuity program is the set of capabilities that keeps your critical work running when something breaks, and the discipline that makes those capabilities better every year. Most organizations that call us to start …
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Managing Uncertainty Podcast – Episode #145: Lessons from Two Years of a Pandemic
In this episode of the Managing Uncertainty Podcast, Bryghtpath Principal & Chief Executive Bryan Strawser discusses the lessons learned after two years of the COVID-19 global pandemic. Topics discussed include COVID-19, the “Great Resignation”, how we’ll fight pandemics in the future, the miracle of the COVID-19 vaccines, impacts on the economy, the rise of remote/hybrid …
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Managing Uncertainty Podcast – Episode #144: Standing up a Successful Business Continuity Program
How do you stand up a successful business continuity program from scratch? In this episode of the Managing Uncertainty Podcast, Bryghtpath Principal & Chief Executive Bryan Strawser walks through the process we use at Bryghtpath using the example of an organization without a current business continuity program. Topics discussed include business continuity policies, program charters, …
Managing Uncertainty Podcast – Episode #143: A Typical Week at Bryghtpath
In this episode of the Managing Uncertainty Podcast, Bryghtpath Principal & Chief Executive Bryan Strawser discusses a typical week at Bryghtpath. Bryan provides a detailed look into his day-to-day and how he leads our team at Bryghtpath by delivering value to our clients every single day. Related Episodes & Blog Posts Blog Post: How to …
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Deepwater Horizon Case Study: BP’s Crisis Management and Communications Failures
BP’s Deepwater Horizon crisis is the case study I come back to most, because it failed twice. The crisis management failed: the plan on file couldn’t guide a real response, and the company’s early numbers were wrong. The crisis communications failed: BP’s executives made a human tragedy about themselves. Either failure would have hurt. Together, …
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Managing Uncertainty Podcast – Episode #142: 5 Moments that have shaped my career
In this episode of the Managing Uncertainty Podcast, Bryghtpath Principal & Chief Executive Bryan Strawser reflects on 5 moments that shaped his career and influenced his path as a business continuity and crisis management professional. Related Episodes & Blog Posts Blog Post: Inside Bryghtpath: Who quits a large corporation for a company in Minnesota with …
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Managing Uncertainty Podcast – Episode #141: The Resiliency Diagnosis
In the event of a significant disruption to your organization, how will your company respond? No one enjoys thinking about crisis management, business continuity, disaster recovery, or reputation management. But this much is certain: your business will face unexpected disruptions. Understanding how your program and capabilities stack up is the first step to being able to mature your program …
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The Role of HR in Crisis Management: Before, During, and After
A few years ago I was settling into my seat on a flight to the land of mai tais and palm trees, tray table secured and seat back in its full upright position. The crisis management nerd in me listened closely to the safety briefing. “In the event that the cabin loses pressure, ensure your …
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Managing Uncertainty Podcast – Episode #140: The Workplace of the Future and Business Continuity.
In this episode of the Managing Uncertainty Podcast, Bryghtpath Principal & Chief Executive Bryan Strawser discusses the workplace of the future and how it impacts Business Continuity. Bryan explores how the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated many of the trends we are seeing in the changing work environment today. Related Episodes & Blog Posts Blog Post: …
Plan Your Ransomware Attack Response Now
A food processing chain. A fuel pipeline system. A police department. A transportation authority. These are some of the larger targets hit with ransomware attacks in the U.S. in 2021. But for every ransomware story in the news, dozens of incidents go unmentioned, either because the company is too small for news outlets to care …
Managing Uncertainty Podcast – Episode #139: 2022 Trends in Business Continuity and Crisis Management
In this episode of the Managing Uncertainty Podcast, Bryghtpath Principal & Chief Executive Bryan Strawser discusses trends in business continuity and crisis management for 2022. Bryan discusses what we’re learning from our work with clients, discussions across the industry, and from our own research. Related Episodes & Blog Posts Blog Post: Engaging Your Remote Workforce …
Inside Bryghtpath: Who quits a large corporation for a company in Minnesota with a team of four?
The World I Knew Have you ever looked at your alarm on a Monday morning and dreaded what happens next? Watching my phone change from 6:18 a.m. to 6:19 a.m. to 6:20 a.m. (insert blaring alarm), I knew my countdown to what I considered the start of a normal working week only meant one thing. …
After-Action Reporting: How to Conduct an Effective After-Action Process
After-action reporting is how an organization stops repeating its own mistakes. Every crisis and every exercise leaves behind lessons, and most of them evaporate within a month. A structured after-action process, ending in a written After-Action Report (AAR) with owners and dates, is what turns those lessons into changes. A few years ago my younger …
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Managing Uncertainty Podcast – Episode #138: Reflecting on our Top Episodes of 2021
In this episode of the Managing Uncertainty Podcast, Bryghtpath Principal & Chief Executive Bryan Strawser discusses the top 5 most popular episodes of 2021. Bryan revisits some of the highlights and adds some new perspectives and reflections along the way. Related Episodes & Blog Posts Blog Post: What the COVID-19 pandemic will mean for the …
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How to Choose a Crisis Management Consultant: Questions to Ask About Crisis Management Consulting Before You Sign
Most organizations choose a crisis management consultant on reputation and a polished proposal. They should choose on two things the sales call rarely covers: who will actually do the work, and whether your team will be able to run the program without them when the engagement ends. Crisis management consulting is easy to buy and …
How to Craft Your Crisis Management Framework
You’ve probably heard from us, and elsewhere, that every organization should develop and continually revise a crisis management plan, which they should also exercise regularly. But why? Because listing procedures and blindly walking through them can only get you so far. To benefit, you need to get into your marrow your approach to crises and …
Choosing the Right Business Continuity Certification: CBCP, CBCI, MBCI, and More
If you work in business continuity, or want to, you will eventually ask which business continuity certification to get. My short answer: get one as soon as you are eligible, pick the certifying body your market recognizes, and don’t expect the letters after your name to do your job for you. I hold the MBCP, …
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Managing Uncertainty Podcast – Episode #137: Your supply chain may not be as resilient as you think
In this episode of the Managing Uncertainty Podcast, Bryghtpath Principal & Chief Executive Bryan Strawser discusses supply chain resiliency. What lessons do we need to mind in order to avert the next supply chain crisis? Related Episodes & Blog Posts Blog Post: Your Supply Chain May Not Be As Resilient as You Think Blog Posts: …
How to Craft a Focused Crisis Management Plan
We’ve written before about establishing a crisis management framework and conducting crisis management exercises. A framework documents your organization’s intent to prepare for a crisis and your unique requirements to meet events. Exercises build your crisis management capabilities into muscle memory. In this article, we’ll discuss how to write a crisis management plan, the part …
Managing Uncertainty Podcast – Episode #136: How coaching can help your business continuity and crisis management program
In this episode of the Managing Uncertainty Podcast, Bryghtpath Principal & Chief Executive Bryan Strawser discusses how coaching can help you as a business continuity and crisis management leader. Topics discussed include how coaching can help clear your business continuity and crisis management program roadblocks, how a coaching program works, and some factors you should …
Managing Uncertainty Podcast – Episode #135: 4 Top Business Disruptions to plan for in 2022
In this episode of the Managing Uncertainty Podcast, Bryghtpath Principal & Chief Executive Bryan Strawser discusses the top 4 Business Disruptions that you should be preparing for in 2022. Related Episodes & Blog Posts Blog Post: 4 Top Business Disruptions to Plan for in 2022 Blog Post: Business Continuity Awareness – Why It’s Important Episode …
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Supply Chain Resilience: You May Not Be as Resilient as You Think
“Companies routinely overestimate the attractiveness of foreign markets.” That warning sounds like a round-up of recent supply chain resilience woes at the hands of the COVID pandemic crisis. Yet it comes from Pankaj Ghemawat, then a professor at Harvard Business School, two decades earlier in his landmark Harvard Business Review article, “Distance Still Matters: The …
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Managing Uncertainty Podcast – Episode #134: Crafting your Crisis Management Framework
In this episode of the Managing Uncertainty Podcast, Bryghtpath Principal & Chief Executive Bryan Strawser discusses how to craft a crisis management framework for your organization. Related Episodes & Blog Posts Blog Post: How to Create and Conduct a Rewarding Crisis Management Exercise Blog Post: Suiting Up for a Crisis Part I: The Crisis Leader …
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