Effective Crisis Management

Develop crisis plans, practise them, and minimise threats

KEY FEATURES   

• Understand the reasons why you should expect the unexpected.
• Learn what it means to put people first.
• Explain why transparency is always preferable when things go bad.
• Identify strategies for bolstering credibility and safeguarding the brand.
• Speed up decision-making and response times in an emergency.
• Distinguish between fact and fiction to eliminate prejudice.
• Learn the art to turn a negative into a positive charge.
• Use your ability to look backward to alter the course of the future.
• Encourage a contented and efficient workforce.

DESCRIPTION 

Using real-world examples of what may go wrong during a crisis, the author of "Effective Crisis Management" intends to infuse some realism and insight into the incident response and crisis management field.

Written by an Executive and Board Advisor who has dedicated over 25 years to improving both the strategic and tactical response to crises, this book guides the reader through a series of episodes designed to help individuals grasp the factors at play in directing a successful crisis response.

Following the steps outlined in this book, readers can uncover and make the most of the many insights and unrealized possibilities afforded by earlier catastrophic events. The book includes case studies and stories that will give the readers a sense of what it's like to manage a crisis in practice and why it requires more than just following a plan. The book explains how and why you should be ready for the unexpected as part of a "assume failure" mindset. Finally, this book delves deep into a crisis's psychological impact on individuals and explains why focusing on their strength and well-being is crucial to providing effective aid.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

• Realize how you respond to a problem matters more than the problem itself.
• Get to the bottom of the recurring issues highlighted by numerous public inquiries.
• Find ways to be extra cautious and fair while setting standards.
• Discover the qualities that help leaders excel in times of crisis.
• Cultivate a skill set emphasizing kindness, wisdom, seriousness, and sincerity.
• Establish the methods to determine the causes and circumstances of occurrences.

WHO THIS BOOK IS FOR

Anyone interested in a career in managing the response to major incidents will find valuable information in this book written for experienced crisis managers and those who aspire to reach that position. To put it another way, it helps people see how they can use every crisis as an opportunity to strengthen their relationships and continue the trust.

1. Introduction
2. Action
3. Believable
4. Communication
5. Diligence
6. Empathy
7. Fact
8. Gravitas
9. Honesty
10. Investigation
11. Justice
12. Knowledge
13. Lessons
14. Media
15. Near Miss
16. Opportunity
17. People
18. Questions
19. Resilience
20. Strategy
21. Time
22. Underdog
23. Victory
24. Wellbeing
25. X - Marks the Spot
26. Y-Why
27. Zero Trust
28. Final Thoughts

I am Sarah Armstrong-Smith. I have had a long and impactful career in business continuity, disaster recovery, cybersecurity, and crisis management, which enables me to operate holistically to understand the threat landscape, and how this can be proactively enabled to deliver effective resilience.

I currently operate as a Chief Security Advisor in Microsoft, and act as an executive sponsor to strategic and major customers across Europe. Prior to joining Microsoft, I worked for several large institutions across the public and private sector, including Thames Water, AXA, EY, Fujitsu, and the London Stock Exchange Group. I have been on the front-line of many major incidents, including IT failures, data breaches, and fraud. I talk passionately about the ‘human-aspects’ of cyber and building trust and transparency.

I am a Fellow of the British Computer Society and have been recognized as one of the most influential and inspiring people in UK Tech, regularly contributing to thought leadership, industry publications and journals.

I want you to know that as someone who has spent over 25 years working on the strategic, tactical, and operational response to major incidents and crises, I have walked in your shoes, and I know the kind of things that you’re potentially dealing with.

From my early days working as Fraud Controller, and Business Continuity Analyst, right through to working as an Executive and Board Advisor, I have come to understand what works well and what doesn’t. I embraced each opportunity that came my way, not necessarily knowing where it may lead, but just knowing that it gave me a thirst for knowledge, and a burning desire to deliver positive change.

REVIEWER BIO

Abbas Kudrati, a long-time cybersecurity practitioner and CISO, is Microsoft Asia’s Chief Cybersecurity Advisor. Abbas works with customers on cybersecurity strategy, how Microsoft sees the threat landscape, how we are investing in the future of security at Microsoft, and how organizations can take advantage of Microsoft’s security solutions to help improve their security posture and reduce costs.

In addition to his work at Microsoft, he serves as an executive advisor to Deakin University, LaTrobe University, HITRUST ASIA, EC Council ASIA, and many security and technology startups. He supports the broader security community through his work with ISACA chapters and student mentorship. He is also a part-time professor at Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia and a regular speaker on Zero Trust, cybersecurity, cloud security, governance, risk, and compliance.

Abbas has received multiple industry awards, such as “Business Leader/ Professional of the year 2021 by IABCA,” “Top Security Advisor for APJ for the year 2020 and the year 2019,” “Best Security Professional of the year 2018,” “CISO 100 Award 2018,” “Finalist for Australian CISO of the year 2015,” “IT Governance Professional of the year 2014,” and “Security Strategist of the year 2011.”

He is the bestselling author of books such as, “Threat Hunting in the Cloud”, “Zero Trust Journey Across the Digital Estate”, and “Digitization Risks in Post Pandemic World”.

He graduated from Gujarat University, India, with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Auditing and is a certified Forrester Zero Trust Strategist, C|CISO, CISM, CISA, CGEIT, CPDSE, and CSX-P, among other professional certifications.