Accurate Real-Time Information Is Essential to Effective Decision Making and Action
8/7/24 – – There’s still more to learn about the security lapses that occurred before and during the assassination attempt on Donald Trump at a political rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. But one thing is clear: Flawed communication between local law enforcement and the Secret Service prevented critical information from being shared and timely decisions from being made.
For leaders of any organization, there are important crisis preparedness and response lessons to be learned from this debacle.
Effective Decision Making Requires Information
Let’s start with the basics, as discussed in Section II of The Crisis Preparedness Quotient, “Crisis Response and Recovery.” Broken down into its essential elements, effective crisis response is a three-phase process. It begins with the inflow of information, progresses through the phase of analysis and decision making, and culminates in the outflow of action.
Screw up the inflow of accurate, real-time information, and the next two phases are sure to fail.
It’s hard to believe, given the mission and expected sophistication of the Secret Service, that something so predictable as poor cellphone reception allowed a gunman to come within a centimeter of taking the former president’s life. Apparently, two-way radios used by local and state law enforcement agencies did not operate on the same frequency bands as Secret Service radios.
Can You Hear Me Now?
In the absence of dedicated radio communication, the professionals responsible for protecting Trump and the rally goers (one attendee was killed and two others wounded) relied on cell phones, the signals of which are notoriously unreliable at well-attended events and in rural areas like Butler, Pennsylvania.
Shocking as it may seem, the Secret Service command center was not receiving the information needed to make timely decisions. It made no difference if police saw or reported anything in the field. In his press conference on Friday, acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe admitted:
“It was so apparent to me that in this incident, in the final 30 seconds . . . there was clearly radio transmissions that may have happened on the local radio net that we did not have.”
The Importance of Communication Redundancy
Corporations dealing with crises are not immune from similar breakdowns. To be adequately prepared, redundant communications channels – able to function in the event of a power failure or loss of cell phone service – should be in place to assure reliable communications flow within an organization.
They’re not invincible, but low-tech phone landlines, less vulnerable to power failures, should always be an available option. And it’s a great idea to invest in satellite phones, which do not rely on cellular networks, to connect headquarters (the company’s command center) with factories, field offices and international facilities.
Drill, Baby, Drill
Another lesson from the assassination attempt is the importance of planning, coordination and practice. Inexplicably, there was no pre-event meeting with all the law enforcement participants before the rally. My guess is that the fatal radio problem and other issues would have surfaced there.
Keep this tragic case study in mind the next time you’re questioning the value of a crisis drill. Testing your ability to connect in times of trouble is well worth the effort and expense. Good decisions are rarely made in the dark. And consider incorporating the loss of cell phone service and a power failure – at headquarters and/or at one or more locations in the field – in the next crisis scenario you tackle.
The COVID pandemic tested the resilience of corporations, restaurants, hospitals, retailers, schools, municipalities and other organizations to function in the face of extraordinarily disruptive changes to normal life and business patters. Most (with an assist from Zoom) passed with flying colors. In comparison to that historic challenge, standing up redundant communication channels should be a walk in the park.
Go To School on This Case Study
Here’s a suggestion: In the next few weeks, after more is known about the missteps in Butler, Pennsylvania, gather your executive team to discuss the communication and crisis preparedness lessons relevant to your organization. If you have a crisis committee, ask them to organize the meeting. Be sure to include your IT folks. They may be reactivating landlines and pricing satellite phone options soon.
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