The Upside of Disasters: Rethinking the Loma Prieta earthquake
Download The Upside of Disasters Oct 2013
Hospital death and crisis management
Last week I wrote about the finding at San Francisco General of the body of a patient who had been missing for almost two weeks. Since then, the team at SF General has done an excellent job of managing the crisis. Here are some of the key lessons: Show empathy. Displaying empathy with the victim and […]
Hospital death a case study in crisis management
It's every hospital administrator's nightmare: the unexplained death of a patient under the hospital's care. However, it does provide a good case study in crisis management. Read what is known about the case and then share your thoughts in the comments section. Over two weeks ago, a patient was admitted to San Francisco General Hospital […]
Who’s setting priorities for the government shut down?
One of the hardest things for a manager to do is to set priorities. We face an array of conflicting demands on our limited resources and are often confronted with things that are urgent but not important as opposed to things that are important but not urgent. It becomes almost impossible to set priorities when […]
Customer Service: A Tale of Two Hotels
My wife and I were recently guests at a four star hotel and spa. The rooms were comfortable, the views stunning, and the food excellent. We won't be going back. The reasons are minor. We arrived too late for any spa treatments but were offered the use of the steam and sauna rooms and an […]
Focus, Patience and Dignity: A Tail from the Dog Park
Lolita with her prize Lolita, or Lolly to her friends, is a grande dame of the dog park. A bit of a curmudgeon, she has staked out her personal space and all the regular dogs know to give her a wide berth. Not that she's mean or vicious – she's just dignified and won't put […]
SF Fire still ambivalent about helmet cameras
Last week I wrote about the San Francisco Fire Department's ban on helmet cameras. Citing concern over privacy issues, Chief Joanne Hayes-White determined that a 2009 ban on cameras in SFFD "facilities" also applied to department field operations. However, the timing of the ban, coming as it did so quickly after the Asiana Airlines crash […]
San Francisco Fire bans helmet cameras
SFFD Chief Joanne Hayes-White Last week I moderated a webinar on emerging technologies for public safety agencies. Among the things I noted in my introductory comments was the incredible use being made of video as a diagnostic, investigative, and training tool. It came as a bit of surprise to note that my own […]