Leading Before, During, and After the Storm
Composure under pressure is not a personality trait. It is a set of practices that can be built before they are needed — and the organizations that come through a crisis well are usually the ones that built them early.
Three phases, three different jobs
Most crisis content addresses the middle phase — what to do when it hits. That is the most dramatic phase and the least changeable one. By the time conditions collapse, an organization largely executes whatever it built beforehand.
Before
Recognizing risk, building readiness, and acting while there is still time to choose. This is where the most leverage sits and where the least attention usually goes.
During
Composure with incomplete information. Clear, consistent communication when every stakeholder wants a different answer. Decisions that will still look reasonable when reviewed later.
After
Recovery, rebuilding trust, and an honest assessment of what the event exposed — because a crisis does not create weaknesses so much as reveal the ones already there.
A crisis rarely creates the problem. It reveals what the system was actually resting on.
Where this comes from
This work is grounded in catastrophe claims experience — disaster front lines, claims floors after major storms, and organizations coordinating under regulatory scrutiny while conditions kept changing. It is written from inside those conditions rather than from research about them.
The Storm Leadership series
Leading After the Storm addresses recovery: how to communicate, calm, and coordinate in the wake of disaster. Leading Before the Storm — coming soon — addresses the window beforehand: how to recognize risk, build readiness, and act before crisis forces your hand.
Related
Three commitments the most effective recovery leaders share.
The same principles applied to claims operations and CAT deployments.
Why fragile systems stay hidden until they are tested.
Questions leaders ask
What is crisis leadership training?
Preparation for the period when normal process stops working: when information is incomplete, conditions change hourly, and people are looking for direction. It focuses on composure, clear communication, and decisions that remain defensible after the fact.
What is the difference between leading before, during, and after a crisis?
Before a crisis, the work is recognizing risk and building readiness while there is still time to choose. During, it is composure and clear communication under incomplete information. After, it is recovery, rebuilding trust, and honest assessment of what the event revealed.
Do you speak on disaster and catastrophe response?
Yes. Sessions are built for organizations that face disaster conditions directly, including claims and catastrophe teams, and for organizations preparing for disruption before it arrives.
Crisis and disaster leadership sessions
Conference keynotes, readiness workshops, and leadership sessions for organizations that operate in disaster conditions or want to prepare before they arrive.
Fees & availability See the books