Your team is overwhelmed by shifting priorities in an emergency. How can you help them adapt effectively?

Planning and following through with well informed sources, are critical during the entirety of all phases of your communications. This element has been neglected in most operations in corporate and private sectors as of late. Be and stay prepared in your given field and the supporting ones.

It’s not about communications, it’s making sure you have the resources to either replace them, bring in the secondaries and give the primaries a break, If they are over whelmed then use your resources like other entities to help Once you fall behind in a major emergency it is extremely difficult to get back on the level side Talk it out, figure what is creating the issues that are making them overwhelmed, don’t be afraid to pull someone either, your job is to mitigate the emergency, if someone is in over their head then replace them or give them the old shit happens deal with it talk, but action is time sensitive when your world is going sideways, that’s the reality of being in charge, sometimes you have to send the kids to their room

One thing that I have found useful is maintaining a clear communication and honestly especially in situations of any instrumental delays. It always helps to give an estimate of the delay and mention the processes in place for mitigation

Gisli: As you know, my tagline is “From Chaos to Synergy”, which emphasizes the critical role of communications in HADR work. We used this, for a decade +, as we developed the strategic and operational HADR Comms Planning for 20 countries’ militaries, NGOs, GOVs, academia, and Industry collaborators (in the MCIP : Multinational Communications Interoperability Program). I recall you worked with us. I would be happy to provide input to your work and I hope all is well with you. Best, Pat

Perfectly Triage helps us categorise and quantity the priorities also plan the resources and division or diversion of resources in proportionate manner.

Assigning priorities to tasks and clear communication will help keep your team moving forward. However, during emergencies, you have to remain flexible and adaptive to changing situations. Keep the main thing 'the main thing.'

Planning operations have to take place well in advance of an emergency. While it is impossible to plan for every contingency, the act of planning provides the skills necessary to prioritize tasks as the response to the emergency is defined. Include your subordinates in planning exercises and honor their input. It empowers those doing the tasks you assign them and lends a sense of ownership. Try to have a simplified methodology already developed to help guide the prioritization process. A little planning on the front end can resolve decision making friction in the moment.

Agility and adaptability are the factors that enable us to deal with the hazards and changes that can arise when managing an emergency. Team members need to be given a certain degree of autonomy to re-prioritize tasks, focusing first on the most critical ones, while specifying the scope of each person's role and, above all, the feedback required to ensure overall consistency in the collective effort.

There are many areas to train in, and ways to train towards, having the level of situational awareness needed to not just recognize shifting priorities as they happen, but anticipating that they may happen. It’s a mindset of mental agility, but one specific way I teach isn’t helping crewmembers understand what is physically happening to them in an emergency, that will blur their situational awareness vision. The natural physical reactions to fight/flight/freeze result in auditory exclusion, tunnel, vision, and clumsy physicality. Knowing that these obstacles will present themselves in an emergency incident, team members are better adapted at seeing the need for that high-level situational awareness.

When responding to emergencies, remember that we never know how much we don't know. A method to ensure flexibility is ingrained into a response is to push decision making authority down the chain of command as far as you can. This means you have to ensure everyone has the appropriate level of training to make these decisions, and adapt to a changing environment.

Fomentar la integracion, la comunicacion y la union del equipo de trabajo con objetivos de trabajar de forma multidisciplinaria y reducir las tensiones dentro de este que pueden llevar a la no colaboracion de los integrantes.

In the dynamic environment of offshore HSE, flexibility within the team is essential during emergencies. It's important to understand that rigid adherence to initial plans can sometimes be counterproductive. Encourage your team to be adaptable, preparing them to expect changes and adjust their strategies accordingly. This flexible approach allows for quicker and more effective responses to unexpected challenges, significantly enhancing the management of critical situations. Instilling this mindset in your team is crucial; it can mean the difference between a well-handled emergency and a situation that spirals out of control. As Bruce Lee famously said, "Be water, my friend." Just like water adapts to the shape of its container.

Flexibility is vital during emergencies. Here's why: * Adapts to changing situations: Emergencies can be unpredictable, requiring adjustments to plans. * Improvise solutions: Unexpected problems may arise, demanding creative solutions on the spot. * Maintains focus on goals: Flexibility ensures your team stays centered on achieving the core objectives.

Perfectly agree as stress is the main component affecting the mindset and productivity of team , during the trainings stress management should be prioritised . Staying calm is the best key to apply the knowledge and timely actions during emergencies .In fact mock exercises forecasting such emergencies shall help the team to burst the stress during actual scenario.

Crisis management is more akin to a marathon than a sprint. It is essential to approach the situation realistically, keeping a steady pace and acknowledging the elements within and outside of your control. When feelings of being overwhelmed surface, do not disregard them. Instead, adopt a slower pace by incorporating regular breaks into your schedule. Part of managing a crisis involves setting boundaries. It is important to learn to say 'no' when necessary. This not only helps maintain a balance but also preserves your mental and physical well-being during challenging times.

Stress management training has to take place before the emergency. People do not rise to the occasion, they sink to the highest level of their training. Scenario based training is a great to inoculate your people from stress as best we can. Encourage your people to recognize when they are overwhelmed by events and provide them the tools to become a greater part of an emergencies resolution. If possible, get everyone that could respond a familiarity with the physiological effects of stress on the human body, especially acute events such as an emergency or critical incident.

Emergencies inherently bring stress, which can impair the performance of offshore HSE teams. To mitigate this, promoting stress management techniques is crucial. Encourage practices like deep breathing exercises and short breaks to help team members manage pressure effectively. A calm team is more adept at making quick, clear decisions—essential in emergency scenarios where every second counts. As the saying goes, "Calmness is the cradle of power." Ensuring your team remains composed not only boosts their efficacy but also enhances their ability to handle intense situations smoothly and efficiently.led a high-stress offshore emergency drill, with good communication, enhancing team response with calm, effective stress management techniques.

In one of the most risky and challenging offshore industry, managing stress during emergencies is crucial for maintaining team performance. I my role as HSE representative, I actively promoted stress management techniques, such as deep breathing exercises and encouraging short breaks, to help team members handle pressure more effectively. A calm team is invariably more capable of making sound, timely decisions—essential in critical situations where every second counts. Implementing these strategies not only enhances individual well-being but also bolsters the overall effectiveness of our emergency responses. As the saying goes, "Calm minds bring inner strength and self-confidence," which is vital for managing emergencies successfully.

An example I have seen in various guidelines is the organogram or chain of command that delegation of roles and responsibilities are well defined to manage the work according to their proficiency. A good delegating commanding skills will distribute the load equally to maintain the efficiency of the team .

Make sure everyone on your team is equipped with the tools they need to be successful when called upon to respond to an emergency. You can delegate tasks as appropriate to your team and manage them and their response to the emergency, while leveraging their skills. This also means that you have to be willing to underwrite their mistakes as if they were your own. Also be wary of giving your go to people too much. They will try to succeed until you give them so much, failure in inevitable.

Knowing your teams strengths and weaknesses before the emergency is a key factor in this section. Delegate according to your teams strengths will help with efficiency of the team and call but also remember do not pigeon hole someone into one role every call. If you do this you will hurt your team from growing both team wise and individual wise.

Effective delegation is crucial in offshore HSE operations, especially during intense scenarios. To alleviate stress and prevent overload, it's essential to assess each team member's strengths and delegate tasks accordingly. This strategic approach ensures that workloads are balanced and no single individual bears too much responsibility. Proper delegation enhances overall team efficiency and maintains morale under pressure. Remember, as J.R.R. Tolkien noted, "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us." By optimizing how tasks are assigned and managed, we maximize the team's collective potential and ensure a more robust response to emergencies. Optimized delegation ensures not just efficiency but resilience as well.

Effective delegation is crucial in offshore HSE operations, particularly during stressful situations at sea. By assessing each team member's strengths and assigning tasks accordingly, I ensure that workloads are balanced and no one is overburdened. This strategy not only maximizes operational efficiency but also preserves team morale, keeping everyone motivated and focused. Proper delegation allows team members to perform optimally, leveraging their unique skills in a way that collectively addresses the challenge at hand. As Lee Iacocca famously stated, "I hire people brighter than me and then I get out of their way." This approach to delegation ensures that our team is not just coping with emergencies but excelling during them.

There is a quote attributed to the ancient Greek poet Archilochus: "We don't rise to the level of our expectations; we fall to the level of our training." I recommend focusing on ensuring that the team receive effective Incident Management Training that will help ensure the team has a thorough grounding in the principals of incident management and achieving an effective and efficient outcome. This training should be as realistic as possible, simulating various scenarios they might encounter during real incidents. While it’s impossible to cover every eventuality, the training equips them with essential skills and protocols. By combining training and experience, we can help the team adapt effectively even in high-pressure situations.

Un débriefing après une gestion d urgence est capital. Ne plus commettre les mêmes erreurs ou lenteur de la prise en charge de l urgence . Améliorer les comportements de chacun. Analyser les décisions prises et leurs effets sur l urgence. Écouter le ressenti de chacun des intervenants. Ne pas hésiter à faire des mises en situation pour acquérir de la dextérité, de la gestion du stress.

Solutions for emrgencies are constantly evolving. Whether it be EMS, the fire service, or law enforcement, each particular part of the job is continually changing to meet the ever-changing needs of the world. Without continuous learning, it is difficult to achieve the same level of success as if you took that continuing education class on high-quality CPR, updated defensive tactics, or proper ventilation in fire science.

During the pandemic season, our institution was involved as one of the task force for Covid-19 screening team together with national health agencies. The sudden shift of tasks from R&D to emergency diagnostic caused a huge stress among staff members, with extra working hours and health risks. One of the step used to handle this challenge was a strategic placement and assignment of individual staff members, with consideration of specific strength and expertise, thinking pattern, and matched personalities, in specific teams with tasks suitable with the team characters. As a leader, staying positive, bold with sufficient empathy, and quick thinking, is a must.

Develop checklists. It helps you to cover all the bases. It ensures that matters are handled according to the protocols you have established. It also allows for others to handle crises in your absence.

When emergencies strike priorities naturally shift, it's normal for any team to feel overwhelmed. To help navigate this effectively, clear and consistent communication is always a key. Keeping everyone updated on the evolving situation, explaining the "why" behind the changing priorities. This transparency will ease adapting and prioritizing tasks strategically. Focus to be placed on the most critical tasks, those with the greatest urgency and impact. Delegating or even postponing less critical ones to free up resources for the immediate needs. Finally, shifting priorities is stressful. Acknowledging challenges, offering support, providing clear direction, and a supportive environment will enable adapting and thrive even in an emergency.

Once the crisis is resolved, we have a team of professional crisis counselors come in and meet with the staff involved and then meet separately with clients involved. This helps to reduce the post traumatic stress.

Manage by objective, and prioritise tasks based on fulfilling those objectives. Set objectives early, and have a clear, shared and joint purpose. There will always be more tasks that resource, so do the things that matter most.

Shifting priorities as Emergencies evolve or are being managed is common. This is in part to ensure effective response and resource allocation. This is why contingency planning and plans are critical in working through scenarios! Openness and transparency around these with all team members makes adaptation easier!