Beyond Organizational Readiness
Seven Actions Executives Can Take to Quickly Reclaim Operational Clarity Before High-Stakes Events
During "blue sky" days, executives in public safety and corporate security dedicate significant time preparing their organizations to navigate future disasters, disruptions, and crises.
Yet, in practice, the daily demands of leadership—work plans, budgets, performance reviews, endless meetings—often dominate calendars, leaving little room for personal preparation. Over time, the capabilities that propelled these leaders into positions of respected authority, especially their sharp decision-making under pressure, quietly dull.
This readiness gap isn't intentional or a sign of neglect; it's simply an unintended consequence of prioritizing organizational tasks over individual preparedness. Many leaders we speak with intuitively sense this subtle erosion but rarely acknowledge it openly, feeling a quiet discomfort about whether they're genuinely ready to lead effectively when a crisis emerges.
Yet when rare but high-stakes incidents inevitably occur, these same executives become the focal point. Policy groups look to them for strategic clarity; teams expect decisive leadership; and senior executives demand rapid, confident decisions. Meeting these expectations requires more than relying on past operational successes.
Effective crisis leadership demands intentional, personal readiness—specifically, the ability to quickly assess complex situations, establish clear priorities, confidently withstand external pressures, and guide teams through intense uncertainty.
This checklist offers a practical, targeted approach to personal readiness for leaders anticipating potentially disruptive events. When a crisis looms and advance warning provides precious hours or days, your calendar remains crowded, and demands on your attention won’t simply disappear.
By intentionally carving out time to follow these steps, you can quickly reclaim your decision-making edge. These high-impact actions will help you focus clearly, establish confident priorities, and ensure you’re personally prepared to lead effectively—exactly when your organization needs it most.
Executive Readiness Checklist
This checklist helps leaders intentionally regain their edge, sharpening personal readiness to confidently and decisively guide their organizations during high-pressure events.
✅ 1. Clarity of Mission and Intent
Clearly define and internalize your operational objectives for anticipated protest events. Examples may include:
Protection of life and safety.
Protection of constitutional rights.
Minimizing escalation and property damage.
For each chosen objective, explicitly define what success looks like. Leaders should have a clear, measurable vision for determining mission accomplishment to enable confident, rapid decisions under pressure.
Example Action:
Write down your top 2–3 operational objectives, then explicitly define clear criteria for success. For instance, if "protection of life" is an objective, does that mean zero injuries, no fatalities, or another clear threshold? Rehearse communicating these criteria clearly and confidently to your leadership team and other stakeholders.
✅ 2. Decision-Making Framework
Clearly define personal watch points (indicators that require heightened awareness) and action points (specific thresholds or triggers prompting immediate decisions or resource deployments).
Document specific scenarios or conditions that clearly differentiate routine monitoring from decisive actions.
Ensure someone (you or a designated team member) is explicitly assigned to continuously monitor these watch points and escalate when action points are reached.
Write down these information requirements clearly and concisely, ensuring they can be easily shared and communicated throughout your organization or with key staff members.
Example Action:
Document your critical watch points, corresponding action points, and monitoring responsibilities in a clear format. Conduct a brief alignment briefing to confirm shared understanding across your team and ensure everyone is prepared to act decisively.
✅ 3. Personal Information Management
Establish trusted sources of situational awareness and clear information channels:
Confirm who will provide updates and define update frequency.
Limit sources strictly to those offering verifiable, actionable intelligence to avoid information overload.
Clearly determine which communication channels you'll personally monitor (e.g., radio, email, chat platforms, texts) and how you'll manage these channels during operations.
Example Action:
Create a concise personal reference card or digital note listing prioritized information sources, communication channels, and intelligence triggers requiring immediate decision-making. Clearly communicate your information needs and channel preferences to your operations center or analyst.
✅ 4. Personal Resilience and Wellbeing
Proactively plan for sustained clarity under stress. Prioritize rest and mental preparation in the days before anticipated events, and proactively schedule strategic breaks during operations to sustain decision-making quality.
Identify and plan responses to anticipated stressors (e.g., fatigue, criticism, uncertainty).
Recognize explicitly that resilience and personal wellbeing aren't optional luxuries or signs of weakness—they are essential for maintaining decision quality and leadership effectiveness during high-stakes, prolonged operational periods.
Example Action:
Identify your top personal stressors and schedule brief mental breaks, check-ins with trusted colleagues, or quick moments of quiet reflection during intense operational periods. Clearly communicate these planned moments to your team to reinforce their importance and ensure accountability.
✅ 5. Communication and Media Preparation
Anticipate challenging questions from media, protest groups, employees, and the community:
Prepare clear, concise responses reinforcing your organization’s values.
Practice confident responses to emotionally charged or politically sensitive inquiries.
Prepare communication approaches specifically for scenarios when setbacks occur, such as operational mistakes, unexpected developments, or escalations.
Example Action:
Record yourself delivering responses to challenging scenarios and potential setbacks. Review your recordings to identify hesitations or inconsistencies. Conduct focused media training with your public affairs officer to strengthen your confidence and readiness for tough conversations.
✅ 6. Delegation and Succession Clarity
Confirm clear delegation of authority and succession of command:
Explicitly ensure your second-in-command and key leaders understand their responsibilities.
Clearly communicate your personal expectations for team decision-making during critical moments.
Identify and clearly communicate any specific decisions or tasks you explicitly retain and do not delegate, to prevent confusion or unauthorized decision-making.
Example Action:
Conduct a focused briefing reinforcing delegated responsibilities and explicitly outline which decisions remain exclusively yours. Clearly articulate how your team should communicate urgent developments, distinguishing between situations needing your direct attention and those suitable for empowered delegation.
✅ 7. Reflective Leadership
Clearly articulate your leadership approach and ethical boundaries. Confirm non-negotiable ethical or legal lines, and clarify your approach for balancing safety, rights, and operational effectiveness during crises.
Identify and anticipate scenarios where your personal leadership values might conflict with organizational pressures or external demands, and proactively prepare how you will navigate and communicate through those situations.
Explicitly recognize that reflective leadership is essential—clearly understanding your values and boundaries directly influences your confidence, clarity, and speed in making critical decisions under pressure.
Example Action:
Create a concise personal leadership statement capturing your stance on handling the toughest ethical dilemmas or leadership challenges likely to arise. Keep this statement accessible for rapid review and reassurance during operations. Additionally, briefly discuss potential value conflicts with a trusted colleague or mentor to strengthen your preparedness and communication approach.
Conclusion
Effective leadership during crisis events doesn’t simply emerge from past successes or passive readiness—it requires deliberate and intentional personal preparation. By following this checklist and proactively investing even limited time in these actions before disruptions occur, leaders can sharpen their decision-making edge, bolster their confidence, and position themselves to provide the clear, decisive leadership their organizations demand and deserve when it matters most.