The Status Quo of Crisis Preparedness

  • Author: Melissa Agnes
Reading time: 4 min
  • Word Count: 762
Read the news article

The Status Quo of Crisis Preparedness Puts You at a Disadvantage—and It’s Time For That To Change.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve found myself increasingly frustrated with my industry, the crisis management profession. To put my frustration simply, the status quo of crisis preparedness and crisis management no longer suffices and, as a result, does a disservice to professionals, organizations and society.

COVID-19 is a horrific example of how unfortunately true this statement is. For the organizations that had a traditional “crisis management plan” (status quo) at the start of 2020, how well did it truly serve them? It didn’t. Instead, we watched—any many experienced first-hand—as good businesses and great professionals suffered immensely due to a lack of effective crisis preparedness.

Meanwhile, the organizations that were intrinsically crisis ready prior to COVID-19 had an advantage. I know this, because my clients are amongst them. This meant that when COVID began to impact their country and/or their business, as their neighbors, competitors and peers were left scrambling and fearful, those who had worked to engrain a Crisis Ready® Culture (elevated status quo) had a strategic advantage in getting ahead of the situation to the most extent possible at the time.

The Status Quo of Crisis Preparedness No Longer Suffices and Needs to be Elevated.

Like it or not, we’ve entered into an era of increased challenge and risk. The long-accepted approach of creating a stagnant plan that sits on a shelf somewhere does little to actually serve when it’s needed most and will continue to leave organizations at a disadvantage.

The Status Quo of Crisis Preparedness

Instead, true resilience requires a culture of readiness that leads with the right mindset, empowers the right skillset’s, and ensures the right real-time capabilities—and this The Status Quo cultural approach to resilience is going to be more and more needed as the months and years roll forward.

The BIG Mission: To Create a Crisis Resilient World

As I’ve helped dozens of organizations engrain Crisis Ready® Cultures over the years, I’ve come to the realization that if every organization, if every leader, were Crisis Ready to what it means to me to be Crisis Ready, that we would live in a kinder, safer, more balanced world.

This is the world that I’m determined to raise and leave my future children in. This is the world that I believe we all deserve and we all play a role in achieving.

So, for the last couple of years, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking through our current realities and asking myself, “if I want to create a crisis ready world, how do I do that?”

The Crisis Ready Institute is the manifestation of my answer to this question.

About the The Status Quo of the institute

The Status Quo of Crisis Ready Institute is a public benefit corporation with a massive mission to elevate status quo and create a crisis resilient world.

What I’ve learned over the years is that crisis readiness is a tangible, learnable skill that is not currently taught. The Crisis Ready Institute is changing this. We exist to educate, teach, empower and support today’s professionals in developing and honing the skillsets required to transform real-time challenges—of which this world has many—into real-time opportunities. And we’re kicking things off with a program that does precisely this: The Crisis Ready Coaching Program.

Now, more than ever, it is time to empower today’s professionals, helping them do right by the stakeholders and communities they serve and, in the process, strengthening their business’s resilience to thrive through these challenging times.

It’s a massive mission and it’s needed. I won’t lie, embarking upon this journey is both exhilarating and frightening, and I’m blessed to be surrounded by a phenomenal team of driven and talented leaders, along with partner organizations, all of whom who believe in and have chosen to embark upon this journey with me—with us.

If you’d like to learn more about the The Status Quo of Crisis Ready Institute, our mission and the Crisis Ready Coaching Program, I invite you to do so by clicking here. I also invite you to share your thoughts and perspectives, and if you’d like to be a part of this journey with us, in any capacity, I absolutely would love to hear from you!

To your and the world’s resilience,

Melissa Agnes

Contact us at Speakers Inc and follow us on  LinkedIn

Was this article helpful?

Further articles you may enjoy:

  • (42)

    Elevating the Customer Experience at Airports: How Airports are Enhancing Every Passenger’s Journey For travelers around the world, airports serve as the gateway to their adventures and journeys, but this Customer Experience at Airports can often be challenging due to stress, long lines, and crowds. In response, airports have started transforming their customer experience (CX) […]

    • October 31, 2024
    • (4)

      The Wonderbag is up for yet another accolade; the Food Planet Prize rewards excellence in environmental-based food innovation. South Africa (14 September 2022) – Wonderbag, a South-African-based startup founded by social entrepreneur Sarah Collins, has developed a simple yet pioneering cooking tool that continues to cook food which has been brought to boil by conventional methods. It […]

      • December 23, 2022
      • (44)

        In an era where customer expectations are higher than ever, many Retail Businesses Are Failing at Customer Service and experience. Despite technological advancements and increased competition, the quality of customer interactions has seen a noticeable decline.​ The Failing at Customer Service Quality Recent studies highlight a troubling trend: customer satisfaction is at a decade low. […]

        • April 22, 2025
        • (7)

          Practice These Skills to Become a Great Resilient Leader When my friend Petra was diagnosed with cancer, not once, but twice, life gave her no choice but to be strong. When she went into remission for the second time, she decided she was going to wake people up to the precious gift of time. Through […]

          • December 13, 2022
          • (2)

            Michelle Curran: A Beacon of Leadership, Motivation, and Teamwork In the dynamic landscape of leadership and motivation, certain individuals emerge as beacons, guiding others through the intricacies of teamwork and motivation. Among these luminaries stands Michelle “Mace” Curran, a name synonymous with excellence in leadership, motivation, and teamwork. With a background steeped in military expertise […]

            • April 26, 2024
            • (31)

              Best Motivational Speakers in San Diego, a city known for its vibrant culture, innovative spirit, and beautiful coastline, is also home to some of the most inspirational and sought-after motivational keynote speakers. These individuals bring a wealth of knowledge, experience, and energy to any event, making them ideal for conferences, corporate gatherings, and seminars. Here’s […]

              • July 23, 2024
              • (5)

                Tom Goodwin: The Trends Futurist Redefining Marketing and Innovation In a world obsessed with following trends, Tom Goodwin stands out for questioning them. He’s not the kind of speaker who walks on stage to reaffirm what everyone already believes. Instead, Tom challenges assumptions, pokes holes in comfortable narratives, and demands that we look at the […]

                • May 1, 2025
                • (7)

                  Top Event Hosts in Atlanta, GA: Why Every Conference, Wedding & Event Needs a Professional MC In Atlanta, events are more than just gatherings—they are experiences designed to connect, inspire, and leave a lasting impression. From large-scale conferences and corporate summits to weddings, birthday celebrations, and even high-energy karaoke nights, the expectations are high and […]

                  • April 14, 2026

                  Speakers Inc.

                  Connecting you with the perfect speaker.

                  We connect you with world-class speakers to create impactful, memorable events.

                  Find the Perfect Speaker

                  Tell us about your event and we’ll match you with the right speaker.

                  © All rights reserved 2026.  Designed using Voxel

                  AI Assistant
                  Speakers Inc Logo 2024
                  Privacy Overview

                  This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.