The Status Quo of Crisis Preparedness

  • Author: Melissa Agnes
  • New York, NY, USA
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 subscribe to our Podcast Channel

Further articles you may enjoy:

  • (9)

Want Your Audience to Master the Art of Influence? Bring in a speaker who turns “maybe” into “yes.” Because in today’s world, negotiation isn’t just a skill—it’s survival to Master the Art of Influence. 💼 Whether it’s closing deals, navigating conflict, or leading with confidence, your audience needs to know how to negotiate like pros. […]

  • April 14, 2025
  • (11)

The Future of Thought Leadership: How Visionary Speakers Are Shaping the World In a rapidly evolving world, thought leadership has become more than just a buzzword—it’s a necessity. Businesses, organizations, and individuals seek guidance from those who can provide innovative insights, challenge conventional thinking, and inspire action. But what does it take to be a […]

  • March 7, 2025
  • (11)

As businesses around the world adjust to the realities of Remote Selling and working, sales and marketing, however, still need to bring in the leads, nurture the client’s relationships and close the deals. The workplace will never look the same again, and as businesses establish remote working practices, we can see that this will mean […]

  • January 26, 2023
  • (6)

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
  • (11)

You cave to peer pressure and put your name in a contest to riding the bull. Suddenly – you win! What was a joke and dare moments before, you now see your name on the rodeo board, everyone is freaking out with excitement because you were chosen, and the exhilaration quickly turns to dread. This […]

  • December 22, 2022
  • (7)

The The Character Ethic 2 vs. The Personality Ethic – Why Character Trumps Personality As Stephen Covey writes in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, most of the success literature published in the United States for the first century and a half after 1776 focused on The Character Ethic as being the underlying foundation of how a person can live […]

  • January 24, 2023
  • (8)

A Guide to Becoming and mastering the art of Speaking. Public speaking is an art form that, when mastered, can open doors to limitless opportunities. Whether you’re an aspiring keynote speaker or looking to enhance your communication skills, the journey to becoming a professional public speaker involves dedication, continuous learning, and a commitment to connecting […]

  • November 14, 2023
  • (32)

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

Subscribe to our Newsletter and get connected:

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated.

We use Brevo as our marketing platform. By submitting this form you agree that the personal data you provided will be transferred to Brevo for processing in accordance with Brevo's Privacy Policy.

Our Mission:

We are your partner creating memorable and engaging experiences that go beyond the event itself.

© All rights reserved 2025.  Designed using Voxel