Perceptions of Leadership
Jun. 24th, 2010 03:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
andverygingerIn my job, I deal directly with emergency management/emergency response planning. It is a field that is continually changing and evolving; it doesn't help that much of what we do is advised by policy developed at the federal level, to be implemented on a local level. Our progress on implementing these policies -- good and bad -- determines our eligibility for grant funding the following year: Has everyone had the necessary training? Is the equipment certified for its current intended use? Has the jurisdiction completed form so-and-so in triplicate, and submitted their information for the tracking database? In a lot of cases, it's a struggle for the jurisdictions to meet these requirements because the grant funds awarded are never enough to cover the cost of implementation...and general funds are tied up in daily operations.
In this environment, audit reports act as something of a bible. We're constantly reviewing best practices, hoping to find efficient, cost-effective means of implementing policy -- even those we know will do nothing to improve preparedness. Speaking to people in the EM community at the national level (not federal), I've learned that Texas often led the way in developing best practices that are then implemented through the country. People come to visit us to see how it's done. This was a source of pride for our late director of Emergency Management, Jack Colley, and indeed for the state.
But things are changing. Last year, rather than coming to us, a team from our Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), travelled to Louisiana to see some of their best practices in action.
Yes, you read that right: Louisiana. Emergency Management. Best practices. They've come a long way in the wake of Katrina, it seems.
Most of what we've been concerned with has been the documentation of their grants and grant-related expenditures. They've had better success with some of the more complicated programs, such as the Public Safety Interoperable Communications (PSIC) grant -- a pain in my personal ass since 2007. Moreover, they've managed to implement interoperable communications planning, governance, and other policy that Texas is still struggling with. The Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (GOSHEP) has asserted itself, and it has paid off -- all under the leadership of Governor Jindal.
Now, I know that all is not wine and roses in Louisiana; few things rarely are, despite surface appearances. But I have to say that I've been impressed with what I've seen so far. Like the Saints, they've been something of the underdog in the world of emergency management, with everyone wondering how they will fare.
The oil spill has been a very different test than I think anyone expected Louisiana to face. Unlike Katrina, which ravaged cities well within the Louisiana state lines, the spill began far out to sea, in federal waters. Thus, it wasn't a first-response situation for Louisiana. As the situation has progressed, however, Governor Jindal and GOSHEP haven't taken the situation sitting down: They've made repeated efforts -- from hiring barges to attempting to build sandbars -- only to have each plan meet with more federal roadblocks.
Once again, there is a huge disconnect between federal policy and state implementation, this time in the reverse.
There's also a stark comparison in leadership. My husband recently said, "A good leader in a crisis situation uses his influence, power, and authority to remove stupid roadblocks to getting done what needs to happen." In the midst of Katrina, Governor Blanco demonstrated this principle: She didn't know what to do, who to call. And when the time came to make decisions, she hesitated. The same could be said of Mayor Nagin. The result? Disastrous response coordination efforts at both the state and federal level.
Now Louisiana has a governor who is not shying away from responsibility or tough decisions. In fact, he's making decisions that put him in direct opposition with federal policy, trying to do what is right to protect his state. In this instance, it is the federal government that is hesitating, and failing to take decisive action. One might say that President Obama and his officials are enacting the opposite of leadership...whatever that may be.
Should the president be directly involved in this mess? No. But his role as Executive means he should do everything he can to see that Governor Jindal -- and all of the Gulf coast governors -- receive the support and resources they need. But that hasn't happened. Then again, weighing important decisions like that might interfere with his backswing.
[Post prompted by this post, over at RealClearPolitics. It's a little too warm and fuzzy for my likings -- Jindal's not the Second Coming any more than The One was -- but still worth a look.]
In this environment, audit reports act as something of a bible. We're constantly reviewing best practices, hoping to find efficient, cost-effective means of implementing policy -- even those we know will do nothing to improve preparedness. Speaking to people in the EM community at the national level (not federal), I've learned that Texas often led the way in developing best practices that are then implemented through the country. People come to visit us to see how it's done. This was a source of pride for our late director of Emergency Management, Jack Colley, and indeed for the state.
But things are changing. Last year, rather than coming to us, a team from our Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), travelled to Louisiana to see some of their best practices in action.
Yes, you read that right: Louisiana. Emergency Management. Best practices. They've come a long way in the wake of Katrina, it seems.
Most of what we've been concerned with has been the documentation of their grants and grant-related expenditures. They've had better success with some of the more complicated programs, such as the Public Safety Interoperable Communications (PSIC) grant -- a pain in my personal ass since 2007. Moreover, they've managed to implement interoperable communications planning, governance, and other policy that Texas is still struggling with. The Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (GOSHEP) has asserted itself, and it has paid off -- all under the leadership of Governor Jindal.
Now, I know that all is not wine and roses in Louisiana; few things rarely are, despite surface appearances. But I have to say that I've been impressed with what I've seen so far. Like the Saints, they've been something of the underdog in the world of emergency management, with everyone wondering how they will fare.
The oil spill has been a very different test than I think anyone expected Louisiana to face. Unlike Katrina, which ravaged cities well within the Louisiana state lines, the spill began far out to sea, in federal waters. Thus, it wasn't a first-response situation for Louisiana. As the situation has progressed, however, Governor Jindal and GOSHEP haven't taken the situation sitting down: They've made repeated efforts -- from hiring barges to attempting to build sandbars -- only to have each plan meet with more federal roadblocks.
Once again, there is a huge disconnect between federal policy and state implementation, this time in the reverse.
There's also a stark comparison in leadership. My husband recently said, "A good leader in a crisis situation uses his influence, power, and authority to remove stupid roadblocks to getting done what needs to happen." In the midst of Katrina, Governor Blanco demonstrated this principle: She didn't know what to do, who to call. And when the time came to make decisions, she hesitated. The same could be said of Mayor Nagin. The result? Disastrous response coordination efforts at both the state and federal level.
Now Louisiana has a governor who is not shying away from responsibility or tough decisions. In fact, he's making decisions that put him in direct opposition with federal policy, trying to do what is right to protect his state. In this instance, it is the federal government that is hesitating, and failing to take decisive action. One might say that President Obama and his officials are enacting the opposite of leadership...whatever that may be.
Should the president be directly involved in this mess? No. But his role as Executive means he should do everything he can to see that Governor Jindal -- and all of the Gulf coast governors -- receive the support and resources they need. But that hasn't happened. Then again, weighing important decisions like that might interfere with his backswing.
[Post prompted by this post, over at RealClearPolitics. It's a little too warm and fuzzy for my likings -- Jindal's not the Second Coming any more than The One was -- but still worth a look.]