Costa Concordia Disaster: Some Passengers Offered 30% Off Next Cruise

I picked up this article from the Huffington Post. No “write moves” from the Costa cruise line here. What an insulting offer and so poorly timed! There are still recovery activities going on. Families of missing passengers are holding out very slim hopes there may be survivors.

There needs to be a grieving period for those passengers who lost loved ones and for those who survived a horrendous experience.

There are situations in business where a quick resolution is appropriate, but certainly not in this case. An apology (written to each passenger) by the Corporate CEO along with an explanation as to what happened is the first step.

The story also notes that Costa is reviewing safety procedures. All cruise lines and other companies responsible for transporting passengers should be doing the same.

Four Procedures (to be written and/or reinforced) for the Costa Cruise Line

The sinking of the cruise ship Costa Concordia seems almost unthinkable to routine cruise travelers like myself. Costa put out the following statement on the incident.

“The route of the vessel appears to have been too close to the shore, and in handling the emergency, the captain appears not to have followed standard Costa procedures.”

I’m not familiar with Costa’s procedures but I am recommending the following if they don’t exist already:

1. The Captain and executive crew are the last to leave a sinking ship. The Captain is expected to handle the evacuation from the ship.

2. Communicate “Mayday” as soon as the severe nature of the accident or incident is known.

3. All crew members are to be trained thoroughly on ship evacuation procedures and what their responsibilities are. Crew members unfamiliar with their roles should not be employed on a ship.

4. The safety of passengers is paramount. Communicate honestly and timely to passengers during an emergency. The Captain should generally handle this responsibility.

 

Descriptive vs. Prescriptive Procedures Writing

“There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why… I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?”

Robert F. Kennedy

Granted one can do a good service to a business or department by accurately documenting their existing process and procedures. Most managers and regulators would be satisfied with that type of effort. 

The art of procedures writing involves not only a descriptive element but also provides a prescriptive element. How can you perform, service and operate more efficiently and productively? Prescriptive procedures writing adds the elements of creativity and sound business judgment to a documentation  effort.

Thanks but No Thanks

I received an email from Barnes and Noble  sent at 8:17 p.m today offering me a a 30% off coupon on a book. The email was sent to former Borders customers to promote business for Barnes and Noble. Wow, I like that kind of offer. However when I opened link to the coupon, I noticed a slight problem. Check the expiration date. I noticed that the expiration date gave me less than an hour to take advantage of their offer.

Time is Money—What Do Your Business Documents Cost?

Challenges for a Policy Writer

Writing credit policy for a bank may be the biggest communications challenge in my career. A policy document of three to four pages can take months to finalize before it can be published and communicated. It needs to be vetted and agreed by a wide range of employees and departmental interests. That means a lot of meetings and emails. Every word in the policy document is important.

A policy writer must be an excellent wordsmith with superb judgment and language precision. They need to communicate simply but clearly. They must continually evaluate the intent communicated to those expected to follow the policy.

Policy writing is mentally exhausting, from the writing and business ends. A lot of meetings, discussions, drafts, edits, phone calls and negotiation before the policy content is agreed.

Is Your Boss an Iverson or a Stockton?

This entry is a bit off topic but just about all of us have bosses.  Bosses tend to share many of the roles that a point guard in basketball has. A point guard generally has the ball in their hand and controls the flow of the game. Usually responsible for calling a play, they can position their teammates on the court to take advantage of their skills and abilities. A good point guard, like a good boss, should know when they are responsible for the shot or how to pass off so a teammate or associate can score.

If the point guard hogs the ball and does not pass off, the rest of the team stands around. That type of situation breeds a losing team and disgruntled players. Compare the team chemistry around the 76ers and Jazz in pro basketball. The Philadelphia Seventy- Sixers built their team and game plans around Alan Iverson taking most of the shots. The Utah Jazz were much more successful with John Stockton dishing off assists to all his teammates.

So is your boss an Iverson or a Stockton?

Missing Your Period

I read a lot of business documents Unfortunately many don’t bother with simple punctuation For example writers forget to add commas in appropriate places And don’t get me started on writers who neglect to place periods at the end of sentences It makes reading those documents a lot harder and time consuming Too bad WORD doesn’t have a tool for checking periods

10 Signs of a Good Business Policy

1. Clear, easily understood language and wording. Little need for translation or determining intent. No reading between the lines necessary.

2. Vetted and supported by employees who will be affected—-no surprises.

3. Document is presented well including a Table of Contents, links, glossary.

4.  Easily accessible- document can be located quickly on website, intranet, etc.

5. Reflects current guidelines. Policy document is up to date.

6.  Policy changes are communicated and summarized to all employees. What changed and when new or revised policy is effective.

7.  Committed process to review, amend and update policy as needed.

8.  Procedures created to support policy. Provide the ‘how to comply’ instructions.

9.  Management has reviewed, understood, approved and supported policy directives. Even more important Management complies with policy directives.

10.  Enforceable- if one does not comply with policy, there are warnings and then consequences.

The job hunting strategies of yesterday ≠ Today’s job hunting successful strategies

In the past, a decent resume and a well written cover letter got you the consideration of a hiring manager and an interview. Today it takes something different like:

• A well written and presented website or blog on your area of expertise
• Recommendations of you posted on LinkedIn or your Facebook page from individuals with credibility and clout
• Great stories (or pictures) of projects and results that you have generated

There are more strategies available to get noticed. Keep it simple. Keep it professional.