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A
problem can manifest itself quickly or over time. Problems are often
dynamic and can also appear in any degree of severity: the mere threat of
lightning, a fall requiring
helicopter evacuation, the actual
loss of someone’s life, a
flat tire, a
misplaced
piece of equipment,
incessant
hunger distracting you from your work, etc. Whether the issue is
a big problem or a minor inconvenience depends on countless circumstances
all of which will be unique to the particular situation. For example, if
your only pen runs out of ink, it’s no big deal unless you’re a 5-mile
hike from the nearest replacement.
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How you respond to a problem can make a world of difference in its
outcome. What’s certain is, you’ll either add to the problem through poor
action/inaction, or you’ll possibly lessen/resolve the problem by seeking
an equitable solution. Planning can play a big role.
Naturally, nothing can prepare you
for every situation, but as with
leadership, there are guidelines.
The process outlined below is a general one. The steps listed may have to
be rearranged, repeated, omitted and/or modified to best deal with a given
situation.
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Recognize and isolate the problem -- the earlier the better.
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Do this by keeping your
Situation Awareness high -- especially if you're the
crew
leader.
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Manipulate whatever parameters you can toward your favor: time,
distance, elevation, attitude/outlook, safety, etc.
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Evaluate the problem and prioritize.
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Essentially, you're forming an action plan here.
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Maximize your
Situation Awareness so you can make reasoned decisions.
This includes taking inventory of people, shelter, first-aid, food,
water, emotional state, etc.
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Assess what went wrong and how it might be controlled or resolved, then
set priorities and goals. Employ a timeline if possible.
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Implement your action plan.
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Problem management will be
MUCH easier if you've planned in advance and are
able to communicate with all necessary parties.
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Your plan needn’t be highly crafted. For example, something as simple
as arranging to vacate the outcrop if
lightning threatens is often
sufficient to handle this type of problem. Further, some potentially serious problems such as locking the keys in the vehicle
can be solved outright by nothing more than proper planning and having the
equipment on hand -- in this
case, bringing a
spare key and keeping on another person.
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Record the events as the situation unfolds.
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One of the
most important things you can do is keep a record of the happenings in
your field notebook and camera (especially if someone is badly injured or
dies).
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Among other details, record what happened, what was seen and when, what
was the response, what your plans are now, etc. Again, this should include a
photographic as
well as written log of events.
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Not only may
such notes and pictures serve as a legal record, but
they will also tell your story if no one survives whatever went wrong.
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If keeping a log is not possible, record the events immediately
afterwards.
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Support your assets to counterbalance weaknesses.
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Reevaluate regularly and adapt as necessary.
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Once you’ve maximized your
Situation Awareness, keep it that way,
and expect your situation to change. Problematic
circumstances are often very dynamic and you may have to move at their
pace.
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If the situation is determined to be overwhelming, consider forming a
“Tiger Team” to address the major problems.
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| True Story: When Apollo-13
encountered life-threatening problems en route to the Moon, the Mission
Control staff at Houston (normally divided into four, 8-hour shifts) was
reconfigured into three, 10-hour shifts with the leftover shift now free
to become the “Tiger Team”. This special team shouldered the major
problems while the three regular shifts handled all of the mission’s
normal, minute-by-minute operations. |
Learn from what transpired.
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