Chapter 16
Moral Imperatives and the Future of Crisis Management

A deranged young man shows up at a supermarket parking lot where the local congressperson is meeting with constituents. He pulls a gun and begins shooting. Almost everyone scatters, running for their lives. But not everyone. As the gunman reloads, a man jumps up and grabs him. Then another. As they wrestle with the gunman, an elderly lady nearby grabs the new clip of ammo he’s trying to load into his semi-automatic pistol. Without it, the gunman no longer dominates the scene, and is held until the police can arrive.

Fortunately, 99 percent of the crises we describe in this book do not entail such tragic circumstances. But I bring up this incident to make a point about crisis management that informs the entire process—a crisis brings out the best and worst in people.