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🦠 161: Personal Safety, Contingency Planning, and Crucial Conversations with Dr. Michael J. Consuelos

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Just yesterday (after we recorded), the U.S. recommendation has gone from avoiding gathering in groups larger than 50 to groups larger than 10. Dr. Michael J. Conseulos and I are back in a “huddle” as we discuss what’s in the news now, and more importantly, practical tips and tools for as many aspects of this pandemic as we can cover.

In this episode, we discuss how all of us can stay safe, think through contingency plans, and have crucial conversations with our family members and others as we all practice unprecedented social distancing.

What’s on your mind? Submit follow-up questions for a future COVID-19 conversation at http://pivotmethod.com/ask

Background from our kick-off to this series, episode 159: With so much happening daily in the world and global economy around coronavirus, we’re all dealing with massive amounts of uncertainty, pivots at work, and for many—fear and anxiety that comes with not only the health concerns, but questions around how to maintain our livelihoods moving forward.

When Momentum member and pandemic expert Dr. Michael J. Consuelos reached out to offer himself as a resource to the JBE team and the MoMo community, I jumped at the chance to record a conversation for all of you as well.

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://PivotMethod.com/161

More about Dr. Michael J. Consuelos

Dr. Michael J. Consuelos is the Principal at MJC Solutions, a veteran-owned, small business that provides professional consulting and advisory services to organizations serving the healthcare sector. He has held several leadership roles in emergency preparedness and pandemic response since 1997.

His extensive experience includes leading a health system pandemic response to the 2009 H1N1 Pandemic. Dr. Consuelos’ coordination of the health system response with local, state, and federal authorities to maintain healthcare business continuity has been used as a model by other hospital systems.

Educating healthcare professionals and communicating to a varied audience has also been an important part of Dr. Consuelos’ professional career. He has been invited to speak to national audiences on regional healthcare response capabilities during nuclear incidents and maintaining business continuity during a pandemic.

Dr. Consuelos received his undergraduate degree from Princeton University and his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his pediatric training at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He received his Executive MBA from the Pennsylvania State University Smeal College of Business and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Topics Covered

  • National, personal, local - anxiety going up

  • National guideline now says not to gather in groups larger than 10 (50 at the time of this recording)

  • Psychological safety: essential workforce - seeing everybody else stay at home

  • We may all see/hear things that make us uncomfortable

  • How do you have that conversation? Crucial Conversations: CUS 

    • I am concerned

    • I am uncomfortable

    • This is a safety issue


  • Confusion: how do we Pivot to the new normal? 

    • Start having conversations, reaching across the aisle 

    • Here are my concerns: 

    • We are social animals; it will be hard for us not to be together

    • It’s about mitigating risk — everyone agrees we won’t shake hands, we will wash hands as we come in

    • If you think you’re sick, having symptoms especially fever


  • Contingency planning for pet care

    • Part of the preparedness cycle is to have these conversations and do this planning in advance

    • Sit down and have the conversation — "during the light of day, not the fog of war”

    • Dog walkers - mask, gloves - identify that person now and knows what they’re getting themselves into

    • Vice versa - do you reach out to your friends with pets?


  • If you feel unsafe and you’re worried, it’s likely others are too


  • Family members / ourselves - preparedness

    • Start having those conversations now

    • What would we do? What’s the conversation? 

    • Have family meetings


  • Situational Awareness

    • Even though you had a plan, ask yourself: does it still make sense?

    • Bail out points

    • Mind traps around risk

    • Sit down and try to get rid of biases, think objectively


  • Learning cycles: learning about ourselves, others, businesses

    • Learning about our businesses

    • On some level because of the stress and pressure-testing we are learning more about ourselves as leaders, entrepreneurs

    • Visioning 

    • Planning helps our actions


  • World Health Organization - Do the Five

    1. Wash your hands often

    2. Cough into your elbow (or sneeze into a tissue then throw that away) 

    3. Don’t touch your face

    4. Keep 3 feet between you and others

    5. If you feel sick, don’t leave the house

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Resources Mentioned

Check out other episodes of the Pivot Podcast here. Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen, and if you enjoy the show I would be very grateful for a rating and/or review! Sign-up for my weekly(ish) #PivotList newsletter to receive curated round-ups of what I’m reading, watching, listening to, and new tools I’m geeking out on.