Hire This Man Now

At his rather rudimentary website, risk management maven Peter Sandman--it was he who first defined risk as the sum of hazard plus outrage--has a couple of new articles, one of which indicates that he has started thinking about his legacy.

Sandman, who is now 64, is thinking about teaching a risk management master class (something he could do in his sleep); about turning his website over to new owners (the design might improve, the content won't); and about becoming someone's risk communications guru.

"The final leg of my legacy plan is a series of strategic partnerships with organizations that want to institutionalize my approach to risk communication as one of their areas of strength," he says. He has already formed a partnership is with the International Association for Public Participation, but says: "I am still looking for a public relations firm and a management consulting practice that might see my bag of tricks as a competitive advantage."

Someone should get Sandman on board, and quick. However strong your existing crisis communications capability is, believe me: it would be stronger--and more credible at the C-level--with Sandman as part of it.