In the case of Hurricane Irene, there
was nothing ambiguous about what the
authorities thought citizens should do.
The much-aired order by New Jersey
Gov. Chris Christie couldn’t have been
any clearer: “Get the hell off the beach.”
Governors, mayors, meteorologists,
scientists, FEMA, the Red Cross, and
Offices of Emergency Management all
agreed – those who lived in the path of the
storm should get ready by stocking up on
supplies, preparing the home, and evacuating if located in a flood-threatened area.
This advice, taking over TV and radio
programming, Twitter, and Facebook,
was virtually impossible to miss. Yet,
not everyone listened. Ignoring guidance
from authorities is a sign of believing
oneself to be as effective a judge of what
should be done as the experts themselves.
What other recommendations or advice
from the experts might this person be
overlooking at work?
Denies the severity of a situation
Waits until problems escalate
before dealing with them
Those who don’t heed calls to preparedness often give the excuse of, “Well,
if it looks like it’s going to get really bad,
then I’ll get prepared. But I don’t want to
waste my time if it turns out to be noth-
