Let's work our way through this interview, shall we? It's something. 1/ https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/10/business/gail-mcgovern-red-cross-corner-office.html?action=click&module=Features&pgtype=Homepage

At AT&T I’d tell people to calm down. “It’s only telecommunications,” I’d say. “We’re not saving lives here."

I used to have AT&T until I went on too many wildland fires where their network didn't work. Verizon would bring in portable towers, AT&T wouldn't. 2/

I always was unflappable at Fidelity. “We’re just managing money here,” I’d say. “We’re not saving lives here.”

A curiously removed & dismissive outlook towards those working stiffs & retirees with Fidelity 401(k) accounts. Makes sense if you run with a certain class though. 3/

"We had to do layoffs and I didn’t even hear much squawking about that."

That's probably because the people who were laid off weren't around to do much squawking. With the layoffs, that means a greater % of money to the field, right? 4/

"Well, I’m not a climatologist or, or a scientist in this area, but what I can tell you is the water temperature is going up. And our modeling is not as predictable as it used to be at all."

Any inferences we can draw from those pieces of info? No? 5/

"Am I trying to avoid politics? I want to tell you that one of our fundamental principles is neutrality. So I studiously avoid politics because that’s part of our psyche. And I have to tell you, it’s liberating."

Staying neutral by ignoring science--liberation or privilege? 6/

The Red Cross still has a very good reputation. They could make a difference by just stating the facts about the climate driving more frequent and more intense disasters and the stresses that puts on communities and volunteers.

But their psyche. 7/

"I worry about the fatigue of my volunteers. And I would be worried with or without the pandemic, because there’s just so many back-to-back-to-back-to-back disasters. It’s not healthy to keep absorbing that much sadness. I worry about them running themselves into the ground." 8/

Great point. So what is The Red Cross doing for those volunteers? Also, they are not "your" volunteers. They are Red Cross volunteers, community volunteers, volunteers of conscience. It's a picky point, but I think it always says something when CEO types use that construct. 9/

"We’re going to get through this. I think this time next year, you and I will be going, “Wow, what the heck was that?” I really believe when we’re all set free from captivity, we are going to be so happy and kind to each other. It’s going to be glorious." 10/

That would be great, but odds are this time next year we'll be on the back end of another tough fire year and another tough hurricane season and who knows where we'll be with the pandemic, the economy, & our democracy? 11/

Climate will only increase the stresses on our systems going forward & we can't be neutral about the changes we need to make. Based on this interview, it sounds to me like Red Cross leadership is living in the world that was, not the one coming. They will get overwhelmed. 12/

Note: I love Red Cross volunteers. They're truly great people & do incredible work. The shelters are always well run & they make a huge difference during a disaster. Nothing keeps you grounded more than visiting a shelter & meeting the people you're trying to help.

But... 13/

Whenever an incident drew enough national attention, the front office types would show & their concern was money raising & brand building. I guess it's a natural stance for an org that lives on donations, but the attitude was always a bit removed. They did have nice suits. 14/

Those interactions definitely color my view of the organization in no small part because I think the Red Cross is not meeting their potential and we need for that to happen. We need the assistance and coordination that The Red Cross can bring. 15/

The Red Cross is an essential part of the response and recovery network in this country and is even included in laws. Looking at the big picture, it's clear we need emergency management reform and the Red Cross is not exempt from that need. 16/

Ideally, we'll do it together & rework fed, state, local, & non-profit orgs to be more flexible & able to better deal with increasingly complex disasters. It'd also be cool if the next head of the Red Cross came from emergency mgmt or the ranks instead of a corporate suite. 17/17