Elad Seker
Commander of a rescue unit in reserve and leader of international aid and rescue missions
Israel
English, Hebrew
Elad Seker has led over 2000 rescue missions around the world. As the commander of Arava Search and Rescue Unit since 2003, Elad led joint missions with neighboring Arab countries, and led international aid and rescue teams to South Sudan, Japan, the Philippines and Nepal.
In 2011 Israel President Shimon Peres honored Elad with the President's Volunteer Award "for years of perseverance, determination and professionalism risking safety to save lives."
Elad server as an officer at the IDF special missing-persons search unit.
UNDER PRESSURE – DECISION MAKING IN UNCHARTED WATERS
Throughout my years in the field, I’ve had to make countless decisions in extreme conditions. As a result, I’ve developed methodologies and techniques to help others make high-stakes decisions in stressful situations.
A raging typhoon hits a village in the Philippines, the water levels are rising quickly and endangering the entire village.
Radioactive radiation is spreading at an alarming rate in Fukushima, Japan.
Winter, pitch dark, freezing cold weather and warnings for flash floods deep in the middle eastern desert. Incoming reports of a young teenager lost in a nearby river canyon…
Reality and the market is always changing. What doesn’t change is the need for making decisions.
Decisions are an integral part of our day-to-day life. We make decisions all day every day, in all aspects of our lives. At times, we have all the information we need to help us make the right decisions, while other times, we have little to nothing that can help us.
• How do we ask the right questions?
• How do we compile a status report?
• Are we recognizing crossroads in time?
• How do we maintain an open mind?
During the lecture we will go over making decisions with limited information, maintaining an open mind, defining the relevant crossroads – all while meeting the organizations objectives and goals.
ON THE EDGE – RISK MANAGEMENT ON THE PATH TO YOUR GOAL
After years of leading teams and expeditions all over the world, I have developed a useful model for effective risk mapping.
A group of armed men surrounds my aid convoy in Sudan.
Tied up and locked in the trunk of a car in a foreign country in the dead of the night.
An overturned jeep in the middle of the desert – with five hikers reported missing.
It’s always easier to sit around and twiddle your thumbs – no stress, no risks in sight, no decisions to make. However, if you want to be a leader, to influence others and to get ahead, you need to have the courage to take risks. Whether it be in the worlds of finance, cyber-security, actuarial science, business operations, any industry – risk management is a fundamental part of our day to day.
• What are the steps for effective risk assessment?
• How do we find the right balance between the expected and the unexpected?
• How do we maintain key principles when inundated?
• How do we identify bottlenecks before they happen?
DESERT WISDOM FOR THE BUSINESS WORLD
The desert has always shown early humans the way. Today, the desert can still teach us about life in a way that no one else and nothing else can.
The Israelites crossed the desert on their way to the promised land, the Nabataeans roamed the desert to reach the sea with camels carrying spices and perfumes. Lawrence of Arabia united the tribes of the desert and led them to victory.
The desert has a unique force of power that can teach us about leadership like no other.
• How can we build effective interpersonal communication skills?
• How can we create a winning team?
• How can do we ensure we collaborate to achieve goals?
In this lecture we will learn how to best acknowledge both personal and organizational limitations in our day-to-day challenges.