"We Were Just Focused on How to Survive"

With Hurricane Katrina bearing down on New Orleans, Richard Rhodes should have been heading home to Seattle. Instead, when his flight was canceled, he endured four days in the mayhem of the flooded city, eventually escaping what would soon prove to be the United States' worst natural disaster.

Rhodes, the president of a successful company and father of five, not only survived, he was able to adapt, overcome and engineer his escape using the leadership, diplomatic, and organizational skills he honed as a business leader and as a member of Young Presidents' Organization.

When the scope of the disaster became clear, he took personal responsibility for his own exit, putting him 36 hours ahead of others in his hotel by actively strategizing his escape instead of waiting for a rescue a move often practiced in his business life. "All those skills we use in our business lives are really responsible for why we're out and so many people aren't," Rhodes says. "The same skills in business where you're constantly adjusting and taking responsibility for your own outcome ... make me a good entrepreneur and helped me survive in an event like this. I was really focused on how to survive, remain clear-headed and not make poor decisions based on fatigue, stress and hunger."

Rhodes' first hand account of the disaster and the tools he used to escape it are excellent lesson in survival, leadership, overcoming adversity and how to manage yourself and others in a crisis situation. Richard has even developed a best practices guide to help others. His "25 Katrina Take Aways" are a fascinating look into the mind of a business leader as well as an excellent how-to guide in crisis management.

The proceeds from Rhodes' honorarium will be donated to assist the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Katrina Take Aways: Twenty-five Small Things That Made A Big Difference - A Sample:
1. Survivor team - choose your team to expand your network and capacity.
2. Play to win - take control and determine the outcome you want.
3. Attitude - check your drama and be a professional.
4. Acts of kindness - small gestures make friends and build your alliances.
5. Class currency - never underestimate the power of looking like you're in charge.