Situational Awareness: The Silent Work of Keeping Us Safe
By Jean Desgagné
On a recent cruise, I arrived on deck early. There was a lot of activity at the port as the dockworkers managed all the steps to secure the ship’s arrival. Nothing dramatic was going on, but it was clear to me that everyone seemed to know exactly where to look and what to watch.
As we left the ship an hour later, we were all focused on admiring the beautiful scenery, happy to be exploring another city. Everything around us was new and beautiful. Few of us, though, were paying any attention to what was going on around us.
We were not doing anything wrong; we were on vacation! But later, thinking about it, it seemed to me that the people responsible for keeping us safe were spending far less time reacting to problems than they were quietly anticipating them.
That, in many ways, is what we mean by situational awareness.
This may sound like something for police officers or military personnel — and they are, of course, trained to practise it. But this is a life skill that keeps all of us safe. In its simplest form, all it really means is paying attention. We can train ourselves to keep a bit more of an eye on our surroundings, on the people around us, and on the cues that might tell us when something isn’t quite right. We don’t need to become suspicious or paranoid. We can keep living our lives and enjoying our travels, while at the same time making sure to take a moment to notice what is normal — so that we can better recognize when something is not.
Jean Desgagné is a corporate director, angel investor, consultant and advisor. A member of CAA Club Group’s Board since May 2019, Desgagné now sits as Chair of the Board for CAA Club Group and CAA Insurance Company. Desgagné previously served as President and CEO of The Canadian Depository for Securities and held top executive positions at TMX Group, TD Bank, BMO and UBS. He is a board member of Echelon Insurance and chairs Canada Stablecorp, in addition to various start-ups.
“We can keep living our lives and enjoying our travels, while at the same time making sure to take a moment to notice what is normal — so that we can better recognize when something is not.”
For our Members, situational awareness has many everyday applications. We can put our phone away while walking through a parking lot. Perhaps we take a moment to identify the exits when we enter an unfamiliar building. If a situation feels uncomfortable, we shouldn’t ignore our instincts. Behind the wheel, we can practise driving a bit more defensively, not because we expect other drivers to make mistakes, but because occasionally they do.
The same principle applies online. We are all blasted with phishing emails, fraudulent text messages and fake websites. These all try to make us click when we are distracted or in a hurry. Taking a few extra seconds before clicking that link (and most of the time not clicking it) is an important form of being situationally aware. It’s a habit we need to cultivate and practise regularly, just like checking our mirrors before changing lanes.
We don’t need to be constantly on high alert — that would be exhausting! Neither, however, should we be completely tuned out. A state of relaxed awareness is the goal we’re aiming for.
Situational awareness isn’t about expecting the worst. It is about being aware of what is going on around us and making proactive decisions before problems arise. Whether we are travelling, driving, walking through a busy airport or browsing online, paying a little more attention helps us avoid some obstacles altogether, while giving us more and better options if things do go wrong.
Just like wearing a seatbelt or carrying an emergency kit, practising situational awareness is a simple habit that improves everyone’s safety. And the safest journeys are the ones where nothing goes wrong — and where the only memories are good ones.