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The title of Robert A. Jensen’s soon-to-be-released memoir sums up his mission in life: Personal Effects: What Recovering the Dead Teaches Me About Caring for the Living.
The chairman of Kenyon International Emergency Services is a global expert in crisis management and handling disasters involving mass fatalities. His work has helped bereaved families and survivors deal with the consequences of the Boxing Day Asian tsunami in 2004, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Haitian earthquake in 2010, the Manchester Arena Bombing in 2017 and many airline disasters.
In 2020, when Covid-19 hit New York City with a vengeance, Kenyon was called in to help with the recovery of bodies from residences in NYC and helped local authorities manage the surge in excess deaths.
After the Grenfell fire in 2017, over 200 Kenyon team members were deployed to assist in the aftermath of the tragedy. As a result of their work, Kenyon recovered, cleaned, restored or returned to the residents or their families over 750,000 individual items.
Fulfilling a difficult role
For Jensen, it’s always people who matter the most. “I hate to see needless pain or suffering. I can’t change the world, but I can do my part to help,” he said.
He doesn’t promise to bring ‘closure’ following a traumatic event but ‘transition’, so people learn to cope and move on.
Jensen has probably seen more fatality in the course of his life and career than one can imagine. As he writes in his upcoming book, “there are always shoes. No matter what the event – earthquake, flood, accident, fire, or bombing – the shoes are everywhere. Sometimes they are still attached; other times they are not.
“There are always treasures, too. In the case of Swissair Flight 111, insurers searched the bottom of the Atlantic for literal treasure: more than 10 pounds of diamonds, rubies, and other precious stones that had been lying in the cargo hold alongside an original Picasso and 50 kilos of paper money. But the treasures I look for are far more valuable. They are the personal treasures: wedding rings, heirloom watches, and eyeglasses; passports and pictures, journals, books, toys and favorite clothes that offer tangible proof people exist – or at least existed once – and were loved. They are the reminders of lives lived, the last glimpses of the people we knew, how they lived and how they died.”
Despite the sombre nature of his work, Jensen is a positive person. “I’ve seen a lot of death, both accidental and intentional. You can become jaded, but in life there is always a lot of good you can do if you choose to.”
In a disaster, the worst that can happen is if you stop trying because you don’t believe you can make a difference
The services Kenyon offers its corporate customers include victim care, consultancy, training and call centre support. It operates on a retainer basis and, like insurance, provides a product that companies buy but wish they won’t need. Indeed, on signing a contract Jensen tells customers he hopes he’ll never see them again.
But, if Kenyon is called on it acts as a close ally. “I take the role personally because I am not just selling a product like a car. I’m saying I will be there, standing next to you, as you talk to the families involved in a disaster,” he explained.
His experience in disaster response, advising companies and governments on managing crises and their aftermath, helps companies to manage the consequences, meet their responsibilities and preserve their reputations when disaster strikes.
‘Big picture’ management style
The ex-US army commander brings a disciplined, yet discrete and seemingly relaxed approach to his management style. This is underpinned by leadership lessons learned from his time in uniform.
“I’m a ‘big picture’ person,” he said. “I make sure everyone knows what they are doing. Otherwise, it’s like having a jigsaw puzzle with lots of pieces but no picture on the box. I make sure people have the tools and resources they need to do their jobs, to complete the puzzle.”
He emphasises the importance of transferring his critical thinking skills to staff. “I want them to be able to do a better job than me because they will face newer and different challenges.”
Jensen’s leadership journey began as a reserve deputy sheriff in Fresno, California, before taking a US army commission. The police and army taught him the importance of context when making decisions, and his criminology degree introduced him to forensic science.
“Patrolling the streets and making arrests requires judgement, interpreting body language, understanding the context,” he said.
He served in numerous roles in the army and was on active duty in Bosnia in the 1990s, where he co-ordinated search, recovery, repatriation and fatality support plans.
businessmag.co.uk JULY/AUGUST 2021
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