If my limited knowledge of military history and John Wayne movies serves, battlefield promotions in rank were done during combat without paperwork or fanfare. Given the mortality rates health officials believe to be possible with a flu pandemic, has anyone thought about fasttrack emergency procedures for managerial promotions? Have you previewed staff promotability as part of the normal performance evaluation process? Should an emergency develop, normal procedures could go out the window quickly.

You're correct about battlefield promotions. They were given during battle and contained the term "brevet" before the rank. For instance, George Custer was a Captain in the Union Army but was given the temporary rank of brevet Major General. (He was also a SOB for getting his men killed at Little Big Horn.) As for our circumstances, we've recently revisisted our succession plan and feel that we'll be in good shape if and when the pandemic hits. One of our challenges is getting HR to recognize that normal policies and procedures may have to be curtailed.