In both business and politics, there's a saying: "a crisis is a terrible thing to waste." At the moment, between a president seemingly mired in constant controversy & all manner of policy disputes, regardless of *political stripe,* as a nation, we seem to be in the midst of a kind of ongoing, free-floating crisis. Shrewd organizations & leaders know how to use times like these to their advantage. However, absent such experience, things can rapidly spiral downward. As a result, using current events as an example, this post will strive to help *businesses large & small" how to successfully manage communications in the face of a crisis.
Three Critical Rules of Crisis Management
If nothing else, there are 3 very critical lessons to be learned when it comes to managing a crisis or significant organizational change:
1. The first rule of communication when managing a crisis is to figure out where the story is going and get there first.
2. Put every relevant problem, no matter how small it may seem out in the open...immediately. This is why GOP Senator Trey Gowdy implored the president "to get all his people in a room & have them all make a list of every Russian they ever had contact with from the time they first saw Dr. Zhivago to their last drink with someone named Boris & submit that list to the special counsel so the party could move on." This is good advice; sadly, no one seems to be listening
3. This leads to the final *big* rule in crisis management. Always, & I mean.....ALWAYS avoid the slow drip, drip, drip when revealing damaging information. Anything else is a risk to your credibility and your reputation as a leader.
Rules to live by in business & in politics!
