The Best Crisis Management Plan Right Now
CRISIS NOW: If your organization is not in crisis now, it will be soon with the worldwide health crisis. While most organizations have experienced a drop in business, some – such as healthcare – are flooded with new work. Many large organizations have crisis management plans and teams, but some do not. If you don’t have those strategies, you’ll need them soon. Today, most managers will need to be crisis managers. Here are the best crisis management techniques we’ve found.
OTHER MODELS: It’s helpful to look at organizations that have handled crises well. My client Southwest Airlines, for example, always had an excellent safety record, but sustained the death of a passenger on Flight 1380. Significantly, the CEO, Gary Kelly, responded immediately by offering an authentic apology to the family of the victim. He also stopped all social media advertising and made phone calls with support and counseling offers to the other passengers.
Similarly, when people were getting sick from eating Tide PODS® (of all things!) Tide’s marketing team jumped into action, released a warning to customers, and hired former NFL player Rob Gronkowski to record an ad asking people to stop.
What Should You Do?
1) Create a Plan: If you haven’t done so already, put together a team to handle the crisis. It’s important to know who’s on first so that the organization isn’t sending out conflicting messages.
2) Identify Stakeholders: Remember that everyone needs to know what you’re doing or not doing: employees, shareholders, lenders, the media and so on.
3) Have a Consistent Communicator: The communicator may be someone different from the head of the crisis team but should be a leader with good skills who can be trusted by the public. Ideally, this should be the head of your organization, but if that person doesn’t have good skills, find the next best option.
4) Create a FAQ Sheet: Make sure that the team puts together a sheet with facts and frequently asked questions so that each department works from the same information. With a fast-moving crisis like the current virus outbreak, you may have to update those facts on the hour.
5) Remember Social Media: With so many rumors and factoids flying around the Internet, don’t forget to have a strategy that takes those sources into account. https://lynne-eisaguirre.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/pdf/LTTS%20THE%20EAGLE%20PERSPECTIVE.pdf
6) Communicate Through Multiple Outlets: Some people still read newspapers, others rely on television, some only look at social media, and still others listen to phone messages. Make sure you use different tools in order to reach as many of your stakeholders as possible.
7) Tell the Truth Fast: With today’s technologically connected society, your stakeholders will find out the truth eventually from someone else. Be the first to tell them what’s happening so that they trust you and you have a chance to craft a reliable message.
For more information about managing during challenging times, go to “Leading Through the Storm – The Eagle Perspective”.
What Do You Think?
Does your organization have a crisis management plan? Is it currently effective? What have you learned? Call or write us at: 303-216-1020 or Lynne@workplacesthatwork.com
Did You Know
Our management and leadership classes include material on how to manage during difficult times. Call or write us at: 216-1020 or Lynne@workplacesthatwork.com
Learn more about our training offerings and check out our team members at: www.workplacesthatwork.com
Read Lynne’s books “We Need to Talk — Tough Conversations with Your Employee” and “We Need to Talk — Tough Conversations with Your Boss” and learn to tackle any topic with sensitivity and smarts
March 23, 2019
