Welcome to Rothstein Publishing!
According to Jim Lukaszewski, "The most volatile component of all crisis response is victim management. Failure to promptly, humanely, and empathetically see that victims' needs are also met will eclipse an organization's response. Even a flawless response will be remembered for its angry survivors, relatives, public officials, sometimes competitors, but almost always the critics.
According to Jim Lukaszewski, in a crisis, effective decisions and actions must precede communication. The reality is that once the instant of crisis has occurred, the process of recovery has begun. Recovery can be quite complicated and lengthy. The operational response goal is to put the focus truly on the first 1-3 hours of a crisis. This will then assure that tone, tempo, scope, and intent are established powerfully and constructively. Emergency communication response priorities must also address appropriate operational action. In addition to this, it must match the expectations of all potential audiences who could be affected or afflicted by your actions or by the crisis situation.
An Apology From a Leader can be a good thing
The most powerful action in reputation recovery and rehabilitation is to apologize. If you want or need forgiveness, you’ll need to step up and apologize. “Wait a minute,” you say, “The lawyers won’t ever let me apologize.”. Well, let’s talk about leadership apology, understand it,…
We're excited to announce our newest author: Dr. Jo Robertson
Jo is working on a new book project with the working title EXECUTING CRISIS: The New Rules for Crisis Leadership.
Self-Inflicted Leadership Crisis Response Failure Behaviors
1. Surprise: Stems from the U.S. management culture developed over the last 40 years which stresses the invincibility of managers and leaders based on extensive monitoring and data collection to the exclusion of many traditional (historic?) management beliefs, actions, concerns and functions. Today’s prevailing attitude is that smart managers are unlikely to suffer a crisis.
The unintended consequence of this delusion is that much necessary readiness activity never takes place.
Part of the surprise crisis always brings is related to the almost immediate realization by these smart leaders that readiness has suffered in an environment of management omnipotence and over optimism about inherent response capabilities.
The lesson: The smarter they are the harder and faster they fall.
The outcome is: The refusal to believe that things are serious, i.e. not wanting to look too concerned in the eyes and gossip of peers.
With the heavy scrutiny that crises bring, even the terms you use can have an impact. When the time comes to phase down the crisis response, avoid using the terms disengagement or deactivation. De-escalation implies that the team is phasing down to “watchful waiting.” This means that the team will remain vigilant for any developments…
What’s going to trip you up when you are facing your next crisis? Follow Bruce Blythe’s Five Guiding Principles of Crisis Leadership and don’t screw up. With his landmark book as your guide, you won’t get blindsided!
A crisis strikes out of the blue, at the time and place least expected. In a word, you’re Blindsided! According to Bruce T. Blythe, managing a crisis is an ultimate test of leadership, requiring leaders who inspire loyalty and trust as they rise to the occasion to meet the needs of people. Blythe shows you what it takes to be an effective and humane strategic crisis leader, a “crisis whisperer.”
While other books talk about crisis leadership, this one lands you in the middle of a fast-breaking crisis and demonstrates what a top-notch leader, a “crisis whisperer,” would say and do at every twist and turn. Blythe pulls up a chair and coaches you with real-world examples of what has worked — and not worked — in 30 years of experience with hundreds of companies just like yours. Some books tell you how to create a crisis response plan. Others tell you how to cope with the crisis as it takes place. Blythe does both.
Get crisis-ready NOW! Learn from a master exactly what to do, what to say, when to say it, and when to do it while the whole world is watching: stop creating victims; communicate effectively with all stakeholders; prevent lawsuits; and reduce the negative impact of media hounds and activists. All supported by case studies and real-life examples, by trusted advisor to CEOs and practitioner/trainer named among the 100 Top Thought Leaders of 2013 by Trust Across America; profiled in Living Legends of American Public Relations; listed in Corporate Legal Times as one of “28 Experts to Call When All Hell Breaks Loose.”
Your CEO’s in handcuffs! Things are going downhill, fast! Your whole word is watching to see what you do next.
Attend MIT Professional Education’s Crisis Management and Business Continuity course and prepare your organization for the inevitable. Offered since 2010, hundreds of participants have gained valuable insights and take-aways on business continuity, crisis management, disaster recovery, and crisis communications. Learn from MIT faculty and industry experts on MIT’s campus in Cambridge, MA July 24 – 28, 2017. Plus earn 3.3 Continuing Education Units (CEUs).