While it's tempting to imagine crisis situations can't happen to your business, reality would say otherwise.
Sharing this month's most popular content and crisis management insights.
Volume XXIII | September 28, 2023
Just A Thought...
"He who fails to plan is planning to fail."
— Winston Churchill
From The Editor
It Can't Happen To Us...Right?
It’s human nature to live in a comfort zone and assume that a major crisis is something that happens to ‘other people’. This optimistic outlook, while admirable, is often detrimental. Crises are not selective; they can strike any business, big or small, seasoned or start-up. The reality we have to accept is that these disruptions are daily occurrences and can have devastating effects,
Many organizations, especially those who have escaped crisis situations through the sheer luck of a busy news cycle, a distracted reporter, or another of the rare "Get Out Of Jail Free" cards the universe sometimes dispenses, tend to believe they’re immune to the kinds of crises that make headlines. This hopeful optimism, while comforting, can lead to a lack of preparedness that makes the eventual fallout all the more damaging. The reality is that crises are not rare anomalies; they are regular occurrences in the business world, touching companies indiscriminately.
Whether it’s a mom-and-pop store or a multinational conglomerate, no business is too small or too big to be impacted by a crisis. A sudden data breach, a product recall, or even a negative online review can spiral into a major crisis if not handled correctly.
The essence of crisis management isn’t about predicting every conceivable disaster but about having a robust and adaptable plan in place. Having a crisis blueprint allows businesses to respond proactively, minimizing damage and protecting their reputation. It's about creating a roadmap that helps navigate the storm.
Of course nobody wants to think about crises every single day, (unless you're one of our merry team of consultants, I suppose!). A proactive, preparedness-focused and educated stance on crisis management safeguards a company's reputation, fosters a sense of reliability and trustworthiness among its stakeholders, and perhaps most importantly, gives you the peace of mind to focus on other areas.
Prepare for the worst and hope for the best. It's become cliché for a reason!
If you've ever dealt with the media during a negative situation, you know it can be difficult - to say the least. It's tough to accept that sometimes, the same rules don't seem to apply to journalists as they do those being interviewed. For example, a reporter has the right to challenge anything you say or write, but will bristle when you try to do the same to them! In this post, our crisis management experts share insight on several more puzzling aspects of media relations.[Read More]
Sharing Tips for Tough Conversations
But I'm not a spokesperson, I don't need any special training! It's something we hear a lot, and I can understand where it comes from. Let me ask you this though - is talking to employees about pay not representing your organization to an important audience? How about responding to vendors who are worried about how a crisis may impact their own business? Let our experts help with some tips for navigating these tough discussions without creating issues..[Read More]
Want to Learn More About Crisis Management Services? Our Experts Are Ready To Help
We offer a free no-obligation consultation to anyone who would like to discuss their needs or learn more about how BCM's four phases of crisis management - planning, training, simulation and response - can better protect their organization in a world where the outrage machine makes headlines every day.
Bernstein Crisis Management is a specialized firm dedicated, since January 1994, to providing rapid, highly effective strategies for preventing and managing crisis situations that harm people, property, business continuity, reputation and the financial bottom line. We guide our clients through every step of the crisis management process, from preparation to response, and are available 24/7 for assistance. Our more than 30 years of experience assisting clients worldwide makes us an absolute authority on preventing and responding to crisis situations.
Unlike most public relations firms that only offer crisis management as a side practice, we’re specialists.
By exclusively focusing on the full spectrum of services needed to prevent and/or mitigate crisis situations, we set ourselves apart from the competition. Company founder Jonathan Bernstein started the first international email newsletter on the topic of crisis management, which now reaches readers in 75 countries, and his article, “The 10 Steps of Crisis Communications” has received some 400,000 mentions online and has been reprinted in more than 20 languages. Our experts are also regular sources for popular media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Entrepreneur, CNN, BBC and CGTN, and have been published in hundreds of articles.
To meet the Bernstein Crisis Management team, click here.
All information contained herein is obtained from sources believed to be accurate and reliable.
Because of the possibility of human and mechanical error as well as other factors, neither Jonathan Bernstein nor Erik Bernstein nor Bernstein Crisis Management is responsible for any errors or omissions. All information is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. Bernstein Crisis Management and Jonathan Bernstein and Erik Bernstein make no representations and disclaim all express, implied, and statutory warranties of any kind to the user and/or any third party including, without limitation, warranties as to accuracy, timeliness, completeness, merchantability, or fitness for any particular purpose.
Unless due to willful tortuous misconduct or gross negligence, Jonathan Bernstein and Erik Bernstein and Bernstein Crisis Management shall have no liability in tort, contract, or otherwise (and as permitted by law, product liability), to the user and/or any third party.
Under no circumstance shall Bernstein Crisis Management or Jonathan Bernstein or Erik Bernstein be liable to the user and/or any third party for any lost profits or lost opportunity, indirect, special, consequential, incidental, or punitive damages whatsoever, even if Bernstein Crisis Management or Jonathan Bernstein or Erik Bernstein has been advised of the possibility of such damages.
A service of this newsletter is to provide news summaries and/or snippets to readers. In such instances articles and/or snippets will be reprinted as they are received from the originating party or as they are displayed on the originating website or in the original article. As we do not write the news, we merely point readers to it, under no circumstance shall Bernstein Crisis Management or Jonathan Bernstein or Erik Bernstein be liable to the user and/or any third party for any lost profits or lost opportunity, indirect, special, consequential, incidental, or punitive damages whatsoever due to the distribution of said news articles or snippets that lead readers to a full article on a news service's website, even if Bernstein Crisis Management or Jonathan Bernstein or Erik Bernstein has been advised of the possibility of such damages. Authors of the original news story and their publications shall be exclusively held liable. Any corrections to news stories are not mandatory and shall be printed at the discretion of the list moderator after evaluation on a case-by-case basis.
Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., P.O. Box 115, Burlington, CO
