Don’t fall into this common crisis management trap
Every crisis presents an opportunity to learn, even if those involved choose not to take the lessons to heart. Fortunately, through case studies we can discover how to best conduct ourselves and our organizations in order to mitigate crisis management risks.
In a blog post discussing the ugly situation Joe Fontana, Mayor of London, Ontario has gotten himself into due to an (alleged) misuse of government funds and the incredibly bad crisis management moves that followed, Jeff Chatterton of Checkmate Public Affairs offered up this important lesson:
Lesson one: Surround yourself with people smarter than yourself. Bounce ideas off them. Make sure they tell you stuff you don’t like to hear on occasion. These are your real allies. I call them “perspective buddies.” Good ones are invaluable.
Gathering an army of yes men around you is a HUGE crisis management no-no. When it comes to covering all your bases, we’d dare say that a slight tinge of paranoia is beneficial. You need the person who will see the flaws in any project and find the refutation for any argument, because you can be sure that’s exactly what your opponents and a controversy-hungry media are going to set about doing as soon as you go public.
The BCM Blogging Team
https://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/