When facing a crisis, it’s important to take an approach fitting to the situation. Every month in Merrie Spaeth’s Bimbo Awards she compiles a list of people who did the opposite, and took a hit to their reputation as a result. An example:
The International Luge Federation said Georgian athlete Nodar Kumaritashvili’s fatal accident was his own fault, and that he had failed to compensate properly when coming out of the track’s risky turn. (This is an example of how to take a disaster and make it worse. Tragic as they are, fatal accidents have a protocol, particularly when involving a young person at a high profile venue like the winter Olympics. The comment generated a storm of criticism as well as the very analysis of how the people who constructed the track ignored safety concerns in favor of speed and sensational time scores. So, in trying to deflect criticism, they only brought more while reinforcing their own lack of concern for their own athletes. Where’s a good trial lawyer when you need one?)
Bloomberg, “Olympic Luger’s Death Shouldn’t Surprise Anyone,” Feb. 16, 2010
The Luge Federation’s statement drew world-wide negative attention to their organization. Had they chosen to use the incident as the starting point of a discussion on safety instead of laying blame, they could have improved their image and helped everyone involved.
The BCM Blogging Team
https://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/