Lack of proper prevention practices led to loss of life Incidents like the devastating explosion at a Texas fertilizer plant are exactly why we push the idea of planning for crisis management so hard, and so often. As was suspected when the federal investigation began months ago, the plant has …
Crisis Management Fail for ND Oil Spill
Terrible handling of a huge disaster When you choose to ignore a crisis and bury your head in the sand, you need to remember what part of you is sticking up for the world to see. Obviously nobody at the North Dakota Health Department got the memo on that one, …
Hey Thai Airways, it’s not 1950 Anymore!
Crisis management mistake exposes antiquated thinking at the international airline The recent Thai Airways mishap, in which a jet skidded off of a Bangkok runway, isn’t terribly unusual for an airline. Don’t get us wrong, any incident involving even a minor plane crash is going to attract coverage, but it …
Crisis Management Quotables…on the Secret Power of Listening
Taking time to listen has a major benefit Welcome to another Crisis Management Quotable! This time, our lesson is brought to us by a legendary judge, one who served as Chief Justice of the United States for 30+ years, The Honorable John Marshall. If you’re looking for someone qualified to …
Crisis Management Lessons from Royal Caribbean
Rough seas lead to valuable lessons Learning vicariously through others who have endured crises is one of the very best (and least painful) ways you can better your own crisis management ability. Early this year we wrote, repeatedly, on Carnival Cruise Lines’ failures to do proper crisis management, but they …
United Gets it Right with $0 Ticket Crisis Management
Perhaps the airline has learned from painful experience Could it be that United Airlines has learned something from the series of crisis management mistakes it’s made over the past couple years? The company accidentally priced some fares at $0 on its website recently, which meant an unspecified number of customers …
Crisis Management Case Study: Miami Dolphins Bullying
Ugly voicemail sparks full-fledged investigation of bullying complaints The NFL’s Miami Dolphins are in full-on crisis management mode following revelations of excessive bullying of rookie players by veterans on the team. The situation came to light after rookie lineman Jonathan Martin left the team, citing mental issues caused by veteran …
Reputation is Your Most Valuable Asset
Without a strong reputation, your organization is in serious trouble We have a saying that is core to our crisis management, and really, business as a whole, philosophy – “your reputation is your most valuable asset.” Never has this been more true than in the past few years, and as …
Lululemon’s CEO: The Nightmare Spokesperson
We don’t envy the crisis management team in this case Some people simply should not act as spokesperson for your organization. Unfortunately, when that person is your CEO, dissuading them from granting interviews may be difficult at best. Lululemon’s CEO Chip Wilson landed his company, which is still in recovery …
Crisis Management Time for Luluemon after Dallas Store Bashes Charity
Didn’t think we needed to say it, but don’t talk smack about charitable organizations… [Editor’s note: This post was written before the latest uproar over comments from Luluelmon’s CEO regarding body types, which we’ll be covering tomorrow!] Yoga outfitter Lululemon (say that three times fast) won acclaim for its handling …
Crisis Management Quotables…on Finding Opportunity
Doing crisis management right often means finding your own silver lining When you hear the name Marilyn Monroe, deep thoughts are probably the last thing that comes to mind, but poke around a bit on the web and you’ll find the woman known best for her glamorous image was surprisingly …
Social Media in 2013
A lot has happened in the fast-moving world of social media already this year The way we think about and make use of social media is constantly changing as new trends rise, the popularity of various platforms shifts, and the the market (whichever yours may be!) evolves. One way to …
The Advantages of Multimedia Crisis Management
Try a multimedia approach to help your crisis communications grab stakeholder’s attention Let’s be realistic – ANY communication you’re putting out these days is just a drop in the Internet Sea. How can you help ensure people, and specifically your stakeholders, receive and understand your message in a crisis situation? …
2Day FM Chairman’s Crisis Communications Fail
[Editor’s note: Thank you to our friend and colleague, Issue Outcomes’ Tony Jaques for bringing this story that’s burning up the headlines overseas to our attention.] “Shit happens” should not be in your vocabulary when it comes to crisis communication The chairman of a large firm should, in theory, be …
Jonathan Bernstein’s Crisis Management Advice for the Catholic Church
Step one: stop lying. The Catholic Church just can’t seem to figure out how to deal with the seemingly endless stream of sexual abuse cases involving clergymen. Of course, as Bernstein Crisis Management President Jonathan Bernstein revealed in an interview with columnist Ruben Rosario of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, …