01.15.08
ISSN:1528-3836
© 2008 Jonathan Bernstein
Circulation: 4,000+
Estimated Readership: 15,000+

• Just a Thought : About reading the news

• Crisis Manager University : 25 More Crisis Management Lessons

• Crisis Manager Business Announcements : (Blatant Self-promotion)

• Plain English Disclosure

• About The Editor & Publisher

• Links

• Legal Disclaimer

• Other Important Stuff : Contact, Subscription, Reproduction, etc.

JUST A THOUGHT

Trying to determine what is going on in the world by reading newspapers is like trying to tell the time by watching the second hand of a clock.

Ben Hecht

CRISIS MANAGER UNIVERSITY

25 More Crisis Management Lessons Learned
By Jonathan Bernstein

On October 15, 2005, I published "25 Crisis Management Lessons learned," based on my consulting assignments of the preceding year. You may wish to review those first, since most, if not all of them are still valid. I had thoughts of repeating this the following year, but somehow time got away from me and WHOOPS, it's 2008!

But what the heck. There may well have been a few lessons learned since then, so I'm pleased to bring you this updated compilation of my opinions. As with my previous article, these are not in any particular order, but if the shoe fits...

1. We have probably not seen the end of food and product-related crises originating in the People's Republic of China. Any organization with relevant connections to the PRC should factor this into their crisis preparedness.
2. The Internet continues to make it easier to read about, hear and view skeletons in your closet. Corollary lesson: Conduct your business as if everything you write, say and do might be recorded and you'll avoid a lot of crises (P.S. There will be 300 million multimedia-capable mobile phones mobile phones shipped in 2008).
3. Intra-organizational infighting is one of the leading causes of crises and plays a major role in exacerbating crises that may otherwise have remained minor.
4. No written statement can transmit crisis-related messages as well as video communication.
5. If you're a technophobic CEO, get the heck out of the way and let your techno-savvy staff and/or consultants guide you on the best ways to use technology for crisis management purposes.
6. The Better Business Bureau (at least in the United States) can be a royal pain in the ass to deal with because of its institutionalized bias and bad habit of presenting information out of context. Unfortunately it's probably still worth your reputation management time to be highly responsive to BBB complaints and to be a member as well. BBB complaints are often cited by your critics and it's a very common destination for consumers deciding whether to do business with you.
7. Ignore a committed online critic and he'll take most of the top Google rankings under your preferred search terms.
8. The most predictable judge or jury is unpredictable. Always prepare for multiple potential outcomes in litigation-related crisis management.
9. Every organization in the world needs a blog.
10. Changing copy less than once per week on a blog created as a primary communications vehicle (versus strictly for SEO purposes) is like riding a horse in the middle of the German Autobahn - everyone's going to pass you by or run you down. If you don't know what "SEO" means, see lesson #5, above.
11. Too many organizations engage in Search Engine Obfuscation instead of Search Engine Optimization, enhancing their vulnerability to crises.
12. Policies vital to avoiding and/or minimizing the damage from crises MUST be accompanied by initial and refresher training or they are worthless. Corollary lesson: almost every functional area of an organization has (or should have!) such policies.
13. When there are significant cultural differences between the foreign owners of a company and the natives of the country in which they're doing business, those owners must be willing to defer crisis communications strategy and decisions to those who best understand the culture(s) in which they are communicating.
14. If an organizational leader make a commitment to his/her stakeholders, he/she should make certain that everyone in his/her organization (a) is aware of the commitment and (b) does nothing to violate it, or the entire organization's credibility can suffer immense and completely preventable damage.
15. Few organizations have telephone systems or website servers capable of managing the dramatic increase in traffic that would result from a crisis. And many of those who think they do haven't tested their systems through simulation exercises.
16. If I emptied 10 trashcans in the executive suite (and many other parts) of most organizations at the end of a workday, I would find information that could compromise the reputation and/or financial well-being and/or security of those organizations.
17. If you are likely to need certain types of products or services as a result of the types of crises most common to an organization such as yours (e.g., backup generators, testing laboratories), the time to establish relationships with product/service providers is now, not under the gun of a crisis. Corollary lesson: during times of widespread crises, such as a natural disaster, demand for certain types of products/services is higher than the supply; "preferred customers" move to the front of the line, last-minute customers may not be served at all.
18. It's a mistake to let crisis response depend on the leadership skills of any single individual, no matter how talented and charismatic he/she might be. Crisis response should be based on advance planning that generates a system for effective response which works even when individual team members are unavailable at the time the crisis occurs.
19. PR representatives for any organization need to be very familiar not only with traditional media, but with leading bloggers covering their industry. In times of crisis, leading bloggers can become more important than traditional media, as they are more prolific, more focused on a subject over the long-term, and more frequently quoted by other bloggers.
20. Not all IT departments or consultants are created equal. Some of them think they understand all the ways in which the information on their systems can be compromised. Some of them are wrong.
21. Far too many organizations have no contingency plan whatsoever for what to do if - tonight - they permanently or for some long term lost access to their primary workplace or a major facility due to a disaster of any kind (e.g., fire, flood, earthquake, tornado, hurricane).
22. There are relatively few organizations that have functional disaster response plans - functional meaning that they include all details of what to do in the event of a man-made or natural disaster and that training has accompanied the plans, to including drills and/or exercises.
23. Many crises, from reputational threats to threats of violence, have been foreshadowed by messages on traditional websites, blogs or social media sites, but most organizations fail to regularly monitor these online locations. Those seeking to harm individuals or an organization have the portable ability to easily record the written word, audio, and video and post it on the Internet very quickly - or even live.
24. Quite a few organizations have a policy of not allowing their top leaders to fly together, yet they are actually at more risk driving together, which they do all the time.
25. While many organizations go to great length to protect the security of data stored on their servers, the same organizations usually allow executives (and others) to have notebook computers on which they stored sensitive information. Those notebook computers, which are taken to public places and highly vulnerable to theft, are seldom secured by anything more than a password, which is easily bypassed. There are many articles about notebook security available online, such as the one at: http://tinyurl.com/hrfsw.

I probably could have called this list "Lessons that Too Many Organizations Still Haven't and Won't Learn Soon," but now you can endeavor to ensure that your organization won't become a negative case history for others.

CRISIS MANAGER BUSINESS ANNOUNCEMENTS

In a one-hour teleseminar recorded in December 2007, search engine optimization expert Diana Huff interviewed Jonathan Bernstein, a pathfinder and innovator in the field of Internet-centered crisis management, who described how a wide range of companies have been damaged by the Internet's virtual terrorists, and how some companies have been responding effectively.

In this one-hour session, you'll learn how to conduct your own Internet vulnerability audit; develop strategies for identifying your foes -- activists, disgruntled employees, or unhappy customers -- and tracking Internet chatter; build the case within your organization for ensuring someone is monitoring the blogosphere, news, and Internet forums every day; plan for an Internet crisis and, when one hits, assess the situation to determine an appropriate response; develop the action steps you can take to neutralize attacks, including starting your own blog and developing collateral such as brochures, video, podcasts, and Web links to other reputable and informative sites; and effectively use search engine optimization tactics -- not just because you want customers to find your products -- but so you can beat these guys at their own game!

Available at www.thecrisismanager.com.

Keeping the Wolves at Bay 3.0 Reviewed

"Keeping the Wolves at Bay" is much more than another media training guide - it is perhaps one of the most concise, insightful, useful and savvy guides to strategic thinking about reputation issues available.

Gerald Baron
Founder & CEO of PIER System and host of Crisisblogger.com

"It's like a Swiss Army knife -- lots of cool tools in a compact package. In case of emergency, grab this."

Steven R. Van Hook, PhD
Publisher, About Public Relations

The spiral-bound print manual is available for $25, the PDF version for $10. Both can be ordered at www.thecrisismanager.com.

Jonathan Bernstein also offers on-site media training worldwide, using this manual as the basis for training. Write to jonathan@bernsteincrisismanagement.com.

Disaster Prep 101

Bernstein Crisis Management is pleased to present one of the most comprehensive and user-friendly family preparedness texts available today. "Disaster Prep 101." by Paul Purcell, goes above and beyond the simplistic "72-hour kit" concept and provides simple, yet detailed educational material that will drastically improve the ability of any family to respond to all manner of disasters or emergencies. This preparedness package contains over 400 pages of well-organized, original preparedness material written in an easy-to-understand, non-panic format; 80 pages of family data forms and worksheets (many of which are also useful to the employer); and a 2-CD set containing two interactive and searchable links collections for additional educational sources; all the family data forms and worksheets in softcopy format; and a complete emergency reference library of over 450 additional books and training manuals! US$59.95. Available here.

PLAIN ENGLISH DISCLOSURE

Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc. has formal or informal co-promotional and mutually beneficial business associations with a number of the services we mention periodically in this newsletter. No, we can't go into details because that's confidential, proprietary, etc. But our relationship is NOT "arm's distance" and you should know that, since we regularly write about these services as we use them for crisis and issues management or other purposes. That said, you should also know that Bernstein Crisis Management sought the relationships because its staff is convinced that these services are the best of their kind for Bernstein Crisis Management's needs and those of its clients. If you have any questions about these relationships, please contact Jonathan Bernstein, (626) 825-3838.

ABOUT THE EDITOR & PUBLISHER

Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com, a national crisis management public relations agency providing 24/7 access to crisis response professionals. The agency engages in the full spectrum of crisis management services: crisis prevention, response, planning & training. He has been in the public relations field since 1982, following five-year stints in both military intelligence and investigative reporting. Write to jonathan@bernsteincrisismanagement.com.

GUEST AUTHORS

GUEST AUTHORS are very welcome to submit material for "Crisis Manager." There is no fee paid, but most guest authors have reported receiving business inquiries as a result of appearing in this publication. Case histories, experience-based lessons, commentary on current news events and editorial opinion are all eligible for consideration. Submission is not a guarantee of acceptance.

LINKS

When I find a site that I think will be useful to my readers or site visitors, I put it on our Links page. If you have a site that would be of specific use to crisis managers and want to discuss a link exchange or other cooperative effort, please write to me, jonathan@bernsteincrisismanagement.com.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER

All information contained herein is obtained by Jonathan Bernstein from sources believed by Jonathan Bernstein to be accurate and reliable.

Because of the possibility of human and mechanical error as well as other factors, neither Jonathan 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 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 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 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 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 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 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.

OTHER IMPORTANT STUFF

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Articles in "Crisis Manager" were, unless otherwise noted, written and copyrighted by Jonathan Bernstein. Permission to reprint will often be granted for no charge. Write to jonathan@bernsteincrisismanagement.com.