Having a plan in place means you won’t be left scrambling when crises appear
In order to be as effective as possible, crisis planning needs to come before a crisis actually hits. While it is possible to create and enact a plan after things get messy, it’s never easy. In a recent interview with Charleston PR’s Cheryl Smithem, Bernstein Crisis Managment president Jonathan Bernstein offered a colorful take on the situation:
Responding to a crisis without a plan in place can be like trying to buckle your seatbelt after you see a semi cross the center divider and head straight at you.
What usually results is a lot of chickens perambulating rapidly without their heads, until one who retained his/her head can manage to calm and organize them.
What also results, invariably, is the organization incurring more damage that it would have if a plan had been in place and executed.
If you asked CEO’s who had never experienced a major crisis whether it was worthwhile to invest in crisis planning, you would more than likely get mixed results. However, every single company leader we’ve spoken with after struggling through a major crisis unprepared has voiced the same thought, “I wish we had planned ahead”.
The rest of the Charleston article is full of solid advice, as well as more explanation of the importance of advance planning. You can give it a read, here.
The BCM Blogging Team
https://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com
Comments 1
Jonathan, thanks for the great analogy. You and I and CEOs who have lived through crises should proclaim this loudly.