Be Prepared – Why Crisis Management Should be Part of Your DNA

What does a crisis look like?

A former, longstanding client of mine was in the business of “contingency” and “resilience”, and for many years I’d hear him say you should always have “as many plan Bs as possible”. Managing a crisis isn’t necessarily plan B, but it is certainly the bridge to plan B. Plan B is the other side, it’s the path back. And in this case, the path back is a strategic communications plan that is transparent, swift to react to changing dynamics and continues to rebuild your reputation in the mid-to-long term.

Whether you need to manage a consultation period where people’s jobs are at risk, react to something that puts a serious halt to your operations, such as a warehouse fire, or more critically an incident that has caused injury or claimed lives, your communications crisis plan should be tailored to fit the immediate, and pressing need.

It needs to keep key stakeholders informed, such as employees, employees’ families, shareholders and the media.

Learning from the past, and avoid ‘doing a Ratner’

We can learn from high profile cases of years gone by, too. Sadly, the infamous comments made by Gerald Ratner proved too much to handle, and his ill-timed comments in 1991 led to his empire crumbling around him after he said that his jewellery was “total crap”, and that a set of earrings was “cheaper than a prawn sandwich from Marks and Spencer’s, but I have to say the sandwich will probably last longer than the earrings”. His brand was tainted beyond repair, the value of his business plummeted by £500 million, and the phrase “doing a Ratner” was coined.

A further example of how not to manage a crisis is when Thomas Cook attempted to clear themselves of any blame, pointing the finger at Greek authorities and seeking compensation, when two children lost their lives from carbon monoxide poisoning while on holiday. There are times when a business has to stand up and support impacted families, rather than protect their own reputation.

On the flipside, when an Alton Towers’ rollercoaster collided with a stationary test car, resulting in multiple injuries including two amputations, operator Merlin Entertainments issued an early statement claiming “full responsibility”.

When a crisis occurs, be more Merlin than Thomas Cook, and don’t be the architect of your own downfall, like Gearld Ratner. It’s what you do in these critical situations that people remember, not least because the media are savvy, trained to report what sells newspapers, and will be more than happy to document your failed attempts to pass the buck, or mis-read and mis-manage. And they can coin a phrase, such as “Crises, What Crisis?”, attributed to former prime minister James Callaghan, by The Sun, during the UK’s “Winter of Discontent” in 1978 / 79 – even though he never uttered those words.

Be prepared

“We’re not expecting a fire drill today, so should you hear the alarm, please head to that door…” We’ve all paid a visit to a company and been given these instructions. What does this suggest? That this company holds fire drills. Most companies hold fire drills, so that in the event of a fire alarm being set off all staff, and visitors, know the exact procedure to complete a swift and safe exit.

Counter terror organisations, too, run simulations, likewise the media, particularly broadcast, will have procedures in place should ‘breaking news’ of a high enough grade interrupt live coverage. The immediate coverage following Queen Elizabeth II’s passing on September 8, 2022, would have been rehearsed many times. 

So why not, if your people, assets, bottom line and reputation are of such great value, hold an annual fire drill yourselves? Bring a PR agency, or a communications professional in to guide you through the steps to take, carry out media training for the spokesperson, and helps to form a crisis management team (CMT), and long-term plan to rebuild. 

A CMT is critical in ensuring crises are met with readiness, that key messages are agreed, and information is disseminated to the right people, at the right time.

Your CMT should consist of:

The three Rs – Review, Respond, Repair

There are infinite steps that could be taken in managing a crisis, but to boil them down we can split it into three key areas:

1 – Review

Take stock of the situation, develop a communications plan to include messaging, and the order in which you share information, and to which stakeholders.

2 – Respond

Dependent upon the severity of the crisis, this will range from internal communications, to reactive media statements and Q&As to proactive stakeholder meetings and press calls. The greater the impact of the crisis, the more transparent communications should be, including taking responsibility for what’s occurred, how you manage it and your behavioural change, should it be required.

3 – Repair

A thorough debrief with the CMT should document lessons learned, and decide which policies and procedures need updating based upon the findings. This is crucial in demonstrating to stakeholders, including customers and your supply chain, that you have learnt from your mistakes, and put steps in place to impact change in operations and behaviour. Work with your digital PR agency to ensure your brand and reputation are protected, and that your changes of behaviour are reflected in what people are consuming, and saying about you. Communicate the changes both internally and externally.

Final Thought

It may not be your fault, but it is your responsibility. A crisis can occur to anyone, and at any time so being prepared should be as much a part of your business and cultural DNA as every other line in your company handbook.

Do not hope it just goes away, and do not neglect the power of the media if you’re found to be incapable of standing up and being accountable, otherwise you’re creating your very own winter of discontent.

If you’d like to know more about how Catalyst PR can prepare you for a crisis, or help you respond when it catches you off guard get in touch.