Page 169 - Crisis Communication Practical PR Strategies

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1 150 Crisis Communication
group handling the crisis on the board’s behalf. This means they too
must be well trained and should take part in high-quality exercises.
There is a simple law here that works on the basis that senior people
will rapidly absorb the essential lessons and will provide the kind of
advice you need with far less training than is required for more junior
people. The more junior the people you take on to support the board
the more you have to train them.
There must be board ownership. A board member must be gen-
uinely responsible for all this and he or she must play a hands-on role
in the creation and testing of a comprehensive crisis plan. Everyone
should be consulted and drawn in to make sure the plan is harmo-
nized. It must be holistic.
It must also be practised well and tested. Once the system is estab-
lished and proven, a substantial annual exercise should be sufficient –
provided the CEO and his or her executive crisis team are genuinely
involved. It won’t work if it’s not done properly, with performances
measured against sensible criteria.

Conclusion

Dealing with a crisis from a leader’s perspective

The challenges posed by a crisis will affect people in different and
perhaps unpredictable ways. What is certain is that the pressures upon
individuals will be immense. The leadership demands imposed upon
all senior people involved will probably be substantially different and
more searching than those of routine high-level business. Myriad
aggravations, from ‘groupthink’ to the inroads of exhaustion, will all
be encountered.

Collateral benefits of crisis preparation

Executives and managers who have addressed crisis management in a
systematic way report an interesting and very positive side-effect. This
is that their day-to-day management skills, decisions, objectivity and
completion of tasks to programme are enhanced.