Confucius tells us that “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” Crisis is the shadow that follows every bold decision and for many leaders, fear of that shadow shapes everything they do. But what if that fear wasn’t just unnecessary, but actively holding your organization...
Simulations are one of the most effective ways to prepare your organization for a crisis. They build readiness, clarify roles, strengthen relationships, and help teams respond with speed and confidence when it matters most. As a crisis communicator, you already know this. But getting your...
Like my Kith colleagues, I cut my proverbial teeth in politics. Not as a candidate, but as a campaign staffer and, later, political consultant. Campaigns are great places to train for reputation management and crisis communications because everything is a crisis. The latest mud your opponent threw...
If you’ve ever seen the classic Abbott and Costello sketch "Who’s on First?," you know how quickly things can unravel when no one knows who’s doing what. It’s hilarious on stage, but in a real life crisis, that kind of confusion is anything but funny. Think back to the last time you were called...
Many of us found ourselves abruptly working from home during the Covid pandemic. For some, a return to the office did not occur for months or even years. If you were one such person, you may recall the cognitive dissonance you experienced when you found it exactly as it was the day before you...
I’m fond of the old military saying: “two is one and one is none.” It reminds me to have a backup for critical equipment, like ensuring my spare tire is filled and ready to go before embarking on a cross-country road trip. It’s hard to run to an auto parts store if something goes wrong when I’m...
There is no doubt about it … fear during a crisis is 100% real. Fear that you don’t have all the answers. Fear that you’ll show too much vulnerability to your team. Fear that your business won’t be able to recover from the issue at hand. Or fear that your efforts to right the ship may make the...
Saying “I’m sorry” shouldn’t be hard. When we say or do something that hurts someone else, then we as humans should own it, apologize for it, and try to make it right. But, many public apologies seem to miss this relatively easy target. Is someone sincerely apologizing when their apology...
No one likes to say hard things, but it comes with the responsibility of being a manager, a leader or a communications director. Saying hard things inevitably disappoints people we care about, and we as humans feel badly when we disappoint people who matter to us. At its heart, disappointment is a...
It’s almost here. Based on retail stores, you might think “it” is Christmas, but “it” is not. No, “it” is Election Day. Most years, elections just kind of happen. People vote, wait for the results to be announced, celebrate or not, and then go on with their daily lives. This is not one of those...
Stakeholders has become a term we hear bandied about all of the time. And it's an important one. Whether internal or external, the people who buy from you, work for you, or champion your brand matter. But, it is critical to ask, “ Who matters most to you and your organization?” When thinking...
Speech is silver, silence is golden. According to this proverb, saying nothing is more valuable than saying something, even if the something itself has value. As a crisis management expert, I believe those are backward, and I’d add one more phrase to the proverb: rapid response is platinum. Speed...
Is your organization prepared to respond to a crisis and protect its hard-earned reputation? Take our quiz and find out!