Critical takeaways Litigation is a fact of life for businesses so it is often a matter of when, not if, you get sued. Businesses are still often unprepared for this, compounding the challenges of litigation. Although complex, litigation is still a process and one that communications teams can...
Critical takeaways Companies often accept litigation based on the behavior of others but are unaware that the behavior and actions of their associates can also affect their reputation. This reverse halo effect means that your clients, suppliers, staff, and associates can all have a negative effect...
I started putting together a post a few weeks ago called “The Ecosystem Of Advice.” It was going to be a deep dive on who exactly we turn to when our business is in crisis and collapsing around us. I had a few thoughts, of course -- consultants, attorneys, recommendations from past colleagues,...
Critical Takeaways Critical moments and crises transform organizations and that requires CEOs and executives to adapt to a new normal. This change takes time and requires a transition period while you simultaneously manage routine operations and the after-effects of the crisis. The key thing is to...
Critical takeaways Both lawyers and communicators have to tell compelling stories in court. For communicators, the court of public opinion is a more challenging, unregulated space. The court of public opinion is also less forgiving and there is no right of appeal. Four key characteristics...
In my experience, at some point in the discussions during a crisis someone will utter a phrase that will kill the conversation. “We need to think about litigation.” This sounds like a pertinent and important thing to think about but this statement is as useful as the head of communications...
Speed is at a premium at the outset of a crisis, and being able to trust your gut and having good pattern recognition helps you move fast when facts are scarce. However, once you get farther into the response, the challenges are more complex, and patterns become less clear: your gut can start to...
Loyal readers of this blog will have seen that we've spent a lot of time talking about speed, clarity, and trust recently. For us, these represent a new approach to helping organizations: less of a focus on crisis response and more on risk awareness and crisis readiness. Overall, we're focused on...
I'm fond of the old military saying: "two is one, and one is none." It reminds me to have a backup or a spare for critical equipment when I'm on the boat. I can't run to the corner store if something goes wrong when I'm at sea, so I need to be able to replace or repair critical parts of the boat....
I’m on my way back from Austin where I gathered with a group of female founders. We all belong to a group called Fyli (pronounced Fee-Lee). Our purpose is to support female founders as they launch their next big thing. The idea is that support must be 360 degrees. Need access to an investor?...
A friend of mine just returned to his office for the first time in more than two years. It was exactly how he left it – albeit cleaner – when he abruptly left work on a Thursday afternoon in March 2020 to retrieve his sick kid from school. He stayed home with the kiddo Friday. The world shut down...
Mobilization simply means getting the right people in the right place with the right information to allow them to start managing the event taking place. The term 'mobilization' can sound very operational and, therefore, a little out of place in a communications environment, but that's the point....
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