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...
The Washington Post has been shaking things up lately, especially in its opinion section. Owner Jeff Bezos just announced a shift to focus on "personal liberties and free markets," which led to the resignation of respected opinion editor David Shipley. This move, like many shakeups happening in...
A few weeks ago, Starbucks announced that it would be ending its open-door policy, which allowed people to use the store's seating and restrooms even if they didn't make a purchase. The company stated that the change was made to "enhance" the customer experience. However, many critics have...
With the holidays in the rearview mirror, many of us now turn to making personal resolutions for the new year. Whether it's training for a Tough Mudder, getting more sleep (hello, melatonin), saving more money for your dream retirement beach house, or remembering to call your elderly aunt at a...
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...
Any crisis comes with costs – economic costs, social costs, psychological costs – and long-term implications for your business’ bottom line, reputation, and team morale. No industry is immune to the threat of a crisis. Some sectors, including finance, face heightened risks due to the uncertainty...
“OMG, we’re blowing up on social media” I’ve been in a number of crisis management situations where the person responsible for a company’s social media will run into the room, look at their iPhone, utter those fateful words, and then disappear. As a crisis strategist, this information is largely...
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...
Are you signed up for Disney+? Well, according to a now-withdrawn lawsuit defense, if you are a subscriber, you’ve signed away your rights to sue the company for anything regardless of what happened and where. Does this make you mad? Or think a little differently about Disney? You wouldn’t be...
Thousands of colleges and universities around the nation are back in full swing for a new academic year, my daughter among them (Sko Buffs!). The beginning of a new college semester heralds many things on college campuses. The sight of students burning the midnight oil in the library. The sound of...
We are all professionals. As professionals there is one cardinal rule of talking to the media (or if you ask my grandma, anyone): never lie. Don’t outright lie. Don’t tell a half truth. Don’t try to be cute. Don’t parse the truth. Don’t lie. All that does is make your audience mad and make them...
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