Crisis Leadership Blog
Insights and perspectives on being the lighthouse during a crisis.
The Cost of Inaction
I have danced ballet most of my life. It’s the one thing I keep coming back to but I now live somewhere where there are not many options for ballet. Barre is o.k. Pilates is great. I was once kicked out of a yoga class for tapping my fingers. Nothing is ballet. So...
Think Twice, Speak Once
My grandfather built his own house on a farm in Saskatchewan. The house is now 75 years old and is home to a new family. I am tremendously fortunate to have had him share this skill with me. I built a bookshelf, can hang doors, and build decks. As with most...
Control What You Can Control, Including Your Anger
Justin Wilcox is used to winning and losing. For the head football coach of the University of California Golden Bears, wins and losses usually come on the football field, but his latest loss was handed to him by a bunch of college presidents and network executives...
The Cost of Cri$i$
“What does a crisis cost?” I’ve been asked that question a few times. Disappointingly, my answer invariably is, “It depends.” Part of the answer depends on the specific aspects of the crisis and the company going through it, but much more rests on the definition of...
Trust as a KPI
Fortune magazine has recently launched a newsletter focused entirely on trust. They are framing it as “trust is the new KPI”. Just in case you’ve been living under a corporate rock, KPI stands for Key Performance Indicator. The Trust Factor is a “weekly guide to...
By definition, Kith means a cadre of peers who shape opinions and attitudes while instilling sophisticated habits for action. As a way to live this value, we like to share resources that are building blocks to good crisis management and can help you start the path of protecting your reputation.
More Recent Insights
Crises are not the time to learn on the job
Critical Takeaways The Crucible of Crisis doesn't develop your skillset, it reveals it. Your strengths and weaknesses are exposed and magnified: great leaders excel while weak ones stumble. This is counter to the idea that the unique circumstances of a crisis will somehow unlock previously unseen skills and people will rise to the occasion. Ensure that...
Sharing the bad news: don’t be afraid of being called Chicken Little
Sharing the bad news: don't be afraid of being called Chicken Little Critical Takeaways Sharing bad news, and warning of impending danger, is a necessary part of being a crisis communicator. These warnings don’t always play out leading some people to worry that they are going to be accused of being Chicken Little: always warning that the sky is falling....
Going From Bad To Worse: How To Overcome System Failure During A Crisis
Going From Bad To Worse: How To Overcome System Failure During A Crisis Critical takeaways Things go wrong and, in a crisis when things are already going wrong, it's dangerous to assume that everything - and everyone - you need will be available and working. Instead, you need to consider your critical systems, resources and people, and think about what...
Small is beautiful: the value of a small simulation
Small is beautiful Critical takeaways A large, incisive simulation is an excellent training vehicle to practice your crisis readiness and put your team through its paces in a realistic environment. But a sort, simple simulation - even discussing a specific topic with your team - will still add value and may be more appropriate in some cases. Apply the...
5 principles for effective crisis training
Critical takeaways "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is particularly pertinent when it comes to crisis preparedness and training beforehand is essential. However, not all training is of equal value, and 'binging' your training once or twice a year isn't very effective and can even be detrimental. Instead, we advise using the five principles...
Great Disruption, the Sequel
Recently, I was speaking with a client in the early stages of bringing the majority of their remote workforce back to the office. He said something that resonated with me and probably would with other strategic communicators: the “pandemic has leveled the playing field” between employees who were always in the office and those who were always, or nearly...
Understanding yourself and your mental committee
Critical takeawaysIn any situation, particularly a crisis, showing up as your best self is key to success. In order to do that, you need to understand yourself.There are many tools to help you identify your key ‘parts,’ but the model we like is based on the internal family system (IFS), which we’ve adapted to include the idea of an internal committee.Spend...
The Business Power Hour with Deb Krier
When relationships are critical to your business, your reputation is one of the most important assets you manage. In today’s podcast, we’re joined by Bill Coletti - a highly experienced and sought-after reputation management strategist and speaker. Get ready for a deep dive session into the world of corporate crisis management. Listen Here!
Crafting the Perfect Crisis Simulation
Crisis simulations are, in our opinion, truly the best way to train and evaluate your team when it comes to crisis readiness. And with the right recipe, you can create a crowd-pleasing simulation that will leave your team well-prepared for when a crisis strikes.
The Best Approach to Crisis
I was asked a really good question on a podcast, and I thought I’d share it with you. Because there is sort of this ongoing debate about if it is better to be creative or authentic during a crisis response.
The Kith Method
Good crisis management comes from a plan. Great crisis management comes from capability – and starts before you even smell smoke. That’s why we developed the Kith Method. We can help build and maintain a flexible capability that works for you.
Your reputation is an investment; time-consuming and costly to build and expensive to repair. Protect it.