Crisis Leadership Blog
Insights and perspectives on being the lighthouse during a crisis.
The seeds of a successful simulation are sown early
Critical Takeaways A great simulation depends on thorough preparation, and that includes preparing the participants and yourself. Start by taking care of the basic administration. Otherwise, you'll get off to a bad start before the exercise even begins. Use your SMART...
Getting to yes: persuading your executives to buy-into a simulation
Getting to yes: persuading your executives to buy-into a simulation Critical takeaways Simulations and training are excellent ways to prepare your organization for a crisis but their benefit might not be evident to your leadership. We've found that a needs-driven...
Get SMART about your crisis training
Get SMART about your crisis training Critical takeaways Training without a clear objective often wastes time, resources and money. Instead, have a clear sense of the gaps that you face in your crisis readiness program and where you need to see change. Then use SMART...
Not All Gaps Are Created Equal: Process Gaps Versus Cultural Shortfalls
One of the real benefits we see with crisis simulations is that these work very well as gap analyses. After a simulation, it's easy to see the gap between your current state and your desired state. How well can you develop a plan and put that into action? How well do...
Brevity Takes Time but Builds Speed
Speed is critical to success in a crisis but speed alone isn’t the answer – you need speed that’s based on an understanding of your core values and chain of command. Speed for the sake of speed leads to mistakes, inaccuracies, and rambling responses that get you into deeper trouble, not help pull you out. Instead, take some time to be clear, accurate, and brief. It requires additional time but helps you speed up in the end.
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
Kith’s Crisis Frameworks: Real-World Application in the Age of COVID
In this webinar Bill Coletti and Jeff Blaylock : Recap the crisis response models and framework we shared in the past six webinars as part of Kith’s COVID-19 Communications Series. Deconstruct real-world responses and statements from companies who have followed the frameworks and others who have missed the mark. ...
‘Crucial Conversations’: Lessons for Crisis Communicators
Critical takeaways The book ‘Crucial Conversations’ is a great guide to managing high-stakes conversations but it also provides useful guidance for crises. Many of the same techniques the authors advise for critical conversations can be used by crisis communicators to shape messages - externally and internally. Crucially, self-awareness and introspection...
Crafting Hard Messaging: How to Communicate Difficult Decisions
As we continue to face the daily uncertainty of how this pandemic will unfold, there is one thing we know for sure. Companies will continue to make extremely difficult decisions in the weeks ahead and will be faced with communicating those tough decisions to those who matter most. This webinar covers: The importance of conducting a "changed" policy...
Eight Elements of Successful Crisis Response
Crisis Response Fundamentals – our quick reference.
Part 2 Communicating How & When to Reopen for Business
Although some may disagree, we believe we are no longer in a crisis, but instead a critical moment. The response phase is over and it is now time to make decisions for what lies ahead. Two weeks ago we hosted a webinar discussing how and when to reopen for business. As the reality of reopening draws confusingly closer we wanted to revisit that topic with...
Leveraging Stakeholder Research for Your COVID Communications Strategy
Bill Coletti and Karlan Witt, CEO of Cambia Information Group, discuss using stakeholder research so you don't have to guess when it comes to crafting your next COVID-19 response message. The webinar covers: Robust research options: the recipe for strong survey research, message development, stakeholder prioritization, spokesperson optimization and more...
Burden of Command: Bill Coletti
In this episode we have a conversation about leadership and responding to a crisis as well as the impacts it can have on your reputation. LISTEN HERE
What Is & Is Not Working in COVID-19 Communications
We are now entering the third or fourth week of messaging around corporate response - the “mushy middle phase” as we referred to it in our previous webinars. On the third webinar in Kith's COVID-19 Communications Series, Bill Coletti shares observations on how companies are using the A-B-C approach (Always - Be - Communicating) and remaining helpful and...
Purpose 360: Communications in a Time of Crisis with Kith’s Bill Coletti
Listen for Bill’s insights on: The tenets of successful crisis communications: always be communicating, always be listening, and manage stakeholder expectations. The importance of articulating a company’s core values during challenging times, and demonstrating how those values guide the company in standing for something bigger than itself. Three...
Reopening after COVID-19: how to come back when the time comes
Critical takeaways In one of our recent COVID-19 webinars, we tackled the difficult decision businesses are going to face when it is time to reopen and, even though that may be some time off, we feel that this is the time to start planning for that eventuality. Unlike the decision to close, there won’t be a single ‘all clear’ and following the herd won’t...
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.