Crisis Leadership Blog
Insights and perspectives on being the lighthouse during a crisis.
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.
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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
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...
Communicating How & When to Re-Open for Business
On the second webinar in Kith COVID-19 Communication's Series, Bill Coletti helps leaders and their advisors address the confusion around how and when businesses should come back. More specifically, he discusses the financial, social and moral considerations that come with those decisions - especially in light of mixed scientific, political and...
Turning Inwards: Tips for External Communicators Managing Internal Communications
Critical Takeaways The changes forced on businesses by COVID-19 are placing greater emphasis on internal communications. This is requiring external communicators to turn their attention inwards but this change requires a shift in perspective. We’ve outlined five considerations that external communicators need to have in mind when making this shift to...
Manage to Win: How Businesses and CEOs Should Respond to the COVID-19 Crisis, with Bill Coletti
In this special episode we speak with Bill Coletti about coronavirus, what businesses can and should do to address the crisis, how CEOs and other leaders should react, and what you can do during the following weeks and months to make sure your company is ready to return to normal operations when the crisis is over. LISTEN HERE
People Processes: Bill Coletti – Kith
On the People Processes Podcast, Rhamy Alejeal interviewed Bill Kith, a crisis management expert and they covered in depth communication strategies to help you navigate the COVID Crises internally. LISTEN HERE
Integrate & Ignite Podcast: Crisis Communications and Reputation Management with Reputation Management
Listen And Learn: Why he recommends a hands-on approach. how successful reputation management hinges on recognizing and responding within those critical moments in time. The importance of involving executive leadership. The difference between reputation management and crisis management/crisis communications. Setting expectations with the Four As. LISTEN...
What’s Next for Communicators re: COVID-19
On the first webinar in Kith's COVID-19 Communications Series, Bill Coletti and guest presenter Gerard Braud share their insights and top recommendations on "what's next" and what to do in this very uncertain phase between shutting down and re-opening for business. Specifically, they discuss: Best practices for writing a good response statement What to...
Responding to the Coronavirus: Kith’s top six tips for effective response
We’ve been tracking the spread of the Coronavirus and the cases of COVID-19 around the world and here in the US as we imagine you have. There’s no doubt in our minds of the seriousness of this challenge to individuals, communities, organizations, and countries. We have spent a good bit of time this week and last on the phone with clients as they work...
Beyond Deepwater Horizon: How BP has stopped saying sorry and is moving forward
Critical Takeaways BP made a major announcement in February 2020 to become net carbon-neutral by 2050. This announcement signified the end of their somewhat unsuccessful efforts to rebuild their reputation after the Deepwater Horizon disaster of 2010. There is a time where every firm hit by a crisis will have to stop saying sorry but knowing when to do...
Geeks Geezers and Googlization Show: Covid-19: An Opportunity to Make-or-Break Your Reputation
There’s a lot of things your company can’t control and the coronavirus is just one of them. But how you respond should be at the tip of your tongue. According to our guest, crisis communication expert Bill Coletti, “Plan now like your company’s reputation depends on it because it does.” According to Coletti (via way of Seth Godin), your reputation is no...
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.