Crisis Leadership Blog
Insights and perspectives on being the lighthouse during a crisis.
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.
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...
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
“A marketer walks into a crisis…”
Critical takeaways Many organizations prioritize branding over communications. This makes sense when driving market share but leaves them vulnerable in a crisis. Marketers are often asked to fill the crisis communications role but this requires a fundamental shift in mindset and changing their focus from brand and revenue to reputation. Marketers in this...
The Sandro Forte Podcast: Helping people get through the worst season in their life
Bill talks to Sandro about how he uses his experience, calm nature and empathy to help people get through the worst thing that is ever going to happen to them in their career. Truth, integrity and trusting our gut-instinct is at the heart of all that he does, and he explains why he believes this should be integral to the way we all conduct ourselves....
How they’re in charge is as important as who’s in charge
Critical takeaways Being brought into an organization to advise often creates tension with the incumbents. Consultants with an overbearing attitude will only alienate the incumbent more. A positive, supportive attitude will drive greater engagement and commitment from the people you are supporting. Look at things from their perspective and act with...
Hit the gym and develop your crisis muscle memory
Critical takeaways Individuals build muscle memory by conducting physical movements repeatedly. Organizations can do the same by practicing their crisis response frequently. Muscle memory applies equally to both good habits and inefficient workarounds so care needs to be taken that the muscles being developed are the right ones. Work with your team to...
Thought Leader Life Credibility Episode: Thought Leader Life 318: Guest Bill Coletti
Learn effective communication strategies so that you can continue to grow your enterprise in the midst of a crisis. This episode features #ThoughtLeader and #Expert, Bill Coletti https://www.linkedin.com/in/billcoletti/, who is a reputation manager, crisis communications and professional development expert, keynote speaker, Wall Street Journal risk and...
Integrate and Ignite: The importance of crisis communications and 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...
Is sleep your secret weapon in a crisis?
Critical takeaways Being properly rested is key to peak performance but this is often overlooked in a crisis. Rest in a natural disaster is of even greater importance when many of the responders themselves have also been affected by the situation. Schedule watch or duty periods to ensure that responders are properly rested so that the response is managed...
The Business Power Hour Interview with Deb Krier
Deb Krier talks with experts in a variety of business fields, as they share the latest trends, up and coming changes as well as best practices. Check out her latest episode with Bill Coletti. LISTEN HERE
Life as Leadership: THE NEW MINDSET OF REPUTATION MANAGEMENT
On this episode Bill Coletti shares some of his insights on leadership and answers a series of questions to inspire action. LISTEN NOW
Authority: Granted and Earned
Critical Take-Aways Authority is required to see any initiative through in an organization whether that is leading crisis response or beginning the journey to reputation resilience. Authority is initially granted but then must be earned to see the initiative through. Ensure you have the necessary permissions and granted authority in place at the outset...
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.