Crisis Leadership Blog
Insights and perspectives on being the lighthouse during a crisis.
NDAs are Paper Moons
It's a paper moon: it only works if you believe in it How many of you have read the Meta tell-all, Careless People? This book has been on the New York Times best seller list since its release and is continuing to sell well. The book was authored by Facebook’s former...
Why Trade Associations Belong in Your Crisis Strategy
Five overlooked ways your industry group can shield, guide, and amplify your voice when it matters most An article in Fortune last week detailed the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s deliberations on whether or not they would sue the Trump administration on behalf of its...
I Speak Canadian (And What To Do If You Don’t)
I’m in the process of prepping a global crisis simulation for a multinational corporation. The other day, our brilliant client lead came to me and said “I can’t believe I’m bringing this up, but we need to add a Canada component. For the first time, we have to worry...
There’s No Waffling at Waffle House
As we approach the Easter and Passover "egg season," egg prices remain at an all-time high due to an ongoing shortage caused by the widespread avian flu. Businesses in the food and beverage industry that use a large volume of eggs – such as breakfast restaurants IHOP,...
Redundancy: Add Spare Capacity to Gain Speed in a Crisis
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...
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
Hanging in the Balance: Why and How Financial Leaders Should Prepare for the Unexpected
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 and unpredictability of external factors such as the state...
When the Truth is Forced: Communicating when Caught off Guard
A number of companies have announced layoffs recently. One in particular had the news released because of a necessary regulatory filing. Marriott, the hotel giant based in Maryland, where it is the largest private-sector employer, is set to lay off hundreds of employees. While layoffs are not unusual, the fact that staff learned about the upcoming job...
Owning the Disappointment when You Have to Say Hard Things
No one likes to say hard things, but it comes with the responsibility of being a manager, a leader or a communications director. Saying hard things inevitably disappoints people we care about, and we as humans feel badly when we disappoint people who matter to us. At its heart, disappointment is a feeling of dissatisfaction caused by the non-fulfillment of...
Do it for the Algorithm: Embracing Social Media during a Crisis
“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 irrelevant to me. Without context, I can't assess whether an...
Very Scary Marketing Decisions
Have you ever seen a social media post or TV commercial from a well-known brand and said, “What the hell were they thinking?” Especially if it bordered on or crossed into being perceived as racist or prejudiced? That’s exactly what Bath and Body Works faced when they launched their new line of holiday candles, which included one bearing the design of a...
Be Prepared for What Comes after Election Night
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 years. For the third national election in a row, tensions are...
It’s a Litigious World after All
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 alone. Here are the facts: the widower of a woman who passed...
How Colleges and Universities Can Handle Reputational Risk Better
Higher education is seemingly in an increasingly perilous spot. As the job market shifts — 47 to 54% of jobs will likely be lost to automation by 2030, or roughly 800 million jobs globally, according to McKinsey Global Institute — higher ed also needs to reinvent itself to remain a value-add in the modern age. Into this confusing time comes a lot of...
Far from a Textbook Year for Higher Ed Leaders
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 roaring crowds at a football game. The smell of stale...
Don’t Lie
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 trust you less. And if you are lying to reporters, lying...
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.