Crisis Leadership Blog
Insights and perspectives on being the lighthouse during a crisis.
Speed in the Face of Social Risks
My mom used to point out that I have been through every type of natural disaster except a tsunami. Wildfires and snow storms were a regular occurrence growing up in the Canadian north. My college education was ended by a historic flood. I’ve been through earthquakes,...
Clarity is Critical When Preparing for Social Risks
Happy New Year! 2022 is here! By now, the confetti is swept up and champagne glasses cleaned or, if you were like me, your PJs have been put away, and you've awoken from a long winter's nap. Either way, 2021 has been wrung out, and a new year has begun. A fresh...
A time for Grace and Gratitude
This will more than likely be our last post for 2021. And what a year it has been. For those of you that follow along in this space, you know that in July, I had a pretty severe accident and spent a week in the ICU. Last week I had the final of 4 surgeries on my right...
What would your company look like if you did not fear crises?
Confucius tells us that "Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated." What is fear, and why do so many corporate leaders fear crises? Fear is a concern, rational or not, about your well-being. In this context, it is a concern about the reputation...
In Crisis, Do You Need a Craftsperson or Mechanic?
There's an interesting article I read recently about the notion of how to master a craft, and I was thinking about it in the context of the way we manage crises. In the article, Julian Shapiro notes that becoming a craftsperson requires more focus on the process than...
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
Change is hard: how to successfully make the switch from internal to external communications
Critical takeaways I previously wrote about the challenges for marketers taking over communications but making a switch from an internal to an external comms role is equally difficult. Communicators will actually be hampered by the similarity of the processes and procedures because these mask significant differences in the work itself. Communicators...
The Other Side of Potential Recording Session: Crisis Communications for Small Businesses
What you will learn in this episode: What steps Bill feels smaller businesses can take to better connect with and communicate with their customers and why communication is key in difficult times How Bill defines a crisis differently from day-to-day challenges all businesses face, and why he considers this pandemic to be a critical moment that will define...
“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
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.