Crisis Leadership Blog

Insights and perspectives on being the lighthouse during a crisis.
In Crisis, Do You Need a Craftsperson or Mechanic?

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...

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Don’t Just See, Observe: How to Prevent Blindspots

Don’t Just See, Observe: How to Prevent Blindspots

“You have not observed, and yet you have seen.” – Sherlock Holmes, A Scandal in Bohemia Pattern recognition is a superpower of strategic communicators. In the midst of a crisis, we have the ability to connect the dots out of a cacophony of signals, personalities and...

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Why You Need to Understand the Cost of Crisis

Why You Need to Understand the Cost of Crisis

What does it cost to replace a manufacturing plant? How about a flagship store? Fight a lawsuit? How much does it cost to restore your reputation?  These are often the questions we ask when asked why protecting your organization’s reputation is a worthwhile...

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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
How they’re in charge is as important as who’s in charge
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...

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Hit the gym and develop your crisis muscle memory
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...

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Is sleep your secret weapon in a crisis?
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...

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Authority: Granted and Earned
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...

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When to reef: getting the balance right in a critical moment
When to reef: getting the balance right in a critical moment

Critical takeaways Reefing is a term in sailing for reducing the amount of sail exposed in a storm to help you maintain control of your boat. However, reefing too much may cause the vessel to stop moving altogether.  Businesses facing a critical moment need to ‘reef’ their activities to avoid becoming overwhelmed by the critical moment while still...

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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.