Crisis Leadership Blog
Insights and perspectives on being the lighthouse during a crisis.
A Geek Leader
The ultimate podcast for aspiring leaders in the creative or technology fields. John Rouda discusses leadership topics, interviews some of the greatest minds today.
The Industrial Talk Podcast
In this week’s Industrial Talk Podcast, we’re talking to Bill Coletti, CEO at Kith.co about “Crisis Management and the Need for better Communications in your Crisis Situation”. Get the answers to your “Crisis Management” questions along with Bill’s unique insight on the “How” on this Industrial Talk interview!
Social Risk: An Emerging Threat to Reputation
We have long thought about risk as falling definitively into one of three categories: Strategic, Preventable, and External. Organizations tend to understand the impact these kinds of risks have on their operations and are pretty adept at mitigating them and responding...
Creating Positive University Reputation During Crises
Over the past six months, most institutions have managed to pivot their operations to deal with the pandemic. However, there probably will be more mergers in the future due to enrollment declines this year along with the upcoming enrollment cliff.
Mastering Risk Management
This episode highlights the critical need to manage a crisis. Whilst you hope to never need it, you must prepare for one regardless. My guest, Bill Coletti, helps organizations think through what they need to do to be prepared.
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
Protesters have their place: and it doesn’t have to be at your front door
Critical takeaways Protests can be an effective way for people to make their point and they can be used against businesses of any size. Protestors have the right to picket your business but that doesn't mean that they can break the law or interfere with your staff, clients or prevent you trading. Planning ahead, focussing on peoples’ safety and careful...
To Spoke Or Not To Spoke, That Is The Question
Critical Takeaways Individuals or families caught up in a crisis should engage a spokesperson to help them manage the media as this is something they are ill-equipped to do themselves. This course of action has some pros and to consider while making the decision and I address these here. The benefits of professional support - insulation from the press and...
Crisis leader + crisis manager = a critical partnership
Critical takeaways Crisis Leaders and Crisis Managers are different roles but both are required for crisis success. Understanding the differences between the two roles - and how they complement each other - will help build a powerful partnership Here are three key distinctions between the two roles to help you select and prepare the right people for these...
Crisis simulations as planning tools
Simulations are the most valuable planning and preparedness tool available to an organization and should be a routine part of every company’s training regimen.
Consulting Success: Consulting When The Stakes Are High with Bill Coletti
Sometimes, it is exactly the comfort that keeps us from pursuing what we really want. Bill Coletti, founder of the crisis communications and reputation management firm called Kith Consulting, has stepped out of the comfort offered in working for an established organization as a consultant to starting and running his own consulting business. When the stakes...
Overcoming shell shock in a crisis
Critical takeaways ‘Shell shock' is the effect of trauma on individuals leading to paralysis and an inability to think and act effectively. We see similar results in boardrooms where a crisis causes the company to freeze. Our formula for crisis success - Core Values + Chain Of Command = Speed - can help overcome boardroom shell shock Stick to your...
Black Box Theory
Critical Takeaways It is easy to attribute crisis success as simply being lucky when in fact companies have earned this ‘luck’ through hard work and preparedness. A concept in sailing is that of a ‘black box’ into which a Captain deposits ‘points’. They can then draw on these points to give them a little bit of extra luck in tough times. Companies can...
The Risk of Patagonia Envy
Critical takeaways When asked about “high reputation” firms, one that always comes to mind is the outdoor retailer Patagonia which has a very high reputation due to its commitment and authenticity to its mission. You can learn a lot from Patagonia but don’t just copy their approach: a good reputation is based on being authentic to your own beliefs. There...
Noah and Augustine: a crisis history lesson
Critical takeaways The story of Noah’s Ark reminds us of the need to actually take action in response to risk. This story is quoted in a 1995 HBR article by Norm Augustine who lays out six points for crisis success based on his experiences in government and business. Despite the article’s age, Augustine’s six points are still highly relevant to crisis...
Courage and conviction in crafting an op-ed
Critical takeaways Op-eds are a powerful way of telling your story in a crisis and should be in every communicator’s tool kit. Op-eds written by a committee will fail to make your points clearly. Communications should write the piece with input from the subject matter expert. This guidance note is based on our experience using op-eds in a crisis or...
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.