The Crisis Management Memo

Take the lead and take control in a crisis

It’s almost a sure bet that when you hear me speak on crisis management, some where along the way, I will talk about the need for organizations to “take the lead” when they are involved in a crisis.

I can guarantee you that “taking the lead” is more than a just a sound bite to get the audience’s attention; it is a vital element in gaining control of a crisis.

After almost a quarter of a century of crisis consulting and media training, I have found out all too clearly what happens when organizations drag their feet and take too long to respond to crisis situations. The story, particularly in a crisis, will continue with or without your input. And then you find yourself reacting to what others are saying, rather than allowing the story to unfold more on your on terms.

In researching television coverage of various chemical and refinery fires recently, it became obvious after a while that those organizations who took even more than an hour or two to talk to the news media had already lost control of the story. In some cases, they were reacting to what their own employees were saying, along with what local residents were telling reporters.

In one particular case, they were reacting to charges leveled by a local emergency management agency that they had reacted too slowly in notifying local residents of a potential threat posed by the incident. By that point, no amount of “concern” or “apology” was probably going to change public opinion that the plant had acted improperly.

In another case, a public affairs spokesperson got word that a television station was preparing to air a report on one of their chemical plants, alleging that the plant was polluting the local water supply. At the company’s urging, the TV station went out of its way to interview the plant manager to get the company’s side of the story. Had the company not pro-actively decided to make itself part of the story, the story would have been a one-sided report that they would have been forced to react to later.

Because of their very nature, most industrial accidents are reported quickly by the news media and many of those first being interviewed on television are emergency responders, workers or local residents. While they can provide sometimes sensational interviews, it is not likely they share the key message points you’d like to get across to the news media. And, it is quite possible, the only news a viewer may see about your plant’s accident and your response came from someone other than you.

Over the years, I’ve heard the excuse from prospective spokespersons that, “We don’t have enough information yet to talk to the news media.” My reply: “It makes no difference.” Chances are you will never have all the information you’d like to have before committing to news interviews in a crisis. As a result, you go to the interview with the information you have, not the information you’d like to have.

The way I look at it, I’d rather have the news media, public officials and the general public reacting to what my client’s saying, rather than have a client forced to respond to everyone else. It may not always guarantee you control of the situation, but not taking the lead almost always guarantees failure.

Or, as one of my colleagues at Wilson Group says, "The media is going to find a crisis spokesperson sooner or later. If it's not you, it will be someone else."

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