Even Superman had a weakness
Many individuals and organizations would like to believe that they are invulnerable. For some, the belief has been slowly built by success. Perhaps they’ve even encountered a few minor glitches that ironed themselves out, further encouraging the belief that nothing bad can really happen to them. Others, taking an attitude that should be familiar to anyone with teenagers in the house, simply will not admit that it’s possible they have any faults or weaknesses that could lead to trouble.
Reality is, nothing and no one is invulnerable. Not only that, but accepting the fact that you do have vulnerabilities will greatly enhance your crisis management. In the following quote, from a USA Weekend article by Cheryl Alkon, Bernstein Crisis Management president Jonathan Bernstein explains this point of view:
It’s everywhere. Being vulnerable even plays a role in something like crisis management. Those who say they don’t have vulnerabilities are missing the point, says Jonathan Bernstein of Bernstein Crisis Management. “They are more likely to have a crisis they could have prevented, or when they do have [one], it lingers.”
You see, while you’re busy swimming in denial, the world is moving in its normal chaotic way. If your organization encounters a bit of that chaos without any defenses up (because you’ve denied needing them at all), then you’ve got a crisis on your hands and no way of coping with it.
Vulnerability audits are a core component of what we do when we’re called in for crisis management, and even organizations that consider themselves well-prepared are always shocked at the list of weaknesses that are spotted in just our initial walk through. Would you purposely hinder your crisis management performance? Come to terms with the fact that you are vulnerable, and get to work on your protection.
The BCM Blogging Team
https://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/