Crisis management planning is a critical part of surviving today’s rapidly shifting world. We can tell you from experience that if you encounter a tough situation without a plan in place, you’ll be wishing this item landed on your to-do list sooner.
Crisis Response 101: Mastering the Art of Firefighting in Business
Crisis response is the art and science of firefighting in business, protecting your reputation, operations, and financial bottom line.
Why It Pays To Educate Employees On Crisis Management
Why It Pays To Educate Employees On Crisis Management Every employee in your organization — and I’m really talking every employee — has a role to play in crisis prevention and management. While their levels of involvement will vary, you need everyone to understand what’s expected of them, from crisis …
Why This Should Be The Year Of Crisis Preparedness For Your Brand
Would you be ready if you needed crisis management today? While we’re seeing more interest in crisis planning and preparedness work than ever, it’s a simple fact that most organizations out there are not prepared to face a fully fledged, all-hands-on-deck, act-now-or-incur-serious-damage, crisis management situation. Some have no formal plan …
How much pain does it take before you care about crisis prevention?
There is a psychological concept that 12-step programs introduced called “hitting bottom.” It refers to the point at which an individual feels so much pain from what he or she has been doing that the fear of continuing “as is” is greater than the fear of change. At that point, …
Managing a Crisis During a Crisis
What happens if a second crisis hits when you’re already facing another? [Editor’s note: This guest post from our colleague and BCM team member Tim Scerba digs into a topic many businesses are hoping to avoid confronting in the midst of all the coronavirus issues – what happens when you’re …
Coronavirus and the Permanently Changed Face of 21st Century Crisis Management
The face of 21st Century crisis management has been permanently changed, for worse and for better, by the coronavirus threat. We have always preached the idea of preparing for the worst while hoping for the best. The reality is that most organizations don’t fully prepare for the worst cases, …
5 Reasons To Call A Crisis Management Consultant Today
Do you need a professional opinion? While it’s an established best practice to make crisis management a part of day-to-day business, we know the reality is that not everyone has room on their plate to truly make it a priority every single day. That said, it’s important to remember there’s …
Death By Committee
How Some Well-Intentioned Meetings Increase the Risk of Crises Committees can be very useful for hearing different points of view, working out details of plans, and building consensus. Committees can also be the inadvertent cause of completely preventable crises and/or exacerbate the damage from unpreventable crises. I remember around the …
Crisis Manager On The Spot Returns!
Join us for quick pro tips from real crisis management consultants We’re bringing back a popular Bernstein Crisis Management series of short, informative blog posts, “Crisis Manager On The Spot”! These will typically feature questions for a crisis management consultant or other crisis-related expert, submitted by curious readers and our …
Know These Leadership Diseases So You Can Avoid Them
[Editor’s note: The author of this post, Paul Biddle MBE, has 23 years in UK Law Enforcement along with multiple tours of Iraq & Afghanistan. In other words, he knows some things about real world crisis management and crisis leadership. Today he explores issues, or as he calls them diseases, …
Is There a Loose Cannon on Your Deck?
Is There a Loose Cannon on Your Deck? By Jonathan Bernstein & Anthony Moore Loose cannon referred to an actual weapon before it entered the language as a metaphor. In the days before ships were equipped with fixed-turret guns, muzzle-loading cannons were mounted on wheels and rolled back and forth …
So You Don’t Think You Need Crisis Training, Huh?
I haven’t learned to do anything really well without training and lots of practice. I suspect this is true for you in your personal and professional lives. We all have areas in which we’re naturally more skilled, of course, but without mentors, teachers who have gone down the trail before …
Too Close to See: Why Amazon’s Handling of Whole Foods Could Lead to Crisis
It’s a common occurrence for a crisis management pro – you’re brought into a case, start asking questions, and immediately spot red flags so blatant it seems impossible they were missed. Yet, more often than not, there’s no willful ignorance at work. In this new monthly series we’ll look at organizations …
The Very Hard Truth About Your Next Major Natural Disaster
A discussion of some tough-to-swallow disaster preparedness truths, by Jonathan Bernstein If you’ve been denial about disaster preparedness, this may be a good time for you to avert your eyes, because you’re not going to like what I have to say. It centers around this quote by an Emergency Services Coordinator …