Characteristics
of Excellent Crisis
Management
In a crisis situation,
those that are not
trained tend to panic.
Panic only increases the
already chaotic state of
the environment. This is
why it is necessary to
have a prepared crisis
management team and
procedure in place
before a crisis happens.
What are the keys to
proper crisis
management?
Calm leadership
Clear direction
Precise and quick crisis
communication
Immediate action when
necessary
Well defined and
properly executed crisis
management procedures
All of these
characteristics hinge on
one thing. Crisis
management preparation
will produce all of
these components.
Crisis Management
Preparation Begins With
Accepting the
Possibility of a Crisis
One of the steps
involved in crisis
preparation includes
something as basic as
discussing the
possibility that a
crisis can happen. This
may seem silly, but
people tend to think
that bad things happen
to other people. The
fact of the matter is
that if you or your
business does not
logically discuss
possible crises and the
best manner to handle
them you will likely
find yourself one day in
the middle of a crisis
looking for direction
and guidance when you
should be the one
providing it to others.
Crisis Management
Preparation Basics
The first issue that
should be discussed once
you have accepted the
fact that a crisis may
happen is to determine
who will be in charge.
There should be one
person that will be in
charge and one assistant
that works closely and
could take over in case
of an emergency. While
this person should not
be expected to do
everything, he should
manage and oversee the
responsibilities
delegated to others. He
should also act as the
mouth-piece for the
organization to the
public.
This person should also
be involved in
developing a written
crisis management policy
of activities and events
that should happen in
case of a crisis. This
crisis management policy
must be professionally
written, reviewed and
agreed upon by all who
are in authority or
involved in policy
development.
The next issue that
should be addressed is
crisis communication and
corporate reputation
management. These go
hand-in-hand. A method
or combination of
methods of communication
to provide alerts,
direction, and convey
necessary public
information must be
selected, implemented
and tested before it is
ever needed.
A crisis is not a fun
thing to deal with no
matter what position you
hold. However, it is a
lot less stressful to
make decisions in a
logical calm manner
before the event ever
happens than to attempt
to make them under
pressure. For your sake
and the reputation of
the organization that
you represent, make sure
that crisis management
preparedness is a
project that you tackle
today.
By: Malcolm Hafner
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