Most clients who’ve come to us have waited until after the shit hits the fan. That’s because they either didn’t realize that a crisis is sometimes only one unintended mistake away, or they hoped the situation wouldn’t get THAT bad.
This blog is for leaders who’d rather be proactive in protecting their reputations.
Plan Ahead
Don’t just sit there and wait for something to happen. Here’s what you should do for starters:
Find advisors to help you set up your organization in a way that limits the chances of any easy mess-ups. Talk to your attorneys, accountants, and tax people, to find out what might go wrong, then make a plan to avoid those pitfalls.
For example, if you have ONE person writing ALL the checks without a separate approval process, do you realize they’re possibly writing their own checks too? That means money might go missing. The solution? Make sure you build checks and balances and have processes and procedures in place to prevent that from happening.
Train Your Team
Almost everyone has written something on social media that didn’t age very well. While we often hear about old posts coming back to haunt us, employees typically get in trouble for current posts. Even if you’re not on social media, one of your key executives or team members may have posted something on social media that might cause the business some problems in the future. While you can’t control what your employees post about their personal views, your company should have social media guidelines for work-related posts.
Related Post: What if you’re already in a pickle and need a way to get out? Check out our blog “Can This Be Fixed?” to get the next steps.
Reinforce Rules About Working with Reporters
We’re not done with social media yet! Social media makes it easier for news reporters to find your employees and ask them for comments. If not trained properly, things could go sideways quickly. Sometimes employees or board members respond to media requests because they genuinely think they’re helping you. (I mean, you’ve got enough on your plate during a crisis, right?) Other times, it’s because your employees don’t want to miss the chance of having their 15 minutes of fame.
You need to get everyone on the same page by training your employees on how to respond if they’re contacted by reporters and reminding them of the importance of a unified message.
Act as if You’re in The White House
John Corcoran, who worked in the White House & wonderful podcast host, very aptly put it: One of the first things you’ll hear when you enter the White House is, “Don’t ever write, do, or say anything that you wouldn’t want to see on the first page of The New York Times.”
It makes sense, right? You wouldn’t believe what people put in their text messages and emails. So if you’re a business owner, CEO, or a board member in an organization, think twice about anything you say or write, ESPECIALLY during a crisis when all eyes are on you.
Click here to watch the episode.
We’ve barely scratched the surface! If you want in-depth details and proven tips on preparing for crises, creating your message, and protecting your hard-built reputation, check out our Crisis PR Guides.
So are you willing to take the risk of creating plans and preparing for crises alone?
And even if you are, do you have the time?
Why not partner with a firm that can handle that for you.
With more than 50 years of experience, leaders trust us to let them focus on what they do best – leading their organizations.
We have a proven track record of success in partnering with and advising Am Law 200 firms, Fortune 500 companies, and some of the largest charities in the U.S. organizations on how to craft their message.
If you’re interested in learning how we can prepare you for protecting against the next crisis, click here for a free 15-minute consultation or call us at (310) 396-8696.
Gillott Communications is a Los Angeles-based public relations firm that specializes in high-stakes Crisis & Reputation Management with more than 50 years of expertise in strategic communications, corporate public relations, and working with the media.
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