#1 Assessment of the crisis

Taking the first course of action that comes to mind in the event of a crisis is rarely the best way to go.

When a crisis hits, you and your team are likely to be in an emotionally charged state. It’s important to be human and address the impact, you and your core team should focus on seeing the multiple perspectives, so you can make an informed, unemotional plan of action.

#2 Thoughtful, quick communication

Nowadays, when a crisis breaks, there is no luxury in waiting to address it. Both internally and externally, you have to comment before others take the opportunity to create their own narrative.

That said, don’t rush to your own defence. Address the situation, avoid using speculation or assigning responsibility until you are certain what the impact and causes of the crisis are. You don’t have room for reactive responses during a crisis.

#3 Precise delegation

For the sake of business continuity, you have to be able to keep the organisation running in the event of a crisis.

Know who to delegate to in order to manage the crisis, but ensure that the rest of the team keeps the operation running as smoothly as possible. By investing in incident management with your team, you can help everyone recognise their roles in a crisis ahead of time.

#4 Flexibility

One of the reasons that you should only act and communicate on what is known is that crises can quickly take an unexpected direction. Your plans may need to be changed depending on the discovery of new information or factors that could make them redundant or even harmful. A good business continuity plan knows when it needs to be discarded for something.

#5 Responsibility

While you are figuring out the details of a crisis and its cause, you have to take responsibility, both publicly and personally.

Publicly, an apology is crucial for maintaining your reputation even if it’s not your fault as the court of public opinion takes a very hard stance on those who refuse to take responsibility.

Personally and internally, you need to create crisis management and prevention plans to minimise the risk of this happening ever again and, even if it does, that you can handle it more effectively.

Before You Go…

The tips above are general and can help you restore some even footing in the event of a crisis. However, crisis management training will be much more effective in helping you and your team deal with the individual, specific crises that are at risk of occurring, so get in touch with Kiasu Crisis Management if you want to make sure that your business is ready.