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Rebounding Effectively from a Crisis Situation
Tom Barritt, senior vice president and global director of the Issues & Crisis Management Network at Ketchum
Ketchum's senior vice president and global director of the Issues & Crisis Management Network notes that most people think of basketball when the word 'rebound' is mentioned. It provokes thoughts of the game-winning shot, a second-chance opportunity. But another definition of 'rebound' is to recover from a setback or frustration. Tom offers a glimpse into the world of companies and individuals who have failed to rebound including Worldcom, Andersen, Michael Jackson and Sadaam Hussein while recognizing politicians like the Clintons and businessmen like Jack Welch and Donald Trump who have had great success bouncing back.
In a crisis, companies need to consider how they ultimately will sustain long-term relationships with a variety of stakeholders. "To effectively recover from a crisis, corporations must have their eye on the rebound from the time the event occurs," he explains. "You're dealing with an uphill battle and the more you accomplish from the onset of a crisis, the less painful the process will be in the long run."
The corporate challenge to regain the confidence of stakeholders requires a well thought-out process. He offers seven steps to rebound effectively from a crisis:
- Rectify the immediate problem. A key tenet of crisis planning involves getting everything up and running again.
- Eliminate speculation. Citing NASA's response after the space shuttle Columbia disaster, NASA's space shuttle program manager identifies the different specialties that mobilize, putting their arms around the story and taking control of it.
- Build bridges to allies. He cites the commended actions of Wendy's to communicate with and involve the Queens, N.Y., community after shooting deaths at a Wendy's restaurant there.
- Observe media patterns. A Ketchum survey of influencers finds that media continue to hold a lot of credibility but friends and neighbors rate even higher. So what do companies need to do? Know who will cover your story in a crisis...
- Utilize employees and senior executives. Work with them in good times to help them understand your crisis response. Develop employees as ambassadors. Build opportunities and forums where the CEO can be present in the good times and build relationships with those audiences. Identify key influencers and find creative new ways to reach those audiences.
- Neutralize finger pointing. It's tough because the finger pointing almost always starts immediately, but placing blame only keeps the crisis in the spotlight.
- Deliver closure. Crisis planning is critical but you must plan for that event to deliver closure. Once a closure plan is established, tell the public what you plan to do while continuing to demonstrate your progress.
Citing examples of companies who have employed the steps above effectively in their own situations, Tom illustrates that an organization confronting a problem immediately and honestly often contains the issue and safeguards the company's reputation.