How to Manage a Crisis

How to Manage a Crisis 

Authored by Chris Ullman

“You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.” -Abraham Lincoln 

When a brick is coming at your head, duck. Right? 

Wrong. 

Catch it. 

When it comes to a crisis, catch it means manage it. 

That’s the first lesson of crisis communications: embrace reality. A crisis unmanaged risks life, limb, clients, stock price, jobs, and reputations. 

But humans are prone to denial, self-preservation, avoidance of responsibility, even delusion. In my nearly 38 years in the communications field, I’ve never had a client voluntarily disclose bad news. And my favorite line from a client upon hearing impending bad news: “I don’t like that news. Make it go away.” 

Therefore, it takes courage, principles, focus, and strong EQ to guide the C-Suite through a crisis. There’s as much therapy and empathizing going on as fact-finding and contextualizing. That’s what makes the job and task interesting. 

When I led global communications at The Carlyle Group, crisis was routine. It’s no wonder; we owned 200+ companies around the world and there was always something awry somewhere.  

My stance – then and now – is to engage and manage. Catch the brick, don’t duck. 

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Key Steps to Managing a Crisis: 

1. Acknowledge reality…don’t put your head in the sand 

2. Show that you care…avoid robotic corporate speak 

3. Take immediate steps to stop the bleeding…don’t fiddle while Rome burns 

4. Help those impacted…don’t be a penny pincher 

5. Rally your supporters and advocates…don’t go it alone 

6. Investigate what went wrong…don’t delay the inevitable 

7. Hold people accountable…don’t let perpetrators off the hook 

8. Accept responsibility where appropriate…don’t point fingers and issue faux apologies 

9. Put the crisis in perspective…don’t over- or underplay it

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Anatomy of a Crisis Successfully Managed 

Situation: A major news outlet has a leaked internal memo accusing your CEO of an ethical impropriety. 

Action: 

1. Engage: Convince management (and the lawyers) that working with the reporter is in your best interest; immediately e-mail or call the reporter and turn the tables: you become the reporter, asking questions and yielding no information. Find out what they know, possible story angle, deadline, etc. 
                   Typical mistake: The hand-wringers won’t engage, thinking the problem will go away or assuming they have lots of time to think about it. 
   

2. Beg for time/promise cooperation: If no other reporters are on the story, pledge to engage and help with the story so it’s accurate and balanced. Promise to tell the reporter if another reporter calls; time helps you both as long as their scoop is preserved. 
                   Typical mistake: Not being forceful/creative/constructive enough for your side. 

3. Gather information: Get the facts and context…be the internal reporter; confer with management, affected people, and in-house counsel as necessary. If something sounds too good to be true, keep digging. 
                   Typical mistake: Not pushing back when colleagues withhold info, bend the truth, obfuscate, or simply lie. Remember, your personal and professional credibility is on the line too. 

4. Be determined, rational, and concise: Draft a tight overriding message with 3-5 supporting points – i.e. the story is false and here’s why; the story is true and here’s what actually happened; the story is complicated and here’s why. Make your on-the-record statement focused, declarative, and brief. Be confident and determined but not belligerent or insulting. 
                   Typical mistake: Creating multi-page message documents and lengthy statements that are impossible to convey and understand in a complicated, swift-moving situation. 

5. Harness your allies: Get relevant and credible people to advocate for you through on-the-record quotes in writing or on the phone with the reporter. 
                   Typical mistake: Not providing enough of the content in the article: facts, context, your quote, and quotes from allies. 

6. Tell your story to key audiences: Communicate with important constituencies – employees, clients, customers, government, donors, and investors – before the news becomes public. Hearing the news from you is far superior to them being blind-sided by the news. 
                   Typical mistake: Hoping no one will notice or care and then you’re on the back foot when the news breaks. 

7. Get real feedback: Solicit honest feedback from objective third parties. Make course corrections as necessary. 
                   Typical mistake: Only listening to people on the payroll is dangerous…they often tell you what you want to hear. 

A win when mitigating a crisis looks different than a traditional earned media win. An article emerging from a crisis may be uncomfortable but ideally reflects balance—presenting your core message alongside essential facts and context. Quotes from allies can add nuance, helping to downplay the severity of the issue and reassure stakeholders during what once felt like an all-consuming crisis.  

A win is when people that matter say, “there’s no there there.” You can say with a straight face that you fought to draw. While no one hopes for such coverage, an honest, balanced article shows that you managed the situation as well as possible. Eventually, the initial buzz will subside, the story will fade, and the dust will settle – allowing you to get back on track in due time.