Resilient Leadership: BP and its Fallen Leader
A Perspective about BP and its Fallen Leader by Rob Weinhold When we learned of the Gulf oil explosion in April 2010, the loss of life coupled with the hourly projections about environmental fallout was disturbing enough. However, to learn that BP had no real crisis plan or immediate solution to deal with this type of incident immediately instilled a sense of anger among many stakeholders. One of the biggest “eye brow raising moments” early on was to watch BP executives on NBC’s Today Show respond to a question/statement by an anchor during an interview. The question to the executive was “You had no crisis plan to deal with this, did you?” Well, the executive did not answer the question and quickly directed his response in another direction, never answering the “yes or no” question. Clearly, BP was at a loss on how to handle this catastrophic, yet predictable event. It is true, based on the continual resulting blunders that BP did not have a handle on how to effectively communicate with all of its stakeholders during the worst oil spill in U.S. history. Adversity is the truest test of leadership and BP failed the test due to poor planning and execution. The very basic tenants of crisis leadership did not present themselves in this case. While many suffered, top executive Tony Hayward gave the public impression that he cared more about how his life was disrupted than the millions who depend on BP from a financial or livelihood standpoint. Comments Mr. Hayward made about how he “wanted his life back” or how he minimized the leak because the leak was occurring in “a big ocean” were bad enough, but the symbolic participation in a yacht race during a time of crisis sent the wrong message to many whose quality of life still remained in the balance. While Mr. Hayward apologized and made later attempts to explain his comments and actions, the court of public opinion already rendered a verdict. Of the many milestone events which ultimately led to Mr. Hayward’s dismissal, one particular event negatively impacted his career, BP’s stock and sent the BP brand cascading downward like no other. That event was the Congressional hearings where all company executives involved decided to point the finger at one another. The resulting public message was a failure to take responsibility. In fact, the President of the United States stood-up and said he was “not impressed” by that spectacle. Yes, now the leaders of three major corporations were being admonished publically by the World’s most influential leader. Main Tenants of Resilient Leadership The fact is, during times of crisis, leaders become fatigued and often misstep. In BP’s case, Hayward didn’t have what Dr.’s George Everly and Doug Strouse refer to in their book (The Secrets of Resilient Leadership, 2010) as Behavioral Body Armor. As highlighted in the book and many other publications, resilient leadership has a few main tenants which should never be violated. They include: 1. Act with integrity 2. Communicate effectively 3. Display optimistic, decisive leadership 4. Take responsibility for actions 5. Build a resilient culture 6. Develop behavioral body armor I wholeheartedly recommend that leaders at every level of management in both the public and private sector, personally or professionally, embrace these principles. Had BP crisis planned before the incident, been forthright with information and followed the six basic tenants above, we all might have a different perspective.
Fallston Group Celebrates a Decade of Building, Strengthening & Defending Reputations
Fallston Group, the Baltimore-based, global reputation agency, is celebrating its tenth year of building, strengthening and defending reputations. With the milestone comes streamlined service verticals and new offerings to help organizations achieve their short, mid- and long-term reputational goals. After decades of private and public sector leadership service, Robert Weinhold, Jr., launched Fallston Group in November 2009 to continue his career mission of helping organizations during life’s most critical times. Since then, the company has grown to represent international, national and local brands – including large public companies, banking and financial services, healthcare and academic systems, franchisors, trade associations and individuals. The firm has operated in many industries, managing negative press, social media attacks, investigations, litigation, data breaches, labor issues, mismanagement, discrimination, sex scandals and many, many more triggering events. The firm operates at the intersection of leadership, strategy and communications. “Fallston Group is clearly the ‘go-to’ firm for crisis leadership,” says Ragina C. Ali, Public and Government Affairs Manager at AAA Mid-Atlantic. “Based on my observations during the last decade, executives can implicitly trust Fallston Group’s instinct and experience. They clearly drive results during life’s most critical times. Congratulations to the company on its continued growth.” After a strategic planning session in 2019, Weinhold and his team decided evolution was in order to properly celebrate a decade of service and respond to an emerging demand for crisis-oriented training services. “In addition to our robust crisis leadership and marketing business verticals, our firm has completed architecting a new business line which enhances our interactive work in the training and workshop arena. What we’ve heard from clients is our training is unique, immersive, authentic and effective – it ensures they are ready to meet the moment,” says Weinhold. He adds, “We are incredibly grateful for a decade of growth, the trust our clients place in our team and a marketplace which has legitimized our business model.” The innovative training offerings will offer a variety of customizable learning modules, workshops and tabletop exercises. To learn more, visit fallstongroup.com. Outside of embracing the basics – operating with integrity, taking responsibility, being decisive and operating with velocity and vision – Weinhold offers his top tips to successfully manage a crisis, based on his decades of experience helping people during their most difficult times: Admit you are in crisis and ask for help. Most people don’t want to admit they are in crisis and steadily losing control – do this immediately as your window of opportunity will close quickly. Whether your personal obstacle is ego, complacency, embarrassment or uncertainty, get over it. Admit you are in need and seek the opinion of those you trust. Tell your story. If you don’t tell your story, someone else will. And, if someone else tells your story, it certainly won’t be the story you want told. A crisis rarely “goes away” – be transparent and get in front of the media and general public versus refusing to comment. The ability to tell your story is your most important growth strategy. Command the facts. Too many times professionals make rash decisions and jump out on camera with either no substantive information or rely solely on the “I can’t comment on that” or “I don’t have that information” phraseology. Bottom line: if you decide to publicly address a crisis, have something important to say – and maintain a strong command of the facts. Reframe your public remarks, if misunderstood. Every single person I know has at some point misspoken or has not articulated a point in an optimal manner – reframe vs. denying, debating or being offended. Remember, the general public, not a reporter, is the ultimate consumer of the information you are attempting to convey. Above all else, the most important message is the message received. Be direct. There is a tendency to soften words or not be direct with ominous news. While initially shocking, people prefer the bottom line right away. I call this bad habit “circling the messaging runway” vs. “landing the plane.” Do not circle the runway with negative or emergent news; immediately tell people what is going on. You will earn their confidence and trust more quickly. For additional crisis leadership tips and to learn more about Fallston Group’s anniversary and services, visit www.fallstongroup.com/anniversary. Please direct all media inquiries to Andrea Lynn at 410-420-2001 or by email at Andrea.Lynn@fallstongroup.com.
Top Ten Tips After Navigating Ten Years of Crisis
Fallston Group, the Baltimore-based, global reputation agency, is celebrating its tenth year of building, strengthening and defending reputations. Outside of highlighting the basics – operating with integrity, taking responsibility and being decisive – chief executive Rob Weinhold offers his top 10, in-depth pieces of advice to successfully manage a crisis based on decades of experience helping people during their most difficult times: Be predictive. Organizations must be predictive and create organizational muscle memory through extensive assessment, policy development and training. Organizations who evaluate their company-based and industry threats cycle through crisis more quickly and are bigger, faster, stronger after their defining moment. Tell your story. If you don’t tell your story, someone else will. And, if someone else tells your story, it certainly won’t be the story you want told. A crisis rarely “goes away” – be transparent and get in front of the media and general public versus refusing to comment. The ability to tell your story is your most important growth strategy. Find the points of leverage. Understanding what motivates all parties involved in crisis will drive outcomes, and a win-win, if possible. This sounds simple, but it’s not. There are always points of leverage in an adversarial situation – find them and focus. Know what motivates people who behave badly. The five core primal drivers I’ve observed include power, control, money, sex and revenge. Be wary of people who are strictly motivated by one or more of these drivers. Or, use it to your advantage. Reframe your public remarks, if misunderstood. Every single person I know has at some point misspoken or has not articulated a point in an optimal manner – reframe vs. denying, debating or being offended. Remember, the general public, not a reporter, is the ultimate consumer of the information you are attempting to convey. Above all else, the most important message is the message received. Admit you are in crisis and connect to your trusted advisors. Most people don’t want to admit they are in crisis and steadily losing control – do this quickly as your window of opportunity will close quickly. Whether your personal obstacle is ego, complacency, embarrassment or uncertainty, get over it. Admit you are in need and seek the opinion of those you trust. Remember: tired + wired = fired! Spread the pain to those who are cerebral, not emotional. Command the facts. Too many times professionals make rash decisions and jump out on camera with either no substantive information or rely solely on the “I can’t comment on that” or “I don’t have that information” phraseology. Bottom line: if you decide to publicly address a crisis, have something important to say – and maintain a strong command of the facts. Remove the opportunists. I’ve seen it over and over again. When a leader is in trouble or wobbling due to crisis, there are very few who maintain a strong sense of loyalty to the one they serve while many others remain silent or work covertly to push the leader out the door, hoping they can sit in the big chair one day soon. When you are embroiled in crisis, it can be a very lonely, thankless road – you become a perceived liability to others who are not willing to embrace the risk, even though you may be 100% right. The DNA of the opportunist is such that their loyalty is stalwart as long as it is politically expedient to do so and ultimately advantages them and their careers. These are the wolves in sheep’s clothing. Find out who the wolves are and remove them – they are only there to facilitate your demise. Be direct. There is a tendency to soften words or not be direct with ominous news. While initially shocking, people prefer the bottom line right away. I call this bad habit “circling the messaging runway” vs. “landing the plane.” Do not circle the runway with negative or emergent news; immediately tell people what is going on. You will earn their confidence and trust more quickly. Have faith in a higher being or larger purpose. When a person is on the brink of or embroiled in crisis, keenly focusing on taking care of one’s mind, body and spirit is critically important. Spirit, in particular, becomes even more essential when people feel they’ve lost control of a situation. I’ve worked with many troubled leaders where their renewed sense of spirituality, or belief in a larger purpose, helped them navigate their storm. To learn more about Fallston Group’s anniversary and services, visit www.fallstongroup.com/anniversary.
Crisis from a Doctor’s Perspective
Guest blog authored by Dr. Diva Nagula Let me introduce myself: I am Dr. Diva Nagula, a board-certified physician, entrepreneur, author, and cancer survivor. Five years ago, when I was diagnosed with stage four non-Hodgkins lymphoma, I spiraled into a state of crisis personally, professionally, and spiritually. After my diagnosis, I analyzed my own response to this health crisis and documented techniques that worked for me to overcome cancer and change my life for the better. Here’s what I’ve learned over the years about crisis management as both a doctor and patient: The Physiological State of Crisis Crises vary by person, setting, and level of severity. Maybe your loved one passed away; your company is undergoing financial cuts and layoffs; a natural disaster struck in your region; or like in my case, you were diagnosed with cancer or another life-altering health condition. No matter what your particular crisis is, our body’s physiological response to crisis is quite similar: Rapid, shallow breathing Sweating Increased heart rate (heart pounding, or “beating out of your chest”) Slowed digestion (why you lose your appetite!) Muscle tension While natural and even helpful at times (e.g., the body’s “fight or flight” response), the physiological state of crisis is not sustainable long-term. Living in this state for long periods of time can have detrimental impacts on your psychological and physical health. For example, chronic stress often leads to mental health issues (e.g., depression, anxiety) and/or cardiovascular disease (e.g., heart disease, high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke). Fortunately, there are some simple life changes that we can make to alleviate the body’s physiological response to a crisis, and eschew the health impacts associated with chronic stress. Doctor’s Orders: Balance the Mind, Body, and Spirit During my medical training in integrative medicine, a blend of traditional and alternative medicine, I learned about the importance of balancing the mind, body, and spirit – a philosophy that ultimately led to my cancer remission and improved my overall well-being. When facing a crisis, health or otherwise, your ability to overcome it strongly depends on the health of your mind, body, and spirit. Fortunately, I was equipped with many tools to optimize my ability to overcome my crisis. Now, I’m excited for the opportunity to share these tips with others. Here are a few: Fuel your body When facing a crisis, you need to be on top of your game – this means eating foods that give you energy and avoiding foods that make you feel sluggish. Limit carbs and sugars, avoid processed foods, and take supplements as needed. Take care of your spirit When you are under significant stress, it is crucial to care for your mental and emotional health. I suggest seeing a therapist, surrounding yourself with friends and family, and finding some sense of spirituality. When in crisis, these tactics will help you make sound, rational decisions, rather than emotional ones. Tend to your mind Mindfulness, or non-judgmental moment-to-moment awareness, is one of the most important techniques to employ when you’re in crisis. Research has shown that mindfulness practices reduce the body’s physiological response to stress (e.g. increased blood pressure), decrease anxiety, depression, and exhaustion, and improve focus and memory. In my journey to remission, I used these techniques to heal my mind, body, and spirit. However, I found something even greater in the process: I found a new purpose in life. There is a reason cancer didn’t kill me, and that reason is to share my journey to better health with others. For more tips on crisis management from a health perspective, check out my new book “From Doctor to Patient” here: https://www.amazon.com/Doctor-Patient-Healing-Cancer-through-ebook/dp/B081PG4P87/ .
The Public Face of Crisis
By Rob Weinhold; as originally published in Sheriff & Deputy Magazine When a crisis engulfs your office, you will appear in front of a bank of microphones, and—with white-hot TV lights glaring and cameras rolling—stare out into a sea of skeptical media faces and attempt to deliver a timely, coherent response on behalf of your organization. And with each community meeting, speech, or media interview, you will either make a small deposit into, or a heavy withdrawal from, your reputational “piggy bank”—whose balance you hope never reaches zero. I have learned from many incredible communicators who perform spectacularly under duress. It is an art, not a science. As with wine, one gets better with age; there is no substitute for experience. The best communicators I know are obsessive about every syllable they utter, every piece of clothing they wear, and every message point they deliver. They call each reporter back, treat them fairly, and never compromise their integrity; they understand what reporters need and make themselves relevant to those who have editorial control. The best communicators also learn how to steer clear of organiza- tional jargon, are detail-oriented, and deliver news compassionately in a conversational manner that connects with those who consume their words emotionally. They are analytical, well-timed, and process loads of information almost instantaneously. And they are never too high or too low; they have a steady hand under pressure, no matter the gravity of the situation or the tightness of the deadline. In the event they run into an aggressive reporter, they can manage the situation with the grace and humility of a 10th-level verbal judo artist. If they had the God-given talent to perform on the gridiron, they’d run two-minute drills with the game on the line. And like Peyton Manning, the best are prepared, informed, and always find a way to hone their craft. You want them on your team, because they understand the big picture and see the whole room. It’s what they do best. Read more in Rob Weinhold’s recent article published in Sheriff & Deputy Magazine via the National Sheriff’s Association, and learn more about Fallston Group’s crisis & issue leadership services, including media training workshops, to help prepare your business.
Miracles Can Happen
By Rob Weinhold; as originally published in Sheriff & Deputy Magazine A deputy spots a man walking erratically down a city sidewalk, yelling at passersby and getting dangerously close to some of their faces. As she approaches the man to ask him to stop bothering others, he gets louder and angrier. It’s clear that he perceives the deputy as a threat. How this encounter ends depends on the deputy’s training and whether she is able to quickly discern that the man has a serious mental illness. Perhaps, if she is lucky, she has crisis intervention team training. She successfully deescalates the situation as she calls for backup. But what happens next? Does the man get the help he needs, or is the same scene destined to play out again in the coming weeks? And if law enforcement needs to respond to this man again, will the situation be resolved as well as it was before? In response to the mental health crisis taxing communities of man hours and millions of dollars, the National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA) will soon launch a system called MIRACLE™: Mental Illness Response Alternatives Center for Law Enforcement. The system will enable first responders to not only better handle the immediate concerns of ensuring community safety when encountering a person with serious mental illness, but also to focus on long-term solutions. Read more in Rob Weinhold’s recent article published in Sheriff & Deputy Magazine via the National Sheriff’s Association or visit miraclesaves.org to learn more and support this important new initiative.
Top Tips to Improve Your Instagram Marketing
By Patrick Seidl Since first launching in October 2010, Instagram has grown into the sixth-largest social media platform, having reached 1 billion active monthly users just last year. The home of visual content (photos and videos) surrounding fashion, food and lifestyle content, Instagram is an increasingly valuable social media platform for businesses and nonprofits alike to increase awareness and drive results. HubSpot recently released a thorough report encompassing what companies need to know to make informed decisions about their Instagram marketing moving forward in 2019. Here are a few top tips to help improve your IG marketing: Focus on Engaged Followers over Total Followers – Gone are the days when increasing a company’s total followers is the main goal. Today, it’s all about connecting with the right audiences and posting content that compels them to engage through likes, comments, etc. Why? Thanks to Instagram’s new algorithm, only 10% of your followers see your post organically in their feeds. What the algorithm also does is predict what type of content users like to see – meaning, if they’ve interacted with your posts in the past, they’re more likely to see them in their feeds moving forward. So, what type of content performs best? Similar to Facebook, video content is king – and, on average, receives the highest number of engagements. Provide your followers with multiple video updates per week. Content could include behind the scenes looks at your team preparing for an upcoming event or a short video of a team member discussing what projects they’re working on. Incorporate Hashtags – Simply put, hashtags are searchable keywords included in IG posts and stories that categorize content across the platform. And, when it comes to hashtags, it’s not about quantity, but relevance. How do you know what hashtags to use? A great place to start is by typing a keyword that’s relevant to your brand into IG’s search bar (or “Explore” feature) then select the “tags” tab. What shows up is a list of all the hashtags with your keyword, as well as the number of posts that use it. Begin incorporating the top-used #’s into your posts and measure your results. Tag Key Partners – Is your business planning an event where you’re collaborating with others? Be sure to tag their company profiles in your posts as well as your stories. When a company is tagged, they receive an instant notification which greatly improves their chances of interacting with your post. Another tip? If you tag them in your story, they also have the option to share your post to their own story, thus increasing your brand’s exposure. The same idea can be applied to a local nonprofit. Tag your business supporters in your sponsorship or partnership thank you posts. More often than not, they’ll engage! I get it. Keeping up with social media can be an extreme challenge – especially when it seems like every other day there’s a new platform popping up and vying for your customers’ attention. But, with Facebook’s purchase of Instagram in 2012, and their steady roll-out of new features, I don’t suspect the platform going anywhere soon. If your company needs help with your social media marketing, get in touch with us at Fallston Group today.
The Current 5 Crises to Prep for…?
Each year, the Institute for Crisis Management publishes The ICM Annual Crisis Report – a valuable tool compiling annual news, crises analysis and trends, industry assessment and lessons on crisis prevention. The 2018 data, released this year, included five noteworthy crisis categories; some indicate a growing area of concern. If your company isn’t prepared for these types of crises, we encourage you to take note and, more importantly, take action! Mismanagement. As is most often the case, mismanagement once again topped the list as the most frequently reported crisis. With smoldering crises accounting for 65% of the incidents ICM analyzed, this tells us that leadership is aware of potential issues (or the cause of them!)…but are not adequately addressing leadership issues in a timely fashion. Cyber. Cybercrime news increased by 65% over 2017 – yet another reminder to ensure you have the proper cyber policies in place…and, consider investing in cyber insurance! Sexual Harassment. This past year, #metoo and #timesup dominated headlines. Therefore, it’s no surprise to see sexual harassment and assault incidents increaseing to nearly 10% of all crisis news. Are YOUR company’s employees protected from predators? Executive Dismissals. While still a comparatively small category, 2018 saw the most executive dismissals in the past decade. Widely-known executives who stepped down for inappropriate behavior include Papa John’s founder John Schnatter and Intel CEO Brian Krzanich; those fired for sexual misconduct include CBS’ Les Moonves and Disney’s chief creative officer John Lassiter. Labor Disputes. 2018 was “the biggest year for worker protest in decades” due to teacher strikes across the U.S. Internationally, Brazil experienced a trucker strike that impacted shipments of $1.2 billion, and western European travel experienced a significant disruption due to French rail workers walking off the job. While the digital age makes it possible for crisis to strike within seconds, ICM also reports the number of organizations with a crisis management/crisis communications plan is only at 50% worldwide. Believe us, anyone with a smart phone can wreak havoc on your brand! As you’ll often hear us say, it’s not “if” crisis will strike – it’s “when.” Learn more about our Crisis & Issue Leadership services or contact us today.
Three Life Lessons Learned from Rodney the Rabbit
Guest blog authored by Gina Brelesky. This past year, I co-authored a children’s book about resiliency called “Rodney Makes a Friend.” The book features Rodney the Rabbit – a shy rabbit who learns how to overcome the challenge of making new friends. Since the book’s release, I have learned so much from parents and teachers! It has been great to hear from educators and care givers about how they are using Rodney to teach children social intelligence skills. As I listen to their experiences, I’m reminded that we can ALL benefit from the life lessons Rodney shares…here are my top three takeaways I invite you to keep in mind and share with both the adults and children in your life. Lesson 1: The Golden Rule of Friendship reminds us to treat others the way THEY want to be treated vs the traditional saying to treat others as WE want to be treated. Dr. Janet Little shared with me how she and her son, Payton, read the book over several nights. Payton loved the deliberate pauses built into the story and was able to make connections from the story to his own life. His mom shared, “My son and I read this book together. It’s a great fable about teaching kids and adults alike to never give up. My son learned about the “Golden Rule” to treat others like they want to be treated and has been able to apply that in his everyday life. This book has so many insights on keeping a growth mindset, an important lesson to learn when you are young and a great reminder for us all.” Lesson 2: We need to remember to take other’s perspectives into consideration. When we teach children the Golden Rule of Friendship, treating others the way they want to be treated, we are teaching them perspective taking. Being able to take the perspective of another is an essential life skill which supports the building of social/emotional intelligence and resiliency. Perspective taking will serve children now as they navigate all that makes up childhood and, in the future, as they enter the muddy waters of teenage-hood and ultimately adulthood. Lesson 3: It’s never too early or too late to improve our social and emotional intelligence. I must admit I was really excited to learn that fourth grade teachers could use “Rodney Makes a Friend” as part of their social and emotional health curriculum! Mrs. James sent me this after her class read the book together, “My fourth graders loved this book! It was a perfect read for them at this age. There are wonderful talking points which led to some great conversations!” For many children, fourth grade signifies the end of elementary school, which means navigating a new middle school and making new friends. The more teachers, parents and caregivers can talk with kids about the things that make them nervous and practice with them these social skills, the more confident and comfortable children will become when faced with the actual situation. As adults, we can continue to apply social intelligence skills as we begin new jobs, interact with new clients, attend business networking events, and more. Thank you all for supporting “Rodney Makes a Friend” getting into the little hands that will benefit from reading it! After all, shouldn’t our goal be to raise socially intelligent and resilient kids? I sure hope so! And, let’s not forget to apply these lessons to our own lives. To learn more, visit www.ginabrelesky.com. _____________________________________________________________________________ Gina Brelesky is an author, international trainer, talent coach and corporate educator with more than 25 years of extensive experience in training diverse groups of people in both hard and soft skills. Gina’s purpose is to support individuals, leaders, and teams to develop a growth mindset and achieve success. Through a strong partnership with her clients, Gina gains insight into their unique business culture, learns their perspective on success, and guides them through a process for achieving their goals. Gina is passionate about supporting people in building the skills and self-awareness they need to grow towards their full potential. She believes that as individuals progress along this journey of growth and awareness, they provide progressively greater levels of value to their teams and companies. Gina holds a Master’s degrees in Public Administration and Education. She has a Certificate of Advanced Study in Resilient Leadership and is DDI and DiSC certified. Gina is a trained coach through the Neuroleadership Institute in Brain-Based Coaching.
When to Begin Brand Building
I recently traveled to London for an early vacation. Amongst my adventures, I visited the beautiful town of Windsor, where Prince Harry and Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle reside. As sheer luck would have it, the day I explored Windsor is the same day baby Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor (what a mouthful!) was born. News crews lined every street, and the pubs filled with excited citizens yearning for the reveal of baby Archie on TV. Two days later, Meghan (postpartum in a white dress and heels – bless her) and Harry proudly showed off baby Archie on live TV. As Twitter flooded with reactions, I couldn’t help but think, “Wow, this baby’s brand literally began at birth.” As part of the British Royal Family, he will always have to be “on” – and can expect to be in the news on a regular basis. The same principle applies to business. As a new company is born, so is its brand. A first impression can last for many years to come, so it is important to develop effective, ongoing branding goals, strategies and tactics along the way. What does brand construction entail? After establishing your brand goals, there are multiple building blocks to reach them, including: Establishing a digital presence through social media and your website Creating community partnerships and customers Sharing positive news about your business with the media All of these efforts create initial deposits into your reputational piggy bank. But, what do you do if your brand is stagnant? Or, even worse, your reputation has been damaged? Even mature businesses can experience a re-birth – you can re-build and positively change your brand’s image in the court of public opinion. Whether you’re starting a new business or need a refresh, Fallston Group can help. Learn more about our strategic marketing & PR plans, media training and crisis leadership by exploring our website, or give me a call at 410-420-2001.
