Crisis Chat: Honesty is an Interview Best Policy
Forbes: Here’s What Executives Need To Know Before Responding To Consumer Protests
Fallston Group’s Crisis & Leadership Expert and Chief Executive, Rob Weinhold, was recently featured in Forbes, offering insight and perspective on current events. Review the article here.
Dallas Mavericks and The National Anthem
Accountability in Communications
No doubt the pandemic has deeply affected our families, work, the economy, social activity, and of course, our health. In has also affected how companies operate and how they communicate with their customers and the public. Being tone-deaf to what is happening in the world can do tremendous reputational damage to a brand. Many companies recognized this and started to incorporate acknowledgment of the pandemic into their Corporate Social Responsibility programs, and their communications, in mid-2020. And now several major brands are recognizing the need to not only adapt to the societal changes, but also involve themselves by reaching out to the public with pandemic messaging, some of it replacing their existing marketing. Anheuser-Busch, Pepsi, Coke, Audi and others are adjusting, or even eliminating, the holy grail of marketing platforms from their ad schedules: the Super Bowl. And several are donating their ad time to vaccine education and other non-profits. This is an excellent example of following some of the basic tenants of good communications, regardless of the time we find ourselves in. Stay connected to what is happening in society, and with your public. Be authentic and transparent. Deliver value to your audience. Be flexible and adjust when appropriate. Being socially responsible is not only about donating money and involving your employees in cause programs. Corporate Social Responsibility is about being accountable to your stakeholders, the public, and to yourself. It is an awareness of how your brand affects society. Companies need to learn how to “read the room.” Corporate Social Responsibility should be a critical part of a company’s branding efforts and in some cases it can even lead the efforts and serve as the umbrella mission over marketing and public relations, driving the company image. Whatever position your company decides to embrace, the recognition of societal change can be a driver for positivity in your communications and show benefit and value to your publics.
Discussing The (Former) President Being Removed From Various Social Media Platforms
Radio Interview: Discussing Hilaria Baldwin’s Cultural Appropriation Accusations
5 Strategies for Successful Crisis Leadership
by Rob Weinhold, Chief Executive of Fallston Group When it comes to crisis, it isn’t a matter of if but of when. Having an effective crisis management strategy in place is critical not only for weathering the storm but for rebuilding as quickly as possible afterward. These five strategies will help you minimize damage and maximize recovery. Embrace and seize the moment. Short-term adversity can be a long-term advantage if you are able to meet the moment with impact. Look for ways to make your company bigger, faster and stronger than before. As a leader, you have the ability to make an immediate and valuable difference. While everyone does make mistakes, people trust those who handle crisis with the honesty, decisiveness and optimism it deserves. Yes, optimism! Follow the Resilient Moment Communications model. The underpinning of success is the ability to communicate effectively, especially in dire, unexpected circumstances. The Resilient Moment Communications model, developed by Dr. George Everly, Jr., Ph.D., one of the founding fathers of the modern era of stress management, provides an excellent communications blueprint: What happened? What caused it? What are the effects—realized and anticipated? What is being done about it? What needs to be done in the future? If you can fully answer the above questions during times of crisis or adversity, you will have answered the key questions the overwhelming majority of people have during life’s most critical times – you will provide effective leadership. Stay present. Incredible leaders emerge when the chips are down and there is seemingly no way out. The lesson that has always remained with me is the power of presence. The ability to look someone in the eye with empathy and compassion during adversity is critical. You must ensure you and your company are ready to meet the moment, no matter how uncomfortable or unpleasant. Certain life occurrences will yield themselves whether you are there or not. Be ready to meet the moment with vigor, transparency and, again, decisiveness. Be predictive with the press. When it’s time to address the media, be certain to plan for every question and eventuality. There is a tendency for CEOs to want to go on camera without fully preparing because they are used to speaking publicly and know the organization very well. Avoid this temptation and list all possible questions, answers, follow-ups and counters. Train on camera, relentlessly. An eight to fifteen-second sound bite can ruin your reputation, and career. Don’t wing it. Prepare for every interview and press conference no matter how mundane or harmless it may seem. Again, train relentlessly as in this digital age there is no such thing as a local news story any longer. Plan your work, work your plan, stay the course. Once a plan to deal with a crisis situation is put in place, remain true to your vision, conviction and the plan’s ability to perform. This is key. Staying the course is essential in any crisis, once an effective plan is defined. Mid-course correction is sometimes necessary but always have a plan that’s straightforward, easy to understand, easy to execute and scalable at a moment’s notice. During times of sensitivity, adversity or crisis, the most important thing you can do is step up, be present, and answer the tough, yet important, questions. Even better, be prepared before a crisis so you and your company will know what to do during and after – you must create organizational muscle memory – many people are depending on you to lead them through the storm. Always remember Fallston Group’s mantra, “If you don’t tell your story, someone else will. And, when someone else tells your story, it certainly won’t be the story you want told.” Be first. Be fast. Be accurate! Crisis isn’t a matter of if but of when, and when crisis strikes your company or organization, being a competent ambassador and leader during a crisis are critical components to you and your organization’s longevity.
Crisis Chat: A Renewed Focus on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI)
Why Do You Need a Crisis Communications Plan?
Crisis Communications Plans are designed to provide guidance and easy-to-follow steps to support clients in preparation for, management of and after-effects of proper crisis communications. Reputation leads to trust, trust leads to valuation. Effective crisis prevention, identification and communication rely heavily on education, training, professional judgment and experience of an internally formed Crisis Management Team (CMT), which clients learn how to create by following instructions within the plans Fallston Group creates. The CMT’s ability to manage smoldering issues and understand ways in which issues can escalate is essential to effective crisis response and recovery. Crisis communication is integral in the protection of people, assets and brands. Organizations that wait to respond, hesitate or lack visibility of action create uncertainty and anger – it diminishes marketplace trust. Client CMT’s must efficiently and effectively communicate so others do not fill the informational gap created by silence or misinformation. Any employee who is not authorized as a spokesperson should not make statements, comments or declarations internally, externally, to vendors, media, on social media, etc. All employees should direct inquiries to the designated (and trained) primary and secondary spokespeople. When an emergency occurs, the need to factually communicate is immediate. If client operations are disrupted, all stakeholders will want to know how they will be impacted. Regulators may need to be notified, and local government officials will want to know what is going on in their community. Employees and their families will be concerned and want information. Neighbors living near the impacted area may need information—especially if they are threatened by the incident. All of these “audiences” will want information before the organization has a chance to begin communicating. Velocity and accuracy is key – the crisis communications plan facilitates speed and process – organizational muscle memory is created. A vital component of handling an incident is the crisis communications strategy. Clients must be able to respond promptly, accurately and confidently during emergent circumstances in the seconds, hours, days and weeks that follow. A diverse audience pool must be reached with information specific to their unique interests and needs. Client image will be positively or negatively impacted by public perceptions and the handling of the incident from a leadership, strategy and communications standpoint. Planning is power. With new technology, it can be the anonymous public who often “break” a crisis. Therefore, unlike earlier eras, the crisis management team cannot afford to simply “manage the media.” Remember, anyone with an internet connection and a recording device can wreak havoc on your brand. Fallston Group’s mantra is alive and well, “If you don’t tell your story, someone else will. And, when someone else tells your story, it certainly won’t be the story you want told.” From a leadership standpoint, you must be ready to meet the moment, the 60 MINUTES moment, if need be. Your legacy depends on it. To learn more about Fallston Group’s crisis management work, click here, or contact us to discuss a Crisis Communications Plan for your team.
Distance Makes the Leader Grow Stronger
By Stephen Amos, Fallston Group Performance & Executive Coach The most successful and impactful leaders are those who strike a solid, healthy balance between productivity and relationship-building. These are the leaders who encourage their teams to arrive 20 minutes early for strategically-important meetings, to allow time for bagels, coffee, and catch-up. They are the leaders who add “how do you feel about our action plan” to the bottom of the agenda for those same strategically-important meetings. They genuinely want to know and are willing to adjust based on the voices of their teammates. They are honest and transparent; the kind of people workforces gravitate toward because they are trusted. They are “my door (or Zoom line!) is always open” kind of leaders. They care about things like health and wellness, work-life balance, how Rachel’s son did in his tennis tournament, and if Jacob’s mother’s surgery went as planned. They are real people, with big hearts, and they aren’t afraid to let it show. In fact, to them, vulnerability is a strength. This past March, COVID-19 ramped up and businesses of all sizes and verticals quickly adopted new telework protocols. Leaders faced a whole new set of challenges. Scratching tasks off to-do lists in virtual work settings is one thing. Connecting with people on a personal level, using a phone or web-based platform, is another. Leaders have had to figure out how to set or sustain positive, encouraging, nurturing cultures, with groups of people they no longer see physically each day. They have had to think about and practice resilient leadership from a very different perspective – from a distance. As I’ve interacted with leaders and teams from various businesses over the past several months, it’s clear that some are knocking the ball out of the park in making these necessary adaptions. Others are still struggling to manage business “as usual” with so many new workforce dynamics. I believe there are five tactics every leader who leads from a distance must embrace, in order to keep their team engaged and connected: 1. Make time on every conference call or web-based meeting for personal connection. Don’t assume you’ll have a few extra minutes at the end, after you get through the agenda, to catch up. Make this a prioritized agenda item. 2. Ask a lot of questions and make sure your people know you want their open, honest answers, even if they are hard to hear. Good leaders, and their teams, are transparent and elicit feedback from each other. 3. Make sure your people have the right tools, supplies, and resources to work remotely, for the long-haul. Don’t assume they have what they need or expect them to make out-of-pocket investments. Ask, and then put processes in place to resource them correctly, on the company’s dollar. 4. Encourage your people to create and commit to a work schedule with daily start and stop times. Without them, the line between work time and personal time gets a bit blurred and stressful. As leaders, while we appreciate that staff is willing to go the extra mile and put extra time in to get the job done, we also need to encourage balance – now more than ever. We need the best version of each person to present, daily. 5. Set a good example. Your people are watching you. They are listening to you. They may replicate your approaches. They may adopt your attitude. Approach each day, each meeting, or each priority the way you’d like to see your team approach it. Remember, the ‘shadow of a leader’ is alive and well. Some say distance makes the heart grow founder. I believe distance makes a leader grow stronger.