Last week, I was speaking with a prospective client about the value and importance of crisis leadership and the need to make decisions with accuracy and velocity. The conversation went well and toward the end I asked the executive if there were any additional questions I could answer. She wanted to know what we might be able to do to generate quick positive stories about her business to offset and avoid any negative press coverage that may be on the horizon. I believe my response may have caught her by surprise.
“You don’t spin your way through crisis, you lead your way through. New stories can certainly be shared and in the mix, but timing is key. And, it’s not exclusively about offsetting the negative news you want to keep under wraps. Instead, you approach crisis with honesty, transparency, and with a vision for what life will look like when your worst moment is in the rear-view mirror. It’s not about avoidance; instead, it’s about leading while striking a balance as the storm rolls through. It truly is about operating at the intersection of leadership, strategy and communications.”
Anyone who has worked with Fallston Group knows that we almost always choose to face the storm head-on, and play the long game. Effective crisis management is not a 36 or 48-hour process or engagement that tackles an isolated incident. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. It’s about understanding clients’ personal and professional goals – short, mid, and long-term. It’s about identifying risks, threats, and liabilities that may occur and how to heal the bumps and bruises that may go along with them. It’s about merging leadership, strategy, and communications in a way that positions the client to be bigger, faster, and stronger after that defining moment than they were before. It’s about giving the client every reason under the sun to understand the importance of long-term marketplace trust.
That prospect I spoke with last week became a Fallston Group client yesterday. The decision to contract with us was an easy one, she explained. She acknowledged that her company has in fact been spinning through crisis, and that the time to change their approach, and lead through crisis is now. In fact, this particular crisis was now viewed as a platform for positive real reform, versus a hard chore to get through.
Every day, Fallston Group is engaged with unique human beings, all looking at life through different lenses based on their own experiences and lessons learned. We are here to listen, analyze, and act, with precision, as we commit to fighting a daily battle on their behalf. It’s what we know. It’s what we do. It’s what our own reputation is built upon.
Today is the day to halt the spin cycle. Choose to lead through crisis Instead. Your future depends on it.
