Today’s crisis ridden world has put most businesses into a tailspin on how to handle the multiple issues (e.g., COVID-19, social justice, unemployment) that have surfaced. Some have even experienced a hit to their overall reputations primarily due to the lack of preparation and response to such crises. This unpreparedness and fumbling important decisions during the bevy of crises severely hurt several businesses’ image, staff morale and bottom line.
Reputations are often damaged during and after a crisis hits a company. The crisis experts at ReputationU are seeing that with the recent pandemics, political strife, social injustice and economic collapses, organizations typically do not know when a crisis will hit and what the damage will be. However, it can easily prepare for the next one. Preparation involves 1) having an updated crisis response and mitigation plan based on recent experiences and exposure to vulnerabilities, 2) establishing a Crisis Response Team (CRT) that are deputized to communicate consistently and clearly and 3) regularly scheduling practice sessions to anticipate the next issues and conduct realistic crisis scenario drills–all designed to mitigate damage to the company’s operations and reputation.
CRISIS RESPONSE TEAM
Establishing the CRT is critical when attempting to mitigate against the damage of a crisis. Typically, the CRT is comprised of select members (not necessarily all) of the executive leadership team (ELT) from key departments (e.g., operations, HR, IT, financial, marketing). This team is responsible for determining the extent of a crisis and managing the response from start to finish. Specific roles need to be established and assigned in advance to ensure clarity at the outset of a crisis.
Need help with “future thinking” and planning for the next crisis? Looking to establish and train your CRT? ReputationU’s Protector Enterprise program is designed for corporate teams to learn the needed skills of crisis response and reputation management. Enroll today!
