Better Leadership Improves Crisis Management.
December 30 ,2017 By: Deric Kennedy
“To be effective in crisis management in the digital age means being able to use social media strategically. There is no crisis management today without a full understanding of how to use new media to listen to conversations around your brand in real-time, and understand what you do and don’t need to respond to.” – Chris Syme, author. And on that note, we will begin our show.
Welcome back to The SCEM VIEW, with Deric! By now, you know that I’m pursuing a master’s degree in Strategic Communication at Troy University. This blog (which I like to pretend is a popular prime time talk show where strategic communication and popular culture fuse) was originally created to explore and discuss various topics and content in a previous class, Strategic Communication & Emerging Media (SCEM), but I have since completed that course and am now taking COM6610 Leadership. I decided to hold on to the name “The SCEMView” because it's catchy and you guys already know it…so why not. And so, here we are. Let's keep riding this thing out.
Our last show (blog/post), week six, we talked about leadership in message development and placement. Well...kind of. Admittedly, last week’s post was incomplete- blame a number of things- but I will make it up! Okay? Cool. This week, week seven, COM661 spent some time on Leadership, Media Strategies, Crisis and Change.
As mentioned in our week sevens readings, there is no excuse for a strategic communication profession to be unprepared for a crisis communication situation. While you hope that you will never have to deal with a such a situation, you must be prepared to deal with emerging communication issues. Dr. Padgett brought up a time when Troy University was caught with an inadequate crisis communication plan and further explained how it unfolded and what the results were. I pondered on this for a second and it led me today’s show discussion.
Going back to the quote made at the top of the show, to be effective in crisis management in the digital age means being able to use social media strategically. However, with the case of Troy’s crisis, which took place back in 2001- long before social media was as “common” as it is today, perhaps they didn't have the luxury of relying on social media messages to better assist the issue. But today, methods and mediums seem never ending. Which brings me to my main question… With the many advantages and resources available to us today as communicators, what causes teams to “drop the ball” when dealing with crisis management and execution? I’ll tell you what I think, I believe it's a clear reflection of leadership. And since I believe in being proactive rather than reactive, I figured I’d devote time today to sharing a little about how to be a EFFECTIVE leader in a crisis situation.
In one of our weeks readings, there resides an article all about this. It’s entitled: Leadership in a Crisis – How To Be a Leader, by the Wall street Journal. While this list doesn't include a complete collection of everything a leader should know in a crisis situation nor does it apply to every arena of communication, I still believe that it’s worth sharing.
Here are seven lessons (tips) for leaders charged with leading their organizations through a crisis:
- Leaders must face reality
This basically says leaders must take a look in the mirror and encourage their
team to do the same. To solve a problem, first means to frame it.
- No matter how bad things are, they will get worse.
This one confused me at first. I thought to myself “Okay...that’s kind of discouraging” lol.
But this mention essentially suggests that we prepare for the absolute worst. If they
restructure their cost base for the worst case, they can get their organization healthy for
the turnaround when it comes and take advantage of opportunities that present
themselves.
- Build a mountain of cash, and get to the highest hill.
Does your organization/team have sufficient funds to survive the most dire consequences?
- Get the world off your shoulders.
This is kind of self explanatory. Leaders are human. They cant do it all- no matter
how much they believe they can. It’s okay to “get the world off your shoulders”
and allow others they trust to help and assist.
- Before asking others to sacrifice, first volunteer yourself.
This is another that I feel is self explanatory. If there are sacrifices to be made – and
there will be – then the leaders should step up and make the greatest sacrifices
themselves.
- Never waste a good crisis.
A crisis provides the leader with the platform to get things done that were
required anyway and offers the sense of urgency to accelerate their
implementation.
- Be aggressive in the marketplace
It refers to the marketplace but it can be applied to any area of leadership and
service, i believe. It suggests that we, as leaders, when dealing with a crisis
situation, should act aggressively and don't wait- too long, to make action. Much
like the Troy University incident when the university communications team failed
to respond as quikcly as the public feels they should have, a speedy honest,
effective response can only help when managing a crisis.
To see the full article, feel free to visit the following link : http://guides.wsj.com/management/developing-a-leadership-style/how-to-lead-in-a-crisis/
And on that note, we’re going to end today’s show! Be sure to check the link out and also, share with me your own thoughts regarding ways to improve crisis management and strategies. I look forward to hearing from you guys. This has be The SCEM View, with Deric. See ya later.
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