Every business has a moment of crisis. Whether it’s a bad press story, a key employee leaving the business or new government policies to navigate – as a business leader managing a crisis can be the difference between surviving and thriving.
But working out how to react in a time of crisis isn’t always easy.
Responding To A Crisis: What Are The Key Steps?
Understanding how to respond to a crisis isn’t just about action, it’s about preparation too. Here are some steps any business leader should take in a time of crisis:
Prepare: A crisis is much easier to manage if you’re prepared. Big organisations will regularly run simulations of crises like breaking PR stories, data breaches or more to help teams understand R&Rs.
Having a team that knows exactly what to do means you’re much more likely to get through the process successfully.
Stay Calm: This can’t be stressed enough – but calm founders make better decisions. If a crisis comes up, try not to panic. Think clearly and strategically about the next steps to make sure the business navigates the situation properly.
Communicate: In times of crisis, teams need quick and clear communication. This applies to employees, stakeholders and customers. Try and communicate next steps to them quickly so they know what next steps the business is taking.
Prioritise: You can’t do everything at once. Try and find the most important issues to fix. If it’s a PR story, get your PR team to draft and send out a statement quickly. If it’s a data breach, get the cybersecurity team on it whilst you let customers know you are dealing with the issue. Having this can help you stay productive and stop you being overwhelmed.
Learn: Most importantly – learn from your mistakes. A good team leader will constantly evolve. Try your best to learn each time a crisis hits about what went well and what you might be able to do better next time.
To help you get prepared for the process, here are some of the best books for helping you workout how to navigate a business crisis.
Crisis Proof: How To Prepare For The Worst Day Of Your Business Life
Whilst the title sounds dramatic, this book is a masterpiece in preventative crisis preparation.
Author Jonathan Hemus talks though how to make your company crisis-proof, understanding how to formulate and implement these plans. Once you know your company is ready, you’ll sleep easier at night knowing you’re prepared!
Buy the book here.
Crisis Management: Planning for the Inevitable
No business is immune from crisis and this book is here to help. Author Steven Fink talks about how leaders can plan for crises by recognising warning signs and planning for the worst.
Whether you’re a Fortune500 company, an SME or government, this book will help you build a business that stays resilient in times of crisis.
Buy the book here.
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Crisis Management: How to Develop a Powerful Program
As the world becomes more frequently disrupted by wars, natural disasters, cyberattacks and more. The topic of a business crisis becomes less of an if, and more of a when.
The book talks through 3 main principles when preparing for a crisis, including building a great team, getting support and of course, good preparation.
Buy the book here.
Crisis, Issues and Reputation Management
Specifically for PR crises, this book talks about how to handle potential reputational damage.
The book uses case studies and processes to explain how companies should react, respond and learn from a PR crisis.
Buy the book here.
Crisis Leadership Now
This book is all about the importance of an action plan, giving business leaders the tool to act quickly without stumbling.
Written by crisis management expert Laurence Barton, the book offers real solutions to help identify and combat a range of real business crises.
Buy the book here.
Collaborative Crisis Management: Prepare, Execute, Recover, Repeat
The book title says it all, when it comes to a crisis, leaders need to prepare, execute, recover and repeat.
With the right leadership and solid preparation, all businesses can help set themselves up to be and stay resilient when it comes to a crisis.
Buy the book here.