Be the Face They Trust when the Crisis Hits
Perhaps bad things won't happen if you don't think about them. Mostleaders, like most humans in their personal lives, avoid planning for disasters. Because it is usually a thankless task, we often don't take action until after a crisis has hit us, someone we know, or someone who is like us or in a very public profession like ours.
But we do not have the fantasy of safety anymore. Ironically, now more than ever our citizens look to us for the safety they seek in their community and workplace.
More than many other kinds of people they trust their government professionals to do the right thing.
Responding quickly, fully, and truthfully is the only way to keep the faith of the people you serve, inside and outside your government agency.
In advance of an emergency or attack by critics, your agency needs a crisis response plan, and the opportunity to practice it. When bad news strikes, almost immediately, people can learn the "truth" - in several conflicting versions - compare their views, and see how those views stack up with those of "the general public."
Like a tennis game on fast-forward, the ball of "information" and opinions bounces back and forth at warp speed. Some organizations might still be trying to choose a spokesperson while the ball has already made several trips both ways, right over their heads, and they aren't yet participating in the game about their issue.
Bad news always travels faster than good news. What can you do to protect your or your organization's reputation in the face of a future crisis - inaccurate, incomplete, or biased government or otherwise official or media announcement; or an attack from someone, especially a credible, powerful or well-known figure?
Here are some suggestions:
~No, I Do Not Beat My Wife!
|
|