During a company crisis, a leader's actions are some of most important determinants of success or failure. Here are four things every leader should do in the face of crisis or catastrophe, adapted from a Forbes post.
1. Get the facts, then get the facts again. Often people will be reluctant to bring attention to hard news during crises. Be persistent in pursuit of necessary information.
2. Treat all information as if it will eventually become public. Always tell the truth. Lying to cover up facts, even when they show errors or poor judgment, is worse than simply telling the truth, no matter how hard that truth is.
3. Triple estimated crisis fallout. For accuracy, estimate the worst things that could happen, then expect fallout about triple the worst projections. Preparing for this will help the company successfully weather fallout at any magnitude.
4. Know someone at the top will probably take the fall. Responsibility for the crisis will almost always fall to a leader or senior team member. Address this as soon as it is possible; making the decision about who is responsible an error only gets harder with time.
More articles on turnarounds:
Founder of first ophthalmic ASC in Pennsylvania dies
ASC dermatologist launches Mohs surgery education site
4 recent ASC industry moves
1. Get the facts, then get the facts again. Often people will be reluctant to bring attention to hard news during crises. Be persistent in pursuit of necessary information.
2. Treat all information as if it will eventually become public. Always tell the truth. Lying to cover up facts, even when they show errors or poor judgment, is worse than simply telling the truth, no matter how hard that truth is.
3. Triple estimated crisis fallout. For accuracy, estimate the worst things that could happen, then expect fallout about triple the worst projections. Preparing for this will help the company successfully weather fallout at any magnitude.
4. Know someone at the top will probably take the fall. Responsibility for the crisis will almost always fall to a leader or senior team member. Address this as soon as it is possible; making the decision about who is responsible an error only gets harder with time.
More articles on turnarounds:
Founder of first ophthalmic ASC in Pennsylvania dies
ASC dermatologist launches Mohs surgery education site
4 recent ASC industry moves