Crisis Management

Tanya Young Williams: ABC's Scandal Won't Fix Your Crisis But Judy Smith Can

Tanya Young Williams | Posted 04.10.2012

Tanya Young Williams

Good Self/Bad Self beautifully intertwines practical self-help tools with riveting insight into some of Judy Smith's high-profile cases.

Ask Judy: 10 Tips For Preventing Crises At Work From The Inspiration Behind ABC's 'Scandal'

The Huffington Post | Jessica Cumberbatch Anderson | Posted 04.09.2012

Our work dramas may never escalate to the heights that they do on ABC's new series "Scandal." On the first episode alone protagonist Olivia Pope, play...

Crisis: Remembering and Beginning...

Robert Levithan | Posted 05.12.2012

Robert Levithan

When faced with a new type of crisis, we often have to let ourselves be beginners and "not know" what we have not yet learned.

Is This the Time Bomb From Which Rush Limbaugh Cannot Finally Escape?

Ian I. Mitroff | Posted 05.07.2012

Ian I. Mitroff

I have seen individuals and organizations of all types become trapped in the same disastrous pattern from which they rarely escape, or at least not completely unharmed.

Penn State and the PR Price of Sainthood

Eric Dezenhall | Posted 01.14.2012

Eric Dezenhall

The Penn State scandal not only marks the end of Coach Joe Paterno's brilliant career, it is the death knell for the old crisis management canard that a good reputation is a bulwark against future bad news.

Team Rubicon: Helping Vets Heal the World

MeiMei Fox | Posted 01.09.2012

MeiMei Fox

In honor of Veterans Day, here's a much-needed story about the courage, goodwill and valuable skills that our veterans have to offer our society.

Six Lessons from Chile

Glenn Llopis | Posted 11.30.2011

Glenn Llopis

As we near the one-year anniversary of the Chilean mine rescue, it's a good time to reflect on the lessons that event can teach Americans. Many of us are looking for a rescue of our own, from crisis after crisis. It's time for us to learn some lessons about leadership in the face of tremendous adversity - and from an apparently unlikely source.

The Japanese Emergency and Hyperlocal Governments

Alan W. Silberberg | Posted 05.25.2011

Alan W. Silberberg

The local emergency manager now has the power of a never ending flow of information at their fingertips that can be quickly siphoned and divided into necessary parts.

The Cairo Condition: Waiting for a Crisis to Make Changes Is a Bad Idea

Inder Sidhu | Posted 05.25.2011

Inder Sidhu

Think about the last time your organization faced a crisis: did it anticipate it before hand? Was it slow to implement change? Did your leaders vow afterward to react differently next time?

Crisis Diplomacy In Egypt

Wolfgang Danspeckgruber | Posted 05.25.2011

Wolfgang Danspeckgruber

My career-long investigation into the best practices of crisis diplomacy has consistently led me to a singular and understated fact -- perception forms reality.

Mom Always Said I Should Be a Lawyer

Jonathan Bernstein | Posted 05.25.2011

Jonathan Bernstein

Tom Foolery recently retired from his 25 years of service to the House Ethics Committee, and categorically denies that his own behavior was under review at the time of his retirement.

Bimbo of the Year Awards

Jonathan Bernstein | Posted 05.25.2011

Jonathan Bernstein

Here are some dumb public comments made during the year. The primary criterion is that the speaker causes the listener to believe exactly the opposite of what was said.

Former Intelligence Operative Talks About the Implications of WikiLeaks

Jonathan Bernstein | Posted 05.25.2011

Jonathan Bernstein

The ongoing release of formerly secret U.S. government documents by WikiLeaks has hit home with me on multiple fronts: as a former military intelligen...

Finding Gratitude in a Crisis

Trish Kinney | Posted 11.17.2011

Trish Kinney

Life recently pulled me up short and drop-kicked me straight up into the air. During the ensuing freefall, figuring out how to land on my feet became...

A Tale of Two Eras

Jonathan Bernstein | Posted 05.25.2011

Jonathan Bernstein

When crises occur, someone is usually spewing the word via every available communications orifice -- Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc. -- ad infinitum. But most organizations don't engage in crisis response that quickly.

The Bush Biography as Damage Control

Eric Dezenhall | Posted 05.25.2011

Eric Dezenhall

Bush's best option was to use this autobiography to certify who we already knew him to be. Of course, this wouldn't have worked amidst the vapors of Hope and Change. But in today's political climate, it certainly does.

Product Recalls -- Tips for Businesses, Media and Consumers

Jonathan Bernstein | Posted 05.25.2011

Jonathan Bernstein

Through my work in support of product recalls, I have identified trends in both well-done and poorly done recalls that prompted me to offer these ten tips to businesses that may have to go through this process.

Inside a Reporter's Mind -- A Scary Place

Jonathan Bernstein | Posted 05.25.2011

Jonathan Bernstein

Believe it or not, reporters would probably find it as scary to be in your mind as you would to be in theirs. The catch is that they're paid to be in yours and will do their best to get there.

Third World America -- How to Prevent our Crisis From Becoming a Disaster

Jonathan Bernstein | Posted 05.25.2011

Jonathan Bernstein

Third World America is an excellent analysis of a crisis in progress -- what I have frequently called a slow burn crisis, one whose warning signs are all present if you look for them

Seeking Vindication in the Media Crisis Vortex

Eric Dezenhall | Posted 05.25.2011

Eric Dezenhall

When the Crisis Vortex is done spinning, and a company accepts that it is not immoral to defend itself when nobody else will, redemption, however wobbly a vessel, is possible.

How to Fail at Crisis Response

Jonathan Bernstein | Posted 05.25.2011

Jonathan Bernstein

Testing a plan for the first time always has the potential for something going horribly wrong.

Don't Let Your Next Crisis Go to Waste

Ron Ashkenas | Posted 05.25.2011

Ron Ashkenas

Crises create new working patterns spontaneously, but without conscious effort, these innovations cannot be sustained. The crisis becomes a part of company's folklore, rather than lasting performance.

How to Avoid Foot-in-Mouth Disease

Jonathan Bernstein | Posted 05.25.2011

Jonathan Bernstein

Shoes belong on your feet, not in your mouth, so use this list to make sure you get the best possible media training.

The C-Factor: How Credibility Plays a Role in Crisis Management

Jonathan Bernstein | Posted 05.25.2011

Jonathan Bernstein

Imagine your organization becoming the target of a class action lawsuit alleging fraudulent marketing practices; or learning that it's the target of an investigation by a state attorney general.

Egg Recall -- Don't Roll That Way

Jonathan Bernstein | Posted 05.25.2011

Jonathan Bernstein

This week's recall of at least 380 million eggs potentially contaminated by salmonella makes it clear that too many CEO's play ostrich about the possibility of a recall.