Admit mistakes, create solutions, move on
At some point every organization will encounter a crisis. What sets the greats apart is the way they handle the situation, and what path they take after recovery. In a recent Businessweek article, leadership expert Marshall Goldsmith hit the nail on the head with this suggestion:
Ask each person to reflect on the question “What can I learn from this crisis?” Anyone can provide leadership when times are easy. Great leaders—and great teams—step up when times are tough. Have each team member, rather than get lost in whining, focus on how he or she can grow from this experience.
I would take this one step further and not only focus internally on how the individuals and company as a whole can grow, but also share these thoughts with stakeholders. There’s little that helps to move on after a crisis more than telling people what you’re doing to fix the issues. Stop, brainstorm, and move towards becoming a better business.
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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc. , an international crisis management consultancy, and author of Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training. Erik Bernstein is a writer, publicist and SEO associate for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]
Jonathan L. Bernstein, founder and Chairman of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc. has more than 25 years of experience in all aspects of crisis management – crisis response, vulnerability assessment, planning, training and simulations.
Erik Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management. Erik started with BCM in 2009 as a writer and subsequently became social media manager for the consultancy itself as well as for a number of BCM clients before moving to the president position.