WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 21: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris (L) and Speaker of the House Nancy … [+]
This was another year with plenty of examples of how companies, organizations, and individuals managed and communicated about a crisis.
I’ve sifted through the more than 250 articles I posted here in 2022 about the good, bad, and sometimes ugly ways companies and high-profile individuals responded to a crisis. Several people and organizations in the government and private sectors are worthy of special attention for the examples they set—and who could be role models for business leaders when confronted by a crisis.
Although there’s no brick-and-mortar Crisis Management Hall of Fame, the following individuals and organizations have been inducted into my virtual one. Click on the links below to find out more about their activities and accomplishments. The members of the 2021 Hall of Fame can be seen here, and those for 2020 here.
This picture taken on on October 22, 2019, shows a new Amazon warehouse, part of mobile robotic … [+]
Learning from what may have caused or contributed to a crisis is an important step to help ensure that the crisis is not repeated.
In the aftermath of a deadly tornado that hit their warehouse in December 2021, Amazon took several steps this year to learn from the disaster and help mitigate the impact future severe weather-related events.
Among other things, “The company conducted expert reassessments at more than 800 Amazon facilities across the country. Locations were prioritized based on where severe weather events are more frequent to help determine the most structurally secure shelter-in-place areas at each facility,” as I reported earlier this month.
“Emergency badge cards are now issued to everyone on-site, including visitors. The badges include a map of the facility with clearly marked evacuation points, assembly areas, and other important information,” according to Amazon.
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 18: Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and … [+]
Depending on the nature of the crisis, it’s important to admit your mistakes, and take appropriate actions to prevent a similar crisis from happening.
The planned re-organization of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that was announced in August by Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky provided business leaders with timely lessons about the importance of identifying shortcomings in managing crises at their companies and organizations.
“To be frank, we are responsible for some pretty dramatic, pretty public mistakes, from testing to data to communications,” she said in a video distributed to the agency’s roughly 11,000 employees,” the New York Times reported.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, White House Chief Medical Advisor and Director of the National Institute of … [+]
“Dr. Anthony Fauci, who will retire this month as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, likely has more experience dealing with prolonged crises over the past 38 years than any corporate executive or other government official,” I wrote.
“He’s faced additional challenges when addressing a variety of health-related crises—from HIV/AIDS to Covid—that few business leaders have to worry about when responding to a corporate emergency: the tendency of some to blame the messenger.”
BRAZIL – 2022/04/06: In this photo illustration, a woman’s silhouette holds a smartphone with the … [+]
The ability to successfully manage expectations can help deflect criticism that can lead to a crisis for organizations. It can also put an ongoing crisis into perspective and create understanding or sympathy for what the organization— and their leaders—are going through.
As I wrote in February, “IRS Commissioner Charles P. Rettig may have had this crisis management best practice in mind when he posted an op-ed on Yahoo Money today. In an apparent effort to help put the issues the agency is facing this year in perspective, he noted that the IRS is confronting enormous challenges related to the pandemic and years of underfunding by Congress.”
Rettig said in the op-ed, “The IRS is operating without stable, multi-year funding in place, which creates additional impediments to our efforts to deal with our current situation.”
WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 08: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks at her weekly news conference … [+]
Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s announcement in November that she would not seek a leadership post in next year’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives was the capstone to a storied career in political leadership.
“For me, the hour has come for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus that I so deeply respect,” she said in a speech on the House floor…”And I am grateful that so many are ready and willing to shoulder this awesome responsibility,” the New York Times reported.
I wrote in November that “Pelosi’s actions and decisions under the harsh glare of the public spotlight over the past 20 years provide several essential leadership lessons for company executives.”
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 09: White House press secretary Jen Psaki answers questions during the daily … [+]
Jen Psaki, the press secretary for President Joe Biden who left the White House this year, provided important lessons about communicating in a crisis. “Her televised meetings with reporters immediately became a continuing education class for business leaders on how to communicate clearly and effectively with the media and the public during a crisis—or any other time,” I observed.
Cheryl Dixon is an adjunct professor of strategic communication at Columbia University, a communication strategy consultant and a former marketing and brand executive.
Psaki was “consistently calm and professional in her tone and delivery. Even when she pushed back against a reporter or delivered an edgy rebuttal, she did so with an even tone that prevented an exchange from escalating. She displayed humor and warmth when appropriate but stayed on course,” Dixon observed.
WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 21: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris (L) and Speaker of the House Nancy … [+]
In the days immediately following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, I wrote that “There have been times in history when people have been thrust into incredibly intense crisis situations and surprised the world with their remarkable courage, determination and leadership.”
“I cannot think of anyone who better managed a crisis in 2022 than Volodymyr Zelensky, John Goodman, CEO of John Goodman PR, said via email.
“Faced with overwhelming odds, Zelensky has been Churchillian not only leading his nation but galvanizing Ukrainians, who are dealing with food and water shortages, destroyed homes and many other homes with no power or heat. While his leadership has been extraordinary, his ability to manage Ukraine’s crisis and provide hope to its citizens has been inspiring. He indeed has been the master at managing a crisis this past year,” Goodman noted.
The months that followed underscored Zelensky’s leadership skills, and his speech to a joint session of Congress last week demonstrated several crisis communication best practices.