First, it’s about creating an overview and remaining calm. Therefore, having an external person on your team is a great idea. Someone who doesn’t need to think about bonuses and career, who doesn’t entangle in internal politics, and even more important, who can see the issue with external eyes and is quick at grasping the matter.
I can help you with the media strategy, write up the first holding statement, key messages, questions, and answers, map the stakeholders and scenarios and train the spokespeople.
I have handled numerous crises, from profit warnings over oil spills in sensitive areas, Greenpeace demos, and competition cases to whistle-blower cases, food poisoning, and dawn raids. Some might even say that I thrive in times of crisis, which I won’t entirely dismiss.
I keep calm so no one panics, and I ensure we explore all angles of the case. My focus is to minimize the short-term and long-term reputation damage. But the reputation is only possible to save if the business learns from the experience, walks the talk, and lives up to what they have promised externally.
