April 24, 2012. Webinar sponsored by the Silicon Valley & San Francisco Chapters of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).

1. Showing Leadership in a Crisis:
Blood on the Floor or
Name Adored?
Webinar by Jane Jordan-Meier
24 April 2012

2. Jane Jordan-Meier
2
• President of Jane Jordan & Associates, boutique
consultancy specializing in high-stakes
communication – coached 0000’s of senior execs
• Author of “The Four Highly Effective Stages of
Crisis Management: How to Manage the Media in
a Crisis” (May, 2011) – to rave reviews
• Pioneered four-stage methodology for crisis
management adopted in Australia, New Zealand
and North America
• Pioneered mentoring program for SF IABC Chapter
• 20 years plus experience in issues and crisis
management incl. Sydney Olympic Games

3. Agenda
3
Part 1: Presentation
Setting the Scene
- What is a Crisis?
What makes an effective leader during a crisis?
- Characteristics, Case studies
Role of Corporate Communicators in a crisis
Part 2: Q & A

4. What is a Crisis?
4
• A show-stopping, people-stopping,
product- stopping, country-stopping event
• Media spotlight is firmly on you, your
brand, your response
– Significant business interruption
– Single moment in time
ALL crises have TRIGGERING events

5. Why Crisis Management
has Changed Forever
5

6. Crises are Defining Moments
6

7. Question
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What are the essential characteristics
of crisis leaders?

8. Crisis Leadership: Core Competencies
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Leaders fall into
Team
three types: Leadership
Communication
1. Strategic
Thinkers Situational
Awareness Connectivity
2. Tactical Planners
Crisis
3. Operational Leadership
Doers Integrative
Competency
Courage and
Thinking Model Perseverance
Emotional
Credibility
Effectiveness
Decisiveness
Source: CDC 2009

9. Essential Characteristics
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• Truly authentic – unwavering honesty
• Credibility is CRITICAL (nanosecond)
• High level of Integrity – comes from “inside”
• Sensitivity – demonstrates compassion, yet impassive to drama
& excitement
• Steadiness – rock hard concentration, decisiveness
• Stamina – must accommodate fatigue & retain responsive edge
• Superior Communication Skills
• Strategic and detailed
• Vision and Courage

10. Why some Leaders
10
Shine and Others Fail
• Unconditional honesty • Obfuscation
from start "The Gulf of Mexico is a very big ocean,"
he was quoted as saying by Daily
“The number of casualties,” he Mail. "The volume of oil and
said, “will be more than any of us dispersant we are putting into it is
tiny in relation to the total water
can bear ultimately.”
volume.“
• Excellent • Blame game
communication skills "This was not our accident … This was
• Appropriate mix of shared not our drilling rig ... This was
loss and consuming anger, Transocean's rig. Their systems. Their
Churchillian-like people. Their
equipment."

11. Understand & “fall in love” with We
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“… our best efforts failed and we are deeply sorry. This is the
toughest situation we have faced in 100 years as a company. We know
this has shaken your confidence in us; I commit to you that our actions
are guided by putting your interests first”(Maple Leaf Foods, 2008).

12. “We” takes us into hearts of audience
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“We are Queenslanders, she said. We’re the people they breed tough of the
border. We’re the ones that they knockdown and we get up again. It might be
breaking our hearts, but it will not break our will.” Anna Bligh, Premier,
Queensland, Australia, 2010

13. Impressions Matter: Your Values on Display
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“most humble day of my life”
Rupert Murdoch, July 19, 2011

14. Values are on Display: Does leader
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support them?
• "Tragically, our products have "We’re sorry for the massive disruption it’s
been linked to illness and loss of caused their lives. There’s no one who
life. To those people who are ill, wants this over more than I do. I would
and to the families who have lost like my life back." Tony Hayward, BP
loved ones, I offer my deepest
and sincerest sympathies.“
Michael McCain, CEO

15. What can Corp. Comms do?
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• Know the end game
• Be courageous
• Pick the panic to stay one step ahead
• Build dollars in trust bank
• Train, test and validate key spokespeople
• Encourage training of front-line leaders
• Advocate one voice, many people

16. Crisis Management Ten
Commandments
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1. You shall always have a crisis plan and keep it handy.
2. You shall tell it all, tell it fast and tell it honestly.
3. You shall stare the devil down and be brave.
4. You shall love the media, new and old and embrace them.
5. You shall communicate widely, consistently and be action-based.
6. You shall have a crisis management team.
7. You shall practice and train and you shall like it.
8. You shall have trained spokespersons, including the front-line,
and use them consistently. One voice, many people.
9. You shall refuse temptation to blame, speculate and muddy the
waters.
10. You shall demonstrate compassion.
Adapted from Evan Bloom, MD of Crisis Communications Consultancy

17. Final Thoughts
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“What happens in Vegas stays on Google”
Scott Monty, social media guru, Ford Motor Co
“Internet is written in ink not
pencil”
Mark Zuckerberg’s girlfriend in movie “The Social Network”

18. 18

19. Jane Jordan-Meier
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www.crisismanagementbook.com
@janejordanmeier (Twitter)
jane@janejordan.net
“The Four Highly Effective Stages of Crisis
Management: How to Manage the Media in the Thank You!
Digital Age” published by CRC Press, May 2011 Do connect.
USA: +1-707-386-9864
Australia: + 614-14 645 507