This document provides guidance on crisis management and creating a crisis action plan. It recommends forming a crisis team with designated roles to handle a crisis situation quickly and effectively. The crisis team should be accessible at all times and have a plan in place outlining responsibilities, communication procedures, and guidelines to follow when a crisis occurs to minimize negative impacts and maintain the company's reputation. The document also lists 10 cardinal principles for professionals to follow, such as remaining calm, deciding on a spokesperson, being prepared to share contact information, and ensuring consistent messaging during a crisis.

1. GET READY FOR ACTION: A NOTE ON CRISIS MANAGEMENT
No company is invincible, no human is perfect. When crises arrive unexpectedly,
threatening to ruin your good will, what really counts is how you build a sound
reputation as a reputed company.
This note is created to understand better and handle crisis situation before the situation
goes of out control. In the case of Persistent we for the first time in the history of the
organization encountered a crisis from the people point of view. While we managed to
handle the situation quite competently but we could have always handled that better had
we had a proper action plan while facing a crisis? Today the crisis could be in the area of
people but tomorrow it could be sexual harassment or financial embezzlement. But end of
the day it all boils to how efficiently and smartly we encounter crisis.
As a starting point this note will provide a broad knowledge on how to fight and salvage
when a crisis hits us. As we go forward if we are in agreement we can expand this into a
small bible to handle crisis management.
Must have a plan:
First thing to put together a plan. The key objective of a crisis action plan is to ensure that
you can deal quickly and effectively to minimize the negative impact of any event which
threatens to erode the image of the company, brand and the business. The plan should
identify key people, structures, and processes that should be adhered to in a crisis
situation. By defining these processes upfront and rehearsing them, you can cut down the
confusion if such a situation occurs.
The plan should pen down simple checklist of responsibilities and actions to guide the
team through the crisis. It will also provide a defence against some of the errors that can
worsen the situation.
Form a crisis team:
A crisis team provides the core decision making to the crisis committee. Team members
will be allocated specific function to fulfill in the team and are selected for their skills and
experience. The crisis team will be responsible for all communications, both internally
and externally, regarding the crisis. They have the authority to act as they see fit in order
to diffuse the situation.
The key roles in the crisis team:
- Crisis controller or leader
- Spokesperson
- Legal counsel
- Media liaison
- Intelligence gatherer
- Technical support.

2. The crisis team must be available at a short notice. A crisis can erupt any time especially
in the age of internet and global communication. Hence the team member must be
accessible 24X7 and must assemble in a short notice in case of super emergency.
10 Cardinal principles to handle crisis professionally:
1. Keep calm. Let’s establish the facts. Are they accurate? Who is responsible? What
actions? If any are necessary, are we taking to remedy the situation? How fast do we need
to respond, and to whom? When we have these answers, then we will be ready to
respond. Not until
2. Agree and decide who will be your spokesperson. Decide this in advance
3. Share all your contact numbers. Brief your lawyers and keep him on standby.
4. When we know what has happened. Let’s agree on messages, activities and audience
What we are going to say and how we are going to say is important.
5. Ensure all emails and technology of the company works.
6. No senior client interference on changing the message after the wave.
7. All media facing people should be media trained
8. Calls and interviews must be recorded
9. The corporate communication team should know first when the crisis erupts.
10. Must know the journalist who is not a friend of the company