Xenophon Strategies

In Crisis Response, Don't Miss A Beat

Jay Silverberg

Corporate crises are like heart attacks. I learned that personally at 2 a.m. August 28th, 2009. The worst pain I’ve ever felt coursed through my chest, into my left arm, my neck and jaw. I sweated through my t-shirt in less than two minutes. Yes, I knew it was a heart attack, and fortunately, my wife and I were prepared – for that evening and for what was to come during my subsequent recovery.

How was the blockage in my heart linked to what I do for a living?:

For nearly 40 years I have worked with companies facing their nightmare scenarios. Airplane crashes, disease outbreaks, discrimination, abuse, and fraud, among others.  In every instance, the solution was the same. Have a plan. Follow the plan. Recover. When organizations have no plan, or when they fail to follow their plan, recovery is delayed.

Crises, like heart attacks, are inevitable. You don’t know when they’ll strike, but you know they will. In my case, genetics were working against me, and my plan for nearly 20 years was a good diet, cholesterol-controlling drugs, and diligent exercise. I can give you a 10-second review of virtually every Marriott, Hyatt or Sheraton work-out facility in major cities across the U.S.  I felt great up to the minute of my heart attack and had shown no signs of coronary distress.

Still, I could only slow the development of coronary artery disease.  And, I knew instantly what was transpiring on that hot summer evening, and I knew what was coming next. A lot of bland food was the least of my worries.

Successful corporate crisis planning has the same need for preparation.  Most crises should be no surprise to an organization. There are tell-tale signs--“genes,” if you will-- that signal that something might happen. And, even a small amount of research will diagnose where problems may develop. When we talk to clients about crisis response, the rule of thumb is The Three Ps: People, Policies and Practices. Look at those things, and make a plan. Then, when something happens, the preparation needs to kick into action.

In my case, that plan began almost instantaneously.

I woke my wife, who called 9-1-1, and then I took two small-dose Aspirin and waited for the paramedics. About 12 hours and numerous tests later – all of which I anticipated from my own research – I had angioplasty to remove the blockage, stents to make sure the artery remains open and was prepared to start recovery.

At work, like most businesspeople today, I normally receive between 75-100 actionable e-mails per day. On the first business day after my heart attack, my e-mail count was nearly zero and remained like that for three months.  My colleagues cut me off, cold turkey – not even a “bcc” or, “Hey, Jay, know you’re out, but can you take a look at this when you can?” Nothing.

Our clients were notified that I would be away for a few months and I settled into recovery. A new business pitch had to be completed and several media trainings had to be planned without me, in addition to the day-to-day counsel I provide to colleagues and/or clients.

To their credit, my colleagues never missed a beat. Our agency was ready – not so much for me to have a heart attack, but to have redundancies. Our support plan began working the instant I told my boss—and good friend—what had happened.

Corporate crisis planning is no different. A response process needs to anticipate the unexpected and that key people and resources might be unavailable, regardless of the reason.

Thankfully, clients welcomed me back in December and we haven’t missed a beat, pun intended.

Tweet this link

« return to blog | Apr 12, 2010 | crisis communications | incident response