Developing a sound business strategy requires leaders to not only plan for growth and development but also to conceive of a crisis management plan to lead people though dark times within an organization.
Crisis preparedness is essential within the dynamic and ever-changing business world. No one can predict when a crisis will occur — either in our personal or professional lives, but unfortunately, sooner or later, an adverse event will occur. According to crisis management guru Dr. Ian Mitroff, “The issue is not whether an organization will have a string of major crises, but rather how, when, and why a string of crises will occur, what form they will assume, and how prepared an organization is to handle them.”
As Bridgestone/Firestone and many other companies have discovered, failing to adequately prepare for a crisis can intensify a difficult situation to the point where a company’s very survival may be at risk In a revealing 2-part e-interview with MWorld’s Shari Lifland, Dr. Mitroff, the author of the new book Managing Crises Before They Happen — What Every Executive and Manager Needs to Know about Crisis Management, talks about every organization’s need for a formal crisis management plan. He also looks back at some past corporate crises (including the Tylenol poisonings) and gives some no-holds barred advice to the CEOs of Bridgestone/Firestone and Ford.
