What can we learn about crisis management from a particularly memorable scene from “The Office?”
Let’s start here: Everyone knows that person whose confidence exceeds their skill set.
On “The Office,” that would be accountant Kevin Malone, often in error, rarely in doubt.
“At least once a year I like to bring in some of my Kevin’s Famous Chili. The trick is to undercook the onions. Everybody is going to get to know each other in the pot. I’m serious about this stuff. I’m up the night before, pressing garlic, and dicing whole tomatoes. I toast my own ancho chiles. It’s a recipe passed down from Malones for generations – it’s probably the thing I do best.”
You know what happens next. Kevin makes chili for the team but finds the elevator offline. He struggles bringing it up the stairs and eventually spills it. Alone, he panics and tries to cover up his mistake. He tries scooping all those tomatoes, chilis and beans off the rug and back into the pot, slipping several times and becoming a chili-soaked mess.
Crises can come at an organization at any time, and in any direction. They’re the things that can derail a day or a week, sap the time and energy of your leadership team, and threaten short- and long-term damage. Lack of planning and “I got this” are a recipe for disaster.
Crisis Communications is part of general communications
Municipal agencies routinely underfund communications infrastructure. Within public safety agencies, the press information officer often wears several other hats. Cities, towns, and school districts invest only in community engagement and outreach at the expense of sustained public relations.
A constant flow of good news – following what FEMA calls the “95/5” Rule – on your website, social media channels, and local media will build equity among stakeholders. Your constituents only know what you tell them. Proactive, positive communications matters. If your community only hears from you when bad things happen, all they can think is that bad things always happen, and you’re at the mercy of social media noise.
You can manage a crisis, or manage the message, but not both
At one client’s K-12 school, students were overheard one Friday bragging that they had weapons in their backpacks. This prompted a police response, lockdown, and search. While there were no weapons, the district needed to spend several days messaging about the situation, reviewing safety and security plans, answering emails, and outlining specific steps to allay parental fears.
School districts are especially susceptible to a crisis at any moment. (We’ve identified about 50 things that can send a school day sideways.) Now add in cell phones. A threat made on the playground will be texted to parents, who will be calling the central office and the media before the incident is actually reported.
Agency support makes all the difference
An independent, expert voice can steer an organization in crisis to safer waters. Here’s how:
- Trained crisis managers smell a crisis before it happens.
- Trained crisis managers have been there before and can suggest actionable steps. In the case of the backpack incident, we suggested the district send out a long message to parents and guardians that shared photos and positive news. The message: “Back to normal.”
- Public safety leaders, municipal managers, and school superintendents report to elected officials who may have different interests than the professionals.
- Public safety leaders, municipal managers, and school superintendents may make poor decisions to “protect the reputation” of the organization.
Handled well, a crisis may take up one news cycle and fade away. Scoop up the chili on the rug, and the one-day story becomes weeks of reputational harm.
See how we can help you with both general communications and crisis management today!