Mentor’s Message: The Power of Effective Crisis Management
What would you do if your best employee quit tomorrow? What if your office building caught on fire and you were unable to access your computer or files for weeks—or worse, you lost your personal desktop files altogether? Would you be able to continue to do your job and keep your commitments to your customers, vendors, and contractors?
Many people think of crisis management as a job for internal audit groups, senior executives, and public relations professionals. And it’s true in part—crises such as product tampering, food contamination, or fraudulent earnings reports are best handled by these people. But there are other unplanned events that could have a devastating impact on your group and organization. Crises such as a vendor’s failing to complete a critical deliverable or the long-term illness of a crucial staff member could make it difficult or impossible for you to carry out your business operations.
But with good planning, you can minimize the impact of a potential disaster, avoid one altogether—or, in some cases, even help your company benefit from a crisis.
This guide lays out a process that can help you manage crises effectively, whether you’re a company executive, division or unit manager, or team leader.
Norman R. Augustine, Mentor
Norman R. Augustine is chairman of the Executive Committee, Lock-heed Martin; he formerly served as chairman and CEO of Lock-heed Martin Corporation; director of Black & Decker, Phillips Petroleum, and Procter & Gamble; and undersecretary for the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He is the author of Augustine’s Laws (Viking Penguin, 1986) and “Managing the Crisis You Tried to Prevent” (Harvard Business Review, 1995).