BulletProofBlog the blog on crisis communications

In times of adversity, there is nothing more important than surrounding yourself with the right people. Effective crisis management always starts with an abundance mentality - a desire to first understand as many different perspectives as time will allow before seeking to be understood by the myriad stakeholders that are awaiting your next move. That' s how strong leaders find the win-win in any situation, how they turn adversaries into partners, and how they identify opportunity in the eye of the storm.

Whether your advisors are representing the legal, compliance, shareholder, or consumer point of view, they can' t be exclusively focused inward or on how a particular course of action might create temporary liabilities at their end of the hall. They have to be focused outward and demonstrate a true understanding of how critical audiences are relating to your brand. As I told Tom Cox in an interview on Blog Talk Radio a few weeks back, advisors that can see beyond the next quarter and understand how a little short-term pain often leads to long term gain are invaluable.

There are always risks when taking action during a crisis. Accepting responsibility for past mistakes could affect the stock price or unleash a torrent of litigation. Transparency above what is required could pique regulator or attorney general interest. Moving to fix a problem could confirm the notion that there was something wrong to begin with. But as recent studies continue to show, it is the often just the opposite that comes to fruition when leaders act in crisis. Audiences will forgive a misstep if it is appropriately owned up to and corrected. What they won' t forgive is arrogance in the form of inaction.

Counselors who understand this phenomenon are the ones you want sitting next to you at bet-the-company moments. It' s not a job for the faint of heart. Yes-men and women need not apply.

Richard Levick is President and CEO of Levick Strategic Communications, the nation's top crisis communications firm, and a contributing author to Bulletproof Blog.