Key Takeaways
- First, admit there’s trouble and that you need help
- Control the narrative—tell your story
- Perform a crisis audit to identify risks in your business
“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” —Mike Tyson
As an entrepreneur, it’s your job to lead your company. That can feel pretty easy when times are good. But it’s when you experience a crisis that your true leadership abilities will be put to the test and ultimately reveal themselves.
Go back and reread that last sentence. If you’re in business long enough, you will experience at least one crisis—it’s not an “if”; it’s a “when.” That’s especially true today, when anyone with an internet connection and recording device can wreak havoc on your brand.
The ways in which you prepare for a crisis now—before it’s at your doorstep—can play an outsize role in whether you navigate the situation with an acceptable level of success or find your company’s future in real jeopardy.
The good news: There are plenty of ways to become “crisis-ready,” according to Rob Weinhold—the CEO of global reputation agency the Fallston Group and the author of The Art of Crisis Leadership. With that in mind, here are some of his top action steps to navigate moments of acute adversity.
A world of potential threats
In business today, crises can take any number of forms. There are the traditional ones—bankruptcy, litigation, labor unrest, product recalls, negative press, natural disasters and board dissension (to name just a few!). There are also relatively new crises such as data breaches, social media attacks, IT issues, active shooters and IP theft, among many others. Such crises can cost time, money, customers and careers, and in the worst-case scenarios, freedom and lives.
Chances are, you didn’t start a business so you could think about these and other threats—and yet, you’ve now got to be ready to address any of them. Despite Mike Tyson’s quote above, many organizations don’t have even the most foundational element of crisis preparedness in place: a practiced, actionable plan that contemplates your points of exposure.
Initial crisis management steps
Weinhold believes that the most important first steps in successfully navigating a crisis are:
1. Admit you’re in trouble.
A crisis is not the moment to hide under the desk because you feel embarrassed or scared. Nor should you delude yourself that a crisis isn’t actually a big deal. Crises almost never fade away on their own, which means you need to confront them head-on. Rather than try to “wait things out,” admit that your company is in a bad situation that is getting worse. Although it may seem counterintuitive, crisis is a growth strategy, Weinhold says.
2. Ask for help.
After acknowledging you’re facing a crisis, it’s imperative to reach out to your most trusted advisors for help. Other people may view the situation through a different lens and offer objectivity and potentially successful ideas and perspectives that haven’t occurred to you. Business owners often struggle to admit they need help—but if you’re in crisis mode, it’s highly unlikely that you alone can steer the ship around the icebergs.
In addition to people you already trust, consider enlisting a third-party crisis management expert. Think about it: You wouldn’t climb Mount Everest, navigate the treacherous waters of the Amazon or fly a plane through unpredictable headwinds alone or without experience at your side.
Key elements of smart crisis response
Weinhold also highlights key strategies for weathering a current crisis with less damage and regaining full strength post-crisis. You can turn short-term adversity into a long-term advantage, he says.
Be clear, honest and direct
Remember the saying “Truth builds trust”? You don’t spin your company’s way out of a crisis; you lead its way out—starting with directness that communicates the situation honestly and clearly (no sugarcoating). Weinhold calls this “landing the plane instead of circling the runway.” By landing the plane, you earn confidence and trust more quickly—which, in turn, enables you to make better, more timely decisions.
Use the Resilient Moment Communications Model
Weinhold is a proponent of an iteration of a communication model developed by Dr. George Everly Jr. that says leaders in a crisis or adverse situation need to adequately address five key questions that the people around them almost invariably have:
- What happened?
- What caused it?
- What are the effects—realized and anticipated?
- What is being done about it?
- What needs to be done in the future?
Frame your communication around these questions and you’ll better reassure your people.
Don’t rush to judgment
It’s common for leaders in the early stage of a crisis to dismiss or diminish the severity of the issue—while remaining hopeful that no one will ever find out. They may also assume that all the relevant facts have been gathered, even if the event that triggered the crisis only happened a few hours earlier. It’s best to do neither of these things, as any response you make could be based on faulty or incomplete information—and therefore be ineffective or perceived by others as too harsh (or too soft). Gather all the facts you can before making a judgment or decisions about next steps. Be careful of the smoldering issues that can reignite the flame.
Verify, verify, verify
People often hedge the truth or lie while under scrutiny, says Weinhold. Whether knowingly or unwittingly, many people misremember facts, statements and events when questioned. Therefore, don’t cave in to the pressure of automatically believing an initial recounting of a crisis situation. Process is as important as outcome, so relentlessly pursue the truth. In this digital age, seemingly more times than not, an audio recording, photographic image or video file provides more perspective but not the whole truth. Take advantage of technology to either prove or disprove an allegation.
Tell your story—but know the facts
In a crisis, you may be addressing the media or your workforce. Be transparent and get in front of the media and general public versus refusing to comment. If you don’t tell your story, someone else will. And if someone else tells your story, it certainly won’t be the story you want told. A great example of this is the crisis of a data breach. Don’t let others break the bad news for you—do it yourself, on your terms (using the Resilient Moment Communications Model noted earlier to satisfy the questions people will have).
That said, your story needs to be rooted in the truth. A common mistake of many who speak publicly is not fully preparing and gaining a sound understanding of the facts before the interview. Going before the media with no substantive information to offer can raise suspicion that you’re hiding something—and give others an opening to provide their own information (which may or may not be accurate). The upshot: If you—or a spokesperson—talk to the media, be sure you have something important and valuable to say. Remember, it’s about maintaining and enhancing marketplace trust.
Protect your integrity
As the owner, you may feel an immense pressure to make your company look good in the media or community during a crisis. But misinformation breeds distrust. Do not give in to others who would like you to lie, distort the truth or leave out vital facts that alter messaging and perception—this is tantamount to a lie. Once your integrity is lost, you will never fully restore it.
Manage yourself well
The media, competitors and perhaps even some of your employees might love nothing more than to see you get agitated during a crisis and say something inappropriate. Avoid that outcome by taking care of your physical, mental and spiritual health in positive ways (e.g., exercise and nutrition rather than several cocktails) so that you show up each moment during a crisis able to convey confidence, resilience and a steady hand at the wheel. The people around you will feed off that energy and attitude, possibly helping mitigate the crisis faster.
Perform a crisis audit
This is a step you can take prior to experiencing a crisis, or after you’ve navigated one. It involves creating a systemic approach to dealing with any number of crises. (Weinhold calls this organizational muscle memory.) A crisis audit is essentially a comprehensive evaluation of company and industry events, actions and developments that stand to cost you time, money, customers, careers, freedom or lives. Once you have a list of areas, work through it to reduce your points of exposure and other vulnerabilities to threats. That might mean creating new formal policies for employee-client or employee-employee interactions. It could mean developing a plan for reacting to an active shooter situation at or near your location.
Regardless of the action steps, it’s the crisis audit that will identify key risks to your business. Remember, organizational muscle memory is critical—your team must know how to meet the moment.
CONCLUSION
Ultimately, while you might not be able to predict the type of crisis you’ll face, keep in mind that you will encounter a crisis in your business at some point. By getting battle-ready now, you can potentially position yourself, your team and your entire company to come through that storm in one piece—and maybe even stronger than you’ve ever been.
VFO Inner Circle Special Report
By John J. Bowen Jr.
© Copyright 2025 by AES Nation, LLC. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or retransmitted in any form or by any means, including but not limited to electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or any information storage retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Unauthorized copying may subject violators to criminal penalties as well as liabilities for substantial monetary damages up to $100,000 per infringement, costs and attorneys’ fees.
This publication should not be utilized as a substitute for professional advice in specific situations. If legal, medical, accounting, financial, consulting, coaching or other professional advice is required, the services of the appropriate professional should be sought. Neither the author nor the publisher may be held liable in any way for any interpretation or use of the information in this publication.
The author will make recommendations for solutions for you to explore that are not his own. Any recommendation is always based on the author’s research and experience.
The information contained herein is accurate to the best of the publisher’s and author’s knowledge; however, the publisher and author can accept no responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of such information or for loss or damage caused by any use thereof.
Nathan Brinkman is a registered representative and offers securities and investment advisory services through MML Investors Services, LLC. Member SIPC (www.sipc.org) Supervisory office: 900 E 96th St. Ste 300, Indianapolis, IN 46240 (317) 469-9999. Triumph Wealth Management, LLC is not a subsidiary or affiliate of MML Investors Services, LLC or its affiliated companies. Nathan Brinkman: CA Insurance License #0C27168 CRN202809-10037182
