Don’t Wait For A Crisis To Have A Plan

It takes only one social media post to be canceled.

Everything you, your family, and your employees have spent years working for can be eradicated in 280 words or less.

However, this blog post isn’t about the “evils of cancel culture.” Instead, it’s about why you shouldn’t wait for a crisis to have a plan.

Is a crisis an opportunity?

Motivational speakers, preachers, and life coaches like to recite Albert Einstein’s famous quote, “In the midst of every crisis lies great opportunity.” Are Einstein, motivational speakers, preachers, and life coaches just selling us a bill of goods with this infamous quote?

 Maybe. The quote became famous because it fills the listener with the hope that whatever crisis they face will disappear during the next news cycle, lucrative contracts or new relationships. However, I believe it’s a false hope because the listener views the “success” or “failure” as dependent on the outcome – not in learning from the circumstances that caused the crisis or preparing a smart, achievable, and smart plan to navigate it. 

 Perhaps, a more accurate way of thinking about the relationship between crisis and opportunity comes from the Chinese proverb, “A crisis is an opportunity riding a dangerous wind.”

 The phrase “riding a dangerous wind” speaks to me because it doesn’t soothe the ego. There isn’t a promise of a “successful” outcome. Instead, it lays the groundwork for a new possibility. 

The importance of a crisis plan

Many business leaders, public policymakers, or managers envision a “crisis plan” as a series of strategic steps taken to make the bad news go away and shift the public’s perception of a piece of controversial legislation or reputation management.

Usually, the crisis plan ideally involves interdepartmental cooperation among C-suite executives, a General Counsel or legal team, and the communications department. For example, don’t exclude your communications department from your crisis communications plan. They will need to translate the language your General Counsel uses to keep you out of legal trouble to no more than three talking points that can be used across media channels.

However, a crisis plan is so much more than that.

I craft a crisis plan that helps decision-makers evaluate their choices during a crisis, communicate their choices to their stakeholders, and navigate the turbulence while staying true to their organization’s vision, mission, and values.

A crisis plan can assist in situations ranging from when a reporter calls you asking about a hazardous workplace condition you’ve just learned about seconds before to an employee filing a wrongful termination suit and broadcasting it on social media and everything in between.

Improvising can be great for jazz but lousy when dozens of media outlets then pick up a news article blasting the public safety of your product or service. You need to know what to do quickly.

How I can help

I design and implement legal structures, including a crisis plan, for small to mid-size businesses that protect you, your company, and your employees.

As a seasoned legal strategist with over 20 years of experience, I advised clients on achieving innovative legal solutions, operational realignment, and risk management. In addition, I am an expert in regulatory reform, political consulting, and campaign finance law.

I also understand the issues facing entrepreneurs and how to overcome them.

I was a healthcare lawyer during the largest, most misunderstood pandemic of our lives. I helped health systems navigate annual natural disasters. We did it through planning and preparation. You can too! After a decade of serving as a trade association advocate and General Counsel, I launched Cody Hand LLC, where I provide expert legal counsel and strategic planning to my clients so they can focus on providing an excellent customer experience rather than worrying about the next crisis.

Book your complimentary consultation with me and learn more about drafting and implementing a crisis plan for your company before a crisis hits. Don’t procrastinate. Spaces for new clients are filling up fast.