From Trump’s Signal security leak to Duck Bay Marina’s PR disaster and not forgetting the Heathrow CEO who went to bed when an airport substation was literally on fire, March was quite the month for crisis communications.
Each of these extraordinary events are all significantly different to each other, but what they have in common is that their responses didn’t quite consider the optics. Like many individuals and businesses that find themselves in the spotlight for the wrong reasons, they acted quickly instead of thoughtfully.
Duck Bay Marina’s decision to point the finger at an inexperienced employee for the venue’s unacceptable treatment of a terminally ill baby was at best, misguided, and at worst, deeply distressing for all concerned.
Trump’s dismissal of a group chat security breach as a “glitch” and buck-passing to his national security adviser is beyond incredulity. Trump has long played fast and loose with fact and fiction, but the US President’s attempts to play down the incident and claim Michael Waltz has been unfairly attacked over the matter does nothing to suggest he has learned a lesson.
The case of Thomas Woldbye, CEO of Heathrow, is more complex. The £3.2m-salaried boss was said to have been attending an event in London when the fire broke out last Thursday evening. He rushed to the airport where it is reported its emergency response team formed two ‘gold command’ groups to deal with the crisis, which caused the cancellation of 1,300 flights and left 200,000 passengers stranded worldwide.
One group stayed up through the night and the other – which included Woldbye – went to bed. While the protocols make perfect sense and it is true that nobody makes good decisions when they are tired, the Heathrow chief will forever be known as the CEO who went to sleep – and it’s hard to see how he can restore his reputation after a slew of negative headlines to this effect.
It’s a bit like the former Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby notoriously failing to follow up on a damning report into a prolific child abuser associated with the Church of England. Despite initially insisting he would not resign, his inaction ultimately led to his demise.
As much as businesses try their best to prevent problems, mistakes can and do happen. Humans make errors. Technology fails. Circumstances change. So, what should businesses that get into trouble do?
There is no one size fits all solution but considering the worst thing that could possibly happen and what your business would do both to resolve and communicate it is a good start. For companies at risk of becoming involved in serious industrial accidents, this exercise should be conducted regularly and with vigour.
If the worst does happen, and your business must explain itself, then that’s exactly what you should do. It’s better to apologise for your mess, account for how it happened, explain what you are doing to make things better and how you will prevent it from re-occurring rather than hope it will all go away or, even worse, lie. Concealing the truth not only creates an additional issue; it also destroys any chance of regaining trust.
Following these steps doesn’t guarantee that people will forgive and forget. Rebuilding reputation can be a long and painstaking process, but transparency does create certainty which is essential for restoring confidence. In times of crisis, people seek reassurance, not excuses. Acting with integrity – owning up to mistakes, demonstrating accountability, and outlining clear corrective actions – is the only way to rebuild trust.
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