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This
from California:
It
was in Los Angeles during a long
drought, when a huge water pipe
burst right in the middle of one
of the busiest streets, the
Ventura Boulevard, causing the
road to split apart. Water
flooded the street and
sidewalks, closing all the
businesses. The area was blocked
off, so no customers could get
to any of the businesses. But
the news media were everywhere.
One
of the businesses in the flood
area was a hamburger restaurant
called Mel’s Diner. Since he
didn’t have any customers, Mel
started giving away free
hamburgers to the workers
repairing the water pipe. The TV
news crews took video of this,
and that evening thousands of
viewers saw a happy report on
what a fine citizen Mel’s
Diner is. For the cost of a few
hamburgers, Mel got the kind of
media coverage you just can’t
buy, because he did the right
thing at the right time.
Hypothetical
from Russia:
Let’s
say you are a developer who
bought a large apartment
building in the middle of
Moscow, occupied primarily by
elderly people, and you plan to
turn it into a luxury hotel. You
are going to evict the tenants
so you can do this. The media
love this kind of story, and
they will likely portray you as
a villain.
Reporters
will ask you why you are
throwing the old people out on
the street. You might respond,
“I’m glad you asked me if
we’re throwing old people out.
It gives me a chance to explain
just what we are doing. Not only
does each resident have six
months rent-free to find new
housing, but we’ll give them a
six-month extension if they need
it. In addition, we’re helping
the residents find new housing,
and we’ll pay their moving
costs. If someone is willing to
do more than this, I’d like to
meet him.”
Remember
the old rule: the best defense is
a good offense. And always look
for a new opportunity in the
middle of a crisis.
-
Steven R. Van Hook
First
page > Crisis
Management Moments > Page 1,
2
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