Trauma exposes the real us: We may look sleek and shiny on the outside, but the truth is that there are always messes inside. When trauma slices across our lives, it exposes our secret side even as it impacts our prepared public face. In every personal crisis, all our internal stresses and strains come to light. The messy truth of our lives emerges and we have to deal with it. It’s part of counseling, part of social work, part of all our lives.
The same thing happens with organizations: No individual and no organization is completely transparent. If for no other reason, there simply isn’t time or interest in reporting every peccadillo or stumble. So we continue our everyday practice of being or looking ‘good enough’. We work to deflect attention from mistakes or misdeeds.
Then a crisis occurs, and suddenly everything is fair game. Past indiscretions don’t remain in the past. They’re always there, under the surface and waiting to bubble up when we least want them to. Past issues well-dealt with still emerge, and issues never resolved emerge anew alongside the latest outrage:
A refinery suffered a major accident resulting in injuries and fatalities. This refinery had endured decades of bad relations with employee unions and the local community. Guess what information emerged during the response: The old antagonisms between the company, the union and the community again rose to the surface.
Rumblings about poor corporate safety culture were reinforced with release of previous confidential internal memos outlining safety concerns. Community complaints and grievances were aired publicly. On top of the current accident and tragedy, all the old baggage came out on display.
There were practical impacts to this feud:
- The refinery owner didn’t allow photographs of the response efforts to be taken, due to fear that the communities’ prevailing animosity would use the images as ammunition against claims of poor safety record (“If we post pictures of responders in protective gear, the family will want to know why their dad didn’t have any”).
- Without effective imagery of people responding, the response was never ‘humanized’, defined instead by aerial photographs of the facility damage and spilled product.
- The discussion quickly shifted from incident response to the stewing debate about neglected safety and poor community involvement.
- In the poisoned atmosphere, the resulting bunker mentality merely ensured that the public dialogue ignored response efforts while focusing on decades-old issues.
You don’t get do-overs in crisis response. You can’t correct old wrongs. You have to play the messy hand you’re dealt. This will always happen. Every person, every family, every community and every organization has skeletons in the closet. They will be exposed, one by one, as a crisis unfolds. The glare of the public eye will find your every mishap or misdeed and broadcast it for all to see.
You need to be ready for this. It is inevitable. So what can you do?
Know your flaws
Don’t ignore your organization’s history. Research past incidents and issues that have impacted your community’s perceptions of your organization. Determine what has been done in the past to rectify or resolve them. Don’t be caught by surprise!
Accept your flaws yourself
Know that dirty laundry will be pulled out of the hamper, skeletons will rattle out of closets and dirt will be drug out from under the rug. Don’t waste time, emotions and energy in despairing or reacting. There’s nothing you can do to prevent it. You need your energy and emotions for proper response communication.
Verify, verify, verify
Confirm the charges. It they are real, they are real. Acknowledge past issues and incidents. Express your commitment to prompt and accurate reporting. Assure stakeholders that you take all charges seriously, examine them carefully and own what is true.
Acknowledge reality
Don’t attempt to deny or deflect: Don’t throw red meat to a critical audience. If the charges are true, acknowledge them If they are new, say so. If they were previously received and addressed say so. If they are your’s, own them. Remember that facts tell us what, not why. Acknowledge the ‘what’.
Never deny the truth
Today’s pervasively connected world has foisted a level of transparency on all our actions. It is not possible to keep secrets any more. So here’s a radical thought: Tell the truth. Telling the truth may be painful and may expose your organization to a harsher light than you may wish, but it is also economical. Tell the truth, apologize and make amends, and the issue is done. If it comes up again, refer to the original acknowledgment and move on. Lies require constant repetition or reinforcement. Truth is truth. Save time and effort.
Promise action
Accept new allegations as valuable in your organization’s efforts towards safe and responsible operations. Express a commitment to include them in any investigation or discovery process. Promise to deal with them seriously, and to report back. Share why this action is important; it reflects your values, and your values define your reputation.
Pivot to the current response
Remind your stakeholders that you’re committed to an effective response for the current situation. Indicate that your organization is committed to resolving the current issue with all diligence. Express your commitment to transparency and sharing.
Move on
Receive, verify, acknowledge, promise and pivot. Then leave it behind. If the same charge comes up again, refer to the original statement. Turn the conversation back to current response information. If a new charge comes up, wash rinse and repeat.