The word crisis suggests something that happens infrequently. But these days, crises have become a regular state of affairs. Brands that you’d think would be fairly immune to scandal have found themselves embroiled in controversy. And those that deal with public relations challenges regularly have still been caught off guard by a customer insurgency. Some crises disappear quickly and others never seem to go away.
“危機(jī)”一詞暗示了一些不經(jīng)常發(fā)生的事情。但如今，危機(jī)已成為常態(tài)。那些你認(rèn)為會(huì)對(duì)丑聞免疫的品牌發(fā)現(xiàn)自己卷入了爭(zhēng)議。而那些處理公共關(guān)系挑戰(zhàn)的人，經(jīng)常會(huì)被一群客戶的叛亂搞得措手不及。一些危機(jī)能夠馬上解決，而另一些危機(jī)一直盤旋在我們周圍。
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When it comes to a crisis happening, the question seems to no longer be “if” but “when.” Every leader needs to be prepared. By their very nature, crises put things in a whirlwind and emotions run high. So it’s imperative that leaders keep their cool and make smart decisions.
當(dāng)危機(jī)發(fā)生時(shí)，問題似乎不再是“如果”而是“何時(shí)”。每個(gè)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人都需要做好準(zhǔn)備。從本質(zhì)上講，危機(jī)把事情搞得一團(tuán)糟。因此，領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者必須保持冷靜，做出明智的決定。
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We spoke with executives who have had to successfully navigate crises of all kinds. Here’s what we learned:
我們采訪了那些必須成功應(yīng)對(duì)各種危機(jī)的高管們。這是我們從他們身上總結(jié)出來的：
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You can’t pick your crisis.
The first thing to know is that you need to expect the unexpected. “Rule Number 1,” according to Jamie Moldafsky, CMO of Wells Fargo, “is that you don’t get to pick your crisis. You have to be ready.” Brian Irving, former CMO of Hampton Creek, concurs: “Your crisis is not the one you think it’s going to be.” Regardless of the cause, the important thing is to have the right people, data, tools, process, and mindset to handle whatever might come your way.
你不能選擇危機(jī)。首先要知道的是你需要期待意想不到的事情。富國(guó)銀行CMO Jamie Moldafsky說:“第一條規(guī)則是，你不能選擇你的危機(jī)。你必須時(shí)刻準(zhǔn)備好?！睗h普頓克里克(Hampton Creek)的前首席經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)家布賴恩?歐文(Brian Irving)表示贊同:“你的危機(jī)不是你認(rèn)為的那種危機(jī)?！辈还芴幱谑裁葱袠I(yè)，重要的是要有正確的人、數(shù)據(jù)、工具、過程和心態(tài)來處理可能發(fā)生的事情。
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Don’t leave it to the lawyers.
When the crisis does hit, the first hours are essential. The usual response is for the CEO to huddle with his or her legal counsel and communications team. The focus is typically on assessing legal risks and figuring out how investors and the media will react. But there are other constituencies that need to be considered, too. Customers, employees, and partners are watching to see how the company reacts. Are you being transparent? Are you taking responsibility? Are you living up to your own mission and values? Involve your head of marketing and human resources early. They will have a perspective the lawyers won’t have and need to be in the room when decisions are made.
不要把它留給律師來處理。當(dāng)危機(jī)來臨時(shí)，第一個(gè)小時(shí)是至關(guān)重要的。人們通常的反應(yīng)是首席執(zhí)行官與法律顧問和通信團(tuán)隊(duì)碰頭。重點(diǎn)通常是評(píng)估法律風(fēng)險(xiǎn)，并弄清楚投資者和媒體將如何反應(yīng)。但客戶、員工和合作伙伴都在關(guān)注公司的反應(yīng)。你的行動(dòng)是否透明?你會(huì)承擔(dān)責(zé)任嗎?你的做法是否符合自己的使命和價(jià)值觀?盡早讓你的營(yíng)銷和人力資源主管參與進(jìn)來。他們會(huì)與律師有不同的觀點(diǎn)，需要幫助你做決定。
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Find your north star.
As a leader, it can be difficult to keep everyone motivated in a crisis, including oneself. Amy Friedlander-Hoffman, Head of Experiential Marketing at Uber, believes it is essential to keep “coming back to the core.” Personally, this means knowing “Who I am and what am I bringing to this.” As a company, this means, “Who are we and what is our mission?”
找到你的北極星。作為一個(gè)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者，要讓每個(gè)人都在危機(jī)中受到激勵(lì)是很困難的，包括自己。優(yōu)步(Uber)體驗(yàn)營(yíng)銷主管艾米?弗里德蘭?霍夫曼(Amy Friedlander-Hoffman)認(rèn)為，保持“回歸核心”至關(guān)重要。就個(gè)人而言，這意味著要知道“我是誰(shuí)，我要做些什么?！弊鳛橐粋€(gè)公司，這意味著“我們是誰(shuí)，我們的使命是什么?”
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Jamie Moldafsky emphasizes the importance of staying positive and optimistic: “You have to keep your eye on the long-term.” According to Marvin Chow, it’s easy to point out the problems. The challenge is being someone who gives answers and solutions. Stay true to your mission by focusing on the user or customer and doing what’s best for them in a way that is meaningful to the brand.
杰米?莫達(dá)夫斯基（Jamie Moldafsky）強(qiáng)調(diào)保持樂觀和樂觀的重要性:“你必須著眼于長(zhǎng)遠(yuǎn)。”馬文?周（Marvin Chow）說，認(rèn)識(shí)到問題所在很容易，真正的挑戰(zhàn)在于提供答案和解決方案。專注于你的用戶或客戶，以對(duì)品牌有意義的方式為他們做最好的事情。
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It’s not what you say.
One of the consequences of digital and social media is that a story can grow exponentially and go from zero-to-crisis in a matter of hours. It also means that you don’t have the control over the story that you once had. Many who have been through a crisis note a shift in their thinking. Jamie Moldafsky observes that the focus used to be solely on the question “What are we going to say about this?” Now an equal concern is “What are others going to say about this?”
我們的發(fā)聲無法決定大眾的想法。數(shù)字和社交媒體的一個(gè)后果是，一個(gè)故事可以在數(shù)小時(shí)內(nèi)廣泛傳播，成為危機(jī)。這也意味著你無法控制故事的蔓延。許多經(jīng)歷過危機(jī)的人都發(fā)現(xiàn)他們的想法發(fā)生了轉(zhuǎn)變。杰米?莫達(dá)夫斯基(Jamie Moldafsky)觀察到，過去的焦點(diǎn)僅僅是關(guān)于“我們?cè)撛趺凑f呢?”現(xiàn)在，同樣重要的問題是“其他人會(huì)怎么說?”
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The challenge is that by the time the crisis comes, it’s often too late for many brands. You need to create a bank of goodwill when times are good, so that when a crisis comes, a community of advocates is ready to speak up, reassuring critics and reinforcing your message.
挑戰(zhàn)在于，當(dāng)危機(jī)到來時(shí)，對(duì)許多品牌來說，往往為時(shí)已晚。當(dāng)經(jīng)濟(jì)形勢(shì)好的時(shí)候，你需要建立一個(gè)善意銀行，這樣當(dāng)危機(jī)來臨時(shí)，就會(huì)有擁護(hù)者站出來，讓批評(píng)者們放心，增強(qiáng)公司言論的可信度。
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Control what you can.
You might not be able to control what people say about you. But there is one thing you can control: yourself. According to Jamie Moldafsky, “A crisis is a crisis. It’s all about how you handle it. And that’s within every leader’s control.” Amy Friedlander-Hoffman advises to “get comfortable with being uncomfortable.” You have a choice. “You can come in every day trying to get your job done, frustrated that you have to keep putting out fires. Or you can realize that putting out fires actually is your job.”
盡你所能地控制事態(tài)蔓延。你可能無法控制別人對(duì)你的看法。但是有一件事你可以控制—那就是你自己。杰米?莫達(dá)夫斯基(Jamie Moldafsky)表示:“危機(jī)就是一場(chǎng)危機(jī)。關(guān)鍵在于你如何處理它。這在每個(gè)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人的控制范圍內(nèi)。艾米?弗里德蘭-霍夫曼建議“要習(xí)慣于處理棘手的事情”。你可以選擇?！懊刻於家幚砺闊┦拢@讓你覺得很沮喪。但你也可以換種想法，認(rèn)識(shí)到處理麻煩事就是你的工作?！?/div>
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Fix the underlying problem.
Sometimes a crisis is simply not your fault. But sometimes it’s a symptom of a deeper problem in your culture, product, or operating model. If you don’t fix the underlying problem, the crisis will go from “one-and-done” to one that goes “on-and-on.” Hannah Jones, Chief Sustainability Officer at Nike, believes a company “should never let a crisis go unused or unleveraged.” Instead, use it as an opportunity for transformation. In Nike’s case, complaints about worker conditions in the late 1990s was the impetus to “tap into something deep within us about our values. We learned to respect differences, be empathetic, and find shared vision. We accepted accountability, apologized, and began to make the deep, systemic changes internally, in our supply chain, and to embark on a journey of collaboration and advocacy with the industry as a whole.” It’s too easy in a crisis to just treat the surface symptoms, and not look to the underlying issues.
解決潛在問題。有時(shí)候，危機(jī)不是你的錯(cuò)。但有時(shí)候這凸顯了公司文化、產(chǎn)品或運(yùn)營(yíng)模式的深層矛盾。如果你不能解決根本問題，危機(jī)就會(huì)從“馬上消失”變成“綿延不絕”。耐克公司(Nike)首席可持續(xù)發(fā)展官漢娜?瓊斯(Hannah Jones)認(rèn)為，一家公司“絕不應(yīng)該錯(cuò)過利用危機(jī)的機(jī)會(huì)”，而要把它當(dāng)做一個(gè)轉(zhuǎn)變的機(jī)會(huì)。在耐克的案例中，90年代后期工人對(duì)工作條件的不滿是“挖掘我們內(nèi)心深處的價(jià)值觀”的推動(dòng)力。我們學(xué)會(huì)了尊重差異，有同理心，并找到了共同的愿景。我們承擔(dān)了責(zé)任、向工人道歉，并開始在我們的供應(yīng)鏈內(nèi)部進(jìn)行深刻的、系統(tǒng)性的變革，并開始與整個(gè)行業(yè)進(jìn)行合作。“在危機(jī)中，人們很容易僅僅處理表面癥狀而忽視潛在的問題?！?/div>
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The lessons learned by executives who have weathered a crisis are relevant to anyone who finds themselves in challenging circumstances. We all have to get better at overcoming obstacles, dealing with uncertainty, and staying focused in a changing environment. It’s good advice for everyone to be prepared, stay true to your purpose, involve others in solutions, control what you can, and work on the underlying issues.
那些經(jīng)歷過危機(jī)的高管們所吸取的教訓(xùn)，與那些身處逆境的人息息相關(guān)。我們都必須在克服障礙、處理不確定性和保持專注于變化的環(huán)境方面做得更好。每個(gè)人都應(yīng)該隨時(shí)做好準(zhǔn)備，忠于你的目標(biāo)，讓別人參與到解決方案中，控制你能做的事情，并解決潛在的問題。