Article by: Sara Pantaleo
Crisis management plans are all about minimising the damage, calming nerves and restoring operations as quickly as possible with minimal interruption. The very future of your business could depend on a crisis management plan.
You need an effective and tailored plan to your organisation’s needs to manage a crisis. This article provides the key elements of such plans.
Risk analysis
The first step in preparing for any crisis is assessing what could go wrong. Work with members from leadership, your team and other key stakeholders to start listing all possible threats or vulnerabilities that might impact the organisation’s business function and strategic plans.
Once you’ve pinpointed these potential threats, start looking at how to respond effectively to each one to be prepared and find success should they occur!
Triggers for activation
When people first respond to crises, they often do so with confusion and inaction. Your plan must identify what will trigger the activation of a crisis response plan to ensure as much clarity as possible during a trying time.
Action plans
A solid action plan ensures that your team can follow a plan when an emergency strikes to provide the best possible outcome—having a plan avoids reacting to emotion and stress, which is common in crisis. Your crisis response team will be on standby and ready to take action anytime. They have detailed plans for each person who might need help during a crisis event, which can be activated automatically by the protocols that define them! This means you’ll handle things better—and with more success–because of how prepared they are. Being prepared is your best protection against disasters.
Need help creating a crisis management plan? We coach and mentor business leaders to guide them toward the best plan for their organisation.