Blindsided is the authoritative guide to crisis management.

This "how to" handbook gives essential advice that every manager needs to know when a crisis hits. Written by CMI Founder/CEO Bruce Blythe, it's a fascinating, easy-to-read guide that draws on Blythe's 20+ years of experience as a pioneer in crisis management.

  What Can Corporate America Do Now?
By Bruce T. Blythe of Crisis Management



The shock of terrorism has been realized. Initial management responses have been implemented. What do corporate executives need to do to begin the gradual transition to normal work and productivity?

At Crisis Management International, our mission has been, and always will be helping people. The unthinkable has happened and Corporate America is faced with challenges that it never dreamed possible. More than the financial losses and the business interruptions, our hearts weep for the people, employees and their loved ones. The aftermath is dramatic and the needs of the human side of crisis are many.

So what's a company to do in the wake of tragedy? The strength of character of corporate, governmental, school, religious and other leaders throughout the nation have visible surfaced. At this point, our collective goal is to promote recovery. While many companies were prepared crises, no one could have possibly expected a tragedy of this proportion. Together we will recover, but we will never forget those who lost their lived and the deep impact upon our people and their loved ones.

As crisis management experts, we have learned through the years some valuable lessons for dealing with utter chaos and helping employees and their families begin the healing process. Corporate America plays a significant role. The following suggestions are offered to help you answer the question, "What do we do now?"

Five considerations to help your company recover
1. Assure human needs have been met. As a steadfast rule, you must meet the needs of your people before you can effectively address back to work issues. If your people do not feel that the company cares about them in such difficult times, you will encounter outrage and severely lowered morale. Make sure you have informed your personnel about what to expect in the future, what safety and security measures have been taken, how the company was affected and what the company id going to help them and their families. In addition, the company should have assessed their personnel's emotional needs and supplies needed on-site psychological assistance.

2. Assess the attitudes and feeling of your constituents. Consider the attitudes and feelings of your work force, their family members, customers, shareholders, suppliers, etc. Some questions to help you assess your responses are: Do employees and family members feel that the company cares about their well-being?
What blame toward the company (either real or perceived) could emerge?
Are there any signs of outrage?
Do employees show signs of lingering traumatic stress, e.g., concentration difficulties, avoidance or reminders, flashbacks, anxiety disorders, depression, exhaustion or atypical behavior patterns?

3. Don't expect employees to be 100-percent productive right away. Traumatic stress will have different levels of symptoms. Be prepared for everyone's physical and mental energy to be significantly diminished. You can openly acknowledge that people will not be as productive as normal at first, but over time people will regain their physical and psychological strength. Remind people to be especially aware of safety concerns such as wearing seat belts or working in dangerous areas. Since people will tend to be distracted as a result of reactions to the incident, they are more prone to accidents. Reminding people of safety also reinforces the fact that you care about them as individuals.

4. Communicate, communicate, communicate. Ongoing communications are absolutely critical to successful recovery for your company. Additional concerns and problems will most likely emerge with employees, distributors, customers, etc. Let your constituents know what you expect from them, and what they can expect from you. Establish effective methods for giving and receiving vital communications. Crisis related issues that you don't know about can be addressed effectively.

5. Anticipate setbacks. Crisis recovery typically takes longer than you expect. Step back and consider difficulties that may emerge. A majority of your risks can be anticipated if you take time now to contemplate them. Discuss various "what ifs" with your crisis management team or company leadership. Examine foreseeable complications and plan accordingly.

In conclusion, effective crisis management is more proactive than reactive. Prepare now for the immediate and long-term crisis related tasks before you. How you handle crisis will lift you up, or they can bring you down. The opportunity to do the right thing is before you.