Enhancing Communication During Crisis Situations

In 2011, the Amazon Appstore failed on launch and Jeff Bezos was furious. It was my fault, and I handled one aspect of recovery so poorly that one of my engineers quit. I still regret it 14 years later. Please learn from my mistake. The main lesson is that when you are leading through a crisis, it can feel like it is all about you. It isn’t. It is about: 1) Solving the problem 2) Guiding your team through it The product issue was that there were some pretty simple bugs, and we solved those problem well enough that I was eventually promoted. Where I failed was in guiding my team through the crisis. My leadership miss was that I neglected to encourage and support the engineer who had written the bad code. He did a great job stepping up and supporting the effort to fix the problem, but shortly afterward, he resigned. During the crisis, I failed to make clear to him that we did not blame him for the launch failure despite the bugs. I imagine that left room for him to think we blamed him or that he didn’t belong. It is also possible that others did blame him directly and that I was too caught up in the crisis to realize it. Both instances were my responsibility as the leader of the team. His resignation taught me a valuable lesson about leading through a crisis: No matter how bad the situation is, your team must be your first priority. If you make them feel safe, they will move heaven and earth to fix the problem. If you don’t, they may still fix the problem, but the team itself will never be the same. As a leader, here is how you can give them what they need: 1) Take the blame and do not allow others to be blamed. In some bug cases after this we did not release the name of the engineer outside the team in order to protect them from judgment or blame. 2) Separate fixing the problem from figuring out why it happened. Once the problem is fixed, you can focus on root-causing. This lowers the risk of searching for answers getting confused with searching for someone to blame. 3) Realize that anyone involved in the problem already feels bad. High performers know when they have fallen short and let their team down. As a leader you have to show them the path to growth and success after the crisis. They do not need to be beaten up on- they have taken care of that themselves. 4) See crises and problems as growth opportunities, not personal flaws. Your team comes with you in a crisis whether you like it or not, so you might as well come out stronger on the other side. As a leader, the responsibility for a crisis is yours in two ways: The problem itself and the effect it has on the future of the team. Don’t get too caught up in the first to think about the second. Readers- Has your team survived a crisis? How did you handle it?

Let’s face it - current headlines spell a recipe for employee stress. Raging inflation, recession worries, international strife, social justice issues, and overall uncertainty pile onto already full work plates. As business leaders, keeping teams motivated despite swirling fears matters more than ever. Here are 5 strategies I lean into to curb burnout and boost morale during turbulent times: 1. Overcommunicate Context and Vision: Proactively address concerns through radical transparency and big picture framing. Our SOP is to hold quarterly all hands and monthly meetings grouped by level cohort and ramp up fireside chats and written memos when there are big changes happening. 2. Enable Flexibility and Choice: Where Possible Empower work-life balance and self-care priorities based on individuals’ needs. This includes our remote work policy and implementing employee engagement tools like Lattice to track feedback loops. 3. Spotlight Impact Through Community Stories: Connect employees to end customers and purpose beyond daily tasks. We leveled up on this over the past 2 years. We provide paid volunteer days to our employees and our People Operations team actively connects our employees with opportunities in their region or remotely to get involved monthly. Recently we added highlighting the social impact by our employees into our internal communications plan. 4. Incentivize Cross-Collaboration: Reduce silos by rewarding team-wide contributions outside core roles. We’ve increased cross team retreats and trainings to spark fresh connections as our employee base grows. 5. Celebrate the Humanity: Profile your employee’s talents beyond work through content spotlight segments. We can’t control the market we operate in, but as leaders we can make an impact on how we foster better collaboration to tackle the headwinds. Keeping spirits and productivity intact requires acknowledging modern anxieties directly while sustaining focus on goals ahead. Reminding your teams why the work matters and that they are valued beyond output unlocks loyalty despite swirling worries. What tactics succeeded at boosting team morale and preventing burnout spikes within your company amidst current volatility?

Land the plane. If you’re in it right now, dealing with a missed goal, a major bug, a failed launch, or an angry keystone customer, this is for you. In a crisis, panic and confusion spread fast. Everyone wants answers. The team needs clarity and direction. Without it, morale drops and execution stalls. This is when great operators step up. They cut through noise, anchor to facts, find leverage, and get to work. Your job is to reduce ambiguity, direct energy, and focus the team. Create tangible progress while others spin. Goal #1: Bring the plane down safely. Here’s how to lead through it. Right now: 1. Identify the root cause. Fast. Don’t start without knowing what broke. Fixing symptoms won’t fix the problem. You don’t have time to be wrong twice. 2. Define success. Then get clear on what’s sufficient. What gets us out of the crisis? What’s the minimum viable outcome that counts as a win? This isn’t the time for nice-to-haves. Don’t confuse triage with polish. 3. Align the team. Confusion kills speed. Be explicit about how we’ll operate: Who decides what. What pace we’ll move at. How we’ll know when we’re done Set the system to direct energy. 4. Get moving. Pull the people closest to the problem. Clarify the root cause. Identify priority one. Then go. Get a quick win on the board. Build momentum. Goal one is to complete priority one. That’s it. 5. Communicate like a quarterback Lead the offense. Make the calls. Own the outcome. Give the team confidence to execute without hesitation. Reduce latency. Get everyone in one thread or room. Set fast check-ins. Cover off-hours. Keep signal ahead of chaos. 6. Shrink the loop. Move to 1-day execution cycles. What did we try? What happened? What’s next? Short loops create momentum. Fast learning is fast winning. 7. Unblock the team (and prep the company to help). You are not a status collector. You are a momentum engine. Clear paths. Push decisions. Put partner teams on alert for support. Crises expose systems. And leaders. Your job is to land the plane. Once it’s down, figure out what failed, what needs to change, and how we move forward. Land the plane. Learn fast. Move forward. That’s how successful operators lead through it.

How do you prevent mayhem when crises occur that affect you and your team? Bridges collapse. Criminals mow down innocent victims. CEOs have heart attacks. Contagious diseases spread. Layoffs happen. Such crises create havoc as misinformation and fear run rampant through an organization or team. So what’s your part in calming the hysteria among your team? Communication. Communication that’s current, consistent, and complete. When I’ve consulted on handling crisis communication previously, I often get this question from bosses: “But how can I tell people what’s going on when we haven’t yet investigated and don’t have the facts?” That’s never an excuse for delayed communication. Be mindful that when people don’t have the facts, they tend to make them up. In a communication void, people pass on what they think, fear, or imagine. Noise. Keep these communication tips in mind to be part of the solution, not the noise: ▶ Tell what you know as soon as you know it. ▶ State what information you don’t have and tell people what you’re investigating. ▶ Stifle the urge to comment on/add to rumors, fears, guesses. ▶ Communicate concern specifically to those directly affected. ▶ Offer tangible support when you can (time, money, acts of kindness). ▶ Communicate kudos to those working behind the scenes. Accurate, speedy communication creates relationships and cultures that build trust and encourage loyalty. Have you been affected by a crisis? Was it handled well or poorly? Outlandish rumors that circulated? #CrisisCommunication #LeadershipCommunication #BusinessCommunication #ProfessionalCommunication #DiannaBooher #BooherResearch

"Should my company acknowledge complicated world events?" Well, let's see... Sometimes, you genuinely don't know if you should address something. Sometimes, you secretly hope to avoid it entirely because "it doesn't impact our business." And sometimes you're just... tired or uninformed. So here's a practical guide to navigating global crises as a workplace: 🟣 If an issue directly or indirectly affects your teams, address it. And no, this doesn't require a perfectly polished company-wide statement! An honest conversation in team meetings or a thoughtful Slack message can be more meaningful than a super polished, PR and legal-approved email. 🟣 Uncertain about an issue? Talk to your ERG leaders! They can help provide cultural context and guidance. Use this resource (and pay them accordingly!) 🟣 No time to monitor global events? Build a small internal team to identify issues that might impact your people. Delegate communications to them or your ERGs. 🟣 Managers: Don't wait for official corporate acknowledgment. Check-in with your teams as a human being. "Hey, I know X is happening, how are you holding up?" goes a long way. 🟣 If someone asks why you didn't acknowledge something? Don't get defensive...get curious! If you've spent years telling employees to "bring their whole selves to work," but then ignore major events affecting those whole selves... you've created a belonging, equity, and inclusion contradiction. 👋🏻 Need help with DEI comms? Or supporting your ERGS? You know where to find me!

Crisis training isn’t optional. It’s CPR for your reputation. Yesterday, I ran a half-day, issues & crisis-focused media interview workshop for my long-time client, Goodwill of South Central Wisconsin. I will die on the hill that every organization with public-facing operations needs to run updated media trainings, crisis simulations, and playbook reviews 3–4 times per year. Why? Because it’s no different than office/school fire drills or renewing your CPR cert. You don’t do them because you expect the worst tomorrow; you do them because lives, livelihoods, and millions of dollars are at stake if you don’t keep your response muscles fresh. Pay a little now. Or pay much more later. Here are the core elements of my crisis trainings, updated with feedback from 30+ fellow trainers, journalists, and comms pros: 1. Safe Space & Energy – Ice breakers and laughter lower the stakes so trainees can fail fast and learn. 2. News Value & Archetypes – Journalists hunt for conflict, hypocrisy, humor, contradiction (“man bites dog”), rags-to-riches, romance gone bad, David vs. Goliath. And they’ll cast you as hero, villain, or something in between. Know both before you walk in. 3. Prep Your Headlines – Pick 2–3 key points you must convey. Even if your interview is 30 minutes, it may be condensed into one 10-second soundbite or a single sentence. If you said it, it’s fair game — context or not. 4. Modes Matter – Decide: are you educating with nuance, or delivering tight soundbites? The worst interviews are when you mismatch. 5. Foundations – Bridging, blocking, flagging, hooking. And always have a call to action ready. 6. Don’t Repeat Negatives – If asked “why is your company failing at X,” never restate “we’re not failing.” That soundbite will haunt you. Reframe and redirect. 7. The Big Crisis Questions – What happened? Who’s to blame? What are you doing to make it right? Train for these — they’ll come every time. 8. Nonverbals – Solid colors. Hands visible. Lean in. Silence beats nervous rambling. 9. Mock Interviews ON CAMERA – Not an iPhone selfie. Real lights, mic, hostile rapid-fire Qs. Run two full reps per person. 10. Respectful Feedback – Watching yourself is awkward. In a trust-based room, it’s priceless. 11. On the Record ≠ Optional – Yes, there’s on background, off record, and Chatham House rules. But unless there’s rare mutual consent, assume everything is on the record. Mic is always on. 12. Refreshers – Media training is never “one and done.” Quarterly reps keep you sharp. 👉 That’s my list. What’s yours? What’s the one drill, exercise, or tactic you swear by to make crisis simulations stick? And if your team hasn’t dusted off its crisis plan in a hot second — or you’ve never pressure-tested your spokespeople under fire — it might be worth a quick convo with someone who’s been in the room (I’m always happy to chat). Because crisis comms isn’t theory. It’s muscle memory. And muscle memory only works if you keep training.

Leadership can really shine during high-stakes retrospectives (a.k.a. postmortems). Teams get worried immediately following major failures, like a total outage. Customers are upset, company perception is impacted, and teams feel down. Times like that demand a leader who can simultaneously show stability, encourage transparent discussion, and steer the team toward productive resolutions. One of the most crucial initial steps is creating an environment where root causes can be identified. If you have ever been in one of these high pressure situations, you will know that they are often multi-dimensional, including a set of unforeseen conditions, lack of communication, insufficient process, and cross-functional elements. Right from the start, the leader should make it clear that the retros purpose is learning and prevention, not blame. Underscore a non-judgmental atmosphere, “We’re here to identify where we could have done better, not to single out individuals.” This tone encourages the team to share insights and challenges, ultimately leading to a deeper discussion. Beyond setting the tone, a leader should actively model the behaviors they wish to see: action, curiosity, improvement. When groups are knocked off their center, the leader plays a critical role to reunify the group and being laser-focused on finding paths forward. You can ask: What signals did we miss? Did we fail to communicate certain risks? Which assumptions proved false? Highlighting systematic or procedural gaps rather than individual errors fosters a sense of collective responsibility for solutions. Last, clear follow-through is important. Tell the team what you expect at the end of the retrospective: well-defined action items with assigned owners and timelines. Hopefully, you already have a documented process for retros. You can point to this and reiterate that the outcomes will be real changes that focus on the current failure, but importantly, prevention of the class of potential failures. While it’s necessary to provide an accurate account of what went wrong, it’s just as important to convey a measured plan for preventing a recurrence. During the period when all of the answers are not known, leaders often need to provide teams protection and time to make recommendations. If you do these things well, a leader can transform a moment of failure into a more resilient and proactive team.

Spent time with a customer's Black ERG last week facilitating a safe space conversation on the heels of a trying week, and this is your reminder that during challenging times, people need: Care: To know you care enough to interrupt business as usual to check on them. Connection: To be in community with people who feel what they feel and who empathize with what they feel. Safety: An opportunity to express those feelings without fear of judgment or reputation risk. Compassion: To be humanized by their colleagues and by leadership. This is not complicated. People are people wherever they are. Do not render your employees invisible by ignoring their pain. However uncomfortable it is for you, it's way more uncomfortable for them to suppress it, and it can easily become a drag on creativity and productivity when left unacknowledged (though that's not the primary reason to engage). #wearethewaymakers #betheway #humanity #sharedhumanity #careandconnection #together #compassion #safespaces #facilitation The Waymakers Change Group

To those impacted by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the pain, fear, and heaviness that many of us may be carrying right now. Watching our home countries or communities experience violence and loss—while trying to show up at work as if everything is “normal”—can feel incredibly isolating and emotionally draining. If you’re struggling to cope in the workplace while your heart and mind are elsewhere, please know that you’re not alone. Here are a few gentle reminders and tips that might help: 💬 Give yourself permission to not be okay. You don’t need to power through or pretend. It’s okay to let your team or manager know you’re going through a hard time. 📅 Set boundaries. If you need to step away, shorten meetings, or lighten your workload temporarily, advocate for that. Your well-being matters. 🧠 Prioritize your mental space. Mute news alerts. Take mindful breaks. Log off when you need to. Processing grief, anxiety, or helplessness takes energy. 🤝 Lean on community. Reach out to trusted colleagues or friends—even a short chat can make a difference. You are not alone in this. 🕊️ Extend grace—to yourself and others. Emotions may be high and focus may waver. That’s human. If you’re managing someone who’s impacted, or working closely with a teammate who is, now is the time for compassion over productivity. Check in. Offer flexibility. Be kind. I’m holding space for everyone affected. Let’s continue to support one another, speak with empathy, and lead with humanity—even when the world feels heavy. With care, Naz #MentalHealth #EmpathyAtWork #MiddleEast #WorkplaceWellbeing #SupportEachOther

When (not if) chaos hits, great leaders step up. Master these 7 tactics to keep your team strong and united. In times of crisis, your team looks to you for guidance and stability. Your response can either unite your organization or fragment it. Clear, consistent communication is your most powerful tool. 7 essential tactics for communicating with your people:   1. Act Swiftly, But Thoughtfully ↳ Gather facts before addressing your team ↳ Aim to communicate within the first 2 hours   2. Radical Transparency ↳ Share known facts with staff, even if unfavorable ↳ Admit knowledge gaps to your team openly   3. Lead with Empathy ↳ Address team emotions before diving into facts ↳ Use phrases like "I know this is challenging for us all..."   4. Create an Internal Information Hub ↳ Launch a dedicated crisis page on your intranet ↳ Update it at consistent, pre-communicated times   5. Tailor Messages to Different Teams ↳ Craft distinct messages for various departments ↳ Adjust detail level based on team needs   6. Provide Clear, Role-Specific Guidance ↳ Give team-specific instructions on crisis response ↳ Break complex actions into simple, assignable tasks   7. Follow the 3-3-3 Rule ↳ Convey 3 key points, 3 times, in 3 different ways ↳ Repeat these core messages in all team communications   Your team's trust is your crisis lifeline. Nurture it through transparent, consistent communication.   If you found this valuable: • Repost for your network ♻️ • Follow me for more deep dives • Join 25,500+ subscribers for more actionable tips to build your brand and protect your reputation: https://lnkd.in/edPWpFRR