And, if you had a good reputation before the crisis, you will be able to recover more quickly once the crisis has passed because, quite frankly, it's easier for people to forgive a mistake or even a crime, if it seems to be an anomaly rather than part of the routine pattern.
Be Prepared
The final thing you can do in advance is be prepared by having some plans in place. When a crisis occurs, one of the first things that happen to many people is that the brain closes down and it gets hard to think quickly for a time.
Depending on the nature of the crisis, you may find yourself affected emotionally. Or, because of the confusing nature of things or because information is coming in piecemeal, you may find yourself in what soldiers call the “fog of war.” Therefore, it's important to have some basic plans already in place and written down so that you don't really have to think too much.
No, you can't possibly anticipate every possible thing that could go wrong, so I'm not talking about major detail. I'm thinking about the basics. Let's take the case of a sudden crisis brought on by something that happens to a missions team while they are away from home:
- Do you know whom you're going to call together to be able to quickly plan strategy for dealing with the situation? Do you have the basic information about the trip and the participants readily available - names, addresses, phone numbers, next of kin contact info, etc.?
- When the local media call you (within just a few minutes most likely), who is going to be speaking for the church?
- Who else are you going to need to keep informed throughout the crisis and what system do you have in place for doing that?
A Simple Plan
So what does a crisis plan look like and what should be in it? First, there's no set format. The key is to simply have a document that makes sense to you. I do recommend keeping it fairly short though. Supporting material like phone lists can be attached but keep the plan itself brief.
Here's what I recommend you include:
- Contact list for crisis team members. Who are the key players in your organization that you will want to count on in a crisis situation both for advice and labor (like handling phone calls)? There's no guarantee that they will all be available since crises always seem to occur when people are away on vacation but make sure you know how to reach them even if it's at night or on the weekend. Meet with these folks at least once a year to review your crisis plan. From among this group, pre-designate who will most likely be your organization's primary spokesperson in most situations. Then decide who will be the likely back-up. Talk about the most likely crisis scenarios you might face. Include your attorney as part of your crisis team.
- Next, think through who your key audiences are. Who are you most likely going to have to inform and keep informed if there's some kind of crisis - deacons, parents, church body, donors, association office, state or national denominational office? Identify your system for notifying these folks on an ongoing basis.
- You will also want a list of your local news media contacts with your plan. You may need to let the media know that your services have been moved or to give them details about a situation.
Once you have your plan developed, it's important that you have it available to you when you need it.
- That means you make multiple copies of the plan and any accompanying lists or other material for yourself. You should keep a copy at your office but also at home. Some people also keep copies of their plan in their car and/or briefcase so that they will have it with them when they are traveling.
- Each of your key players (crisis team members) should also have copies at their homes and offices as well.
- And remember to keep your lists updated! Contact information changes (especially e-mail addresses and cell phone numbers) so make sure you go through your lists at least once a year so you don't get hung up in a crisis because you can't find the right telephone number easily.
When Your Ship Hits the Iceberg
Despite your best efforts at heading off crises, they sometimes occur. After all, there are lots of things that are just outside of your control. So what do you do when, despite all of your best efforts, something goes wrong and you get that phone call or other notice that something has happened?
