Guest Post: Preventing and Preparing for Crises
As an experienced crisis comms expert tells us - you need to know where to look
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And now on to this Friday’s post!
One of the many gifts of headship were all the relationships I formed with people outside of the school who partnered with me facing complicated situations. The writer Anne Lamott refers to her “pit crew” - when you zoom off to the side of the racetrack and that team of folks comes out and gets you prepared to re-enter the fray. I had such a wonderful pit crew! In this 2023 interview with Julie Fay of Shipman and Goodwin, we discuss how working with a school attorney can be a productive, helpful and satisfying collaboration. And it was through Shipman I was connected to crisis communications expert Christopher Tennyson.
Chris is a communications counselor with more than 35 years of experience assisting for-profit and non-profit corporations, organizations and academic institutions prevent, prepare for and respond to crises. He brings his experience as a New England boarding school teacher, head coach, administrator and trustee to his work with independent schools. Tennyson has been a guest lecturer at The Wharton School and is the author of The Crisis Preparedness Quotient – Measuring Your Readiness to Weather a Reputational Storm and its companion blog, crisisquotientblog.com.
I keep a copy of his book on my desk and I highly recommend his blog.
Let’s be honest - the idea of “crisis communications” is scary and the school engaged Chris as we were dealing with a complicated legacy issue. Yuck.
But Chris makes “crisis” less scary. Is he an elegant, expressive and effective writer? That would be a resounding “yes.” But even more than that, by working with Chris, both me and Lauren Castagnola, my chief of staff and chief communications officer, learned a whole skill set around de-escalation, connecting with empathy and when necessary, owning what the school needed to own with humility, discretion and dignity. He also taught us to not be afraid to showcase and proudly stand behind all the many things your school does well, even in a sensitive situation. He provided us with invaluable insight into how journalists operate and how a school can respond in a respectful way while also protecting your interests and being in the driver’s seat with your own narrative.
I am completely delighted that this week Talking Out of School brings to subscribers this incredibly helpful and practical piece by Christopher Tennyson. It’s free to all - share widely. It’s a complicated world out there but there’s a lot we can do in schools to set ourselves up for success.
The Importance of Crisis Reconnaissance — Preventing and Preparing for Crises by Knowing Where to Look
By Christopher J. Tennyson
Before COVID, I used to begin my crisis communication presentations to private school audiences with a definition of “crisis” and a review of the leadership qualities needed to navigate these storms.
I’ve pulled those slides from my PowerPoint deck.
Our nation’s independent schools not only weathered but thrived through COVID, one of the most challenging periods in our history, fulfilling their missions with resilience, flexibility, purpose and technological brilliance. When I counsel school leadership teams, I’m working with people who have demonstrated their crisis-response capabilities under fire.
The good news is that while the crisis management and business continuity skills developed during the pandemic will help schools respond effectively to any crisis, most “special situations” that threaten reputations are not as logistically challenging — or unavoidable — as COVID. But that doesn’t lessen the importance of planning for and preventing predicaments that are much more likely to pop up.
Conducting Effective Crisis Reconnaissance
The vast majority of crises in both the corporate and academic worlds are predictable and preventable. They simmer before they boil. Knowing where to look for these simmering threats helps avoid surprises and gives you the time to address whatever may be headed your way. Tracking issues also helps provide perspective, lessening the chances of over-reaction.
Of course, there are infinite causes of crises. But I’ve found that the majority of situations that set off round-the-clock leadership meetings, inspire irate trustee emails and bring the New York Post to your campus spring from one or more of nine common sources: people, programs, priorities, policies, performance, politics, procrastination, privacy and past.
To be able to address unpleasant special situations before they explode into crises, school leadership teams should perform what I call “crisis reconnaissance” at least twice a year. Structure your discussion around these nine potential sources of trouble, asking, “What makes us vulnerable to crisis in this area, and how can we take action to minimize that risk?”
PEOPLE
While people — students, teachers, coaches, administrators, staff, trustees and alums — are definitely your school’s most important asset, they also may be creating the greatest exposure to crisis. That’s why it’s so important to properly vet everyone who becomes a part of your community and maintain a culture of safety, mutual respect and civility.
Most great teachers, coaches, trustees and heads of school have big personalities, strong opinions and a willingness to express their thoughts with gusto. Those are good things. Just be alert to personal agendas that may disrupt your culture, derail your strategic plan and in the worst cases get you on the evening news for all the wrong reasons.