Crisis Communications: A Perspective on the Use of Social Media in Western Kentucky During the COVID-19 Crisis, Taylor Hayes

Crisis Communications: A Perspective on the Use of Social Media in Western Kentucky During the COVID-19 Crisis, Taylor Hayes (Recorded 3 April 2020 – to be updated end of May 2020)

Public and private sector organizations are using social media to communicate with customers and citizens during the current crisis. Tayor Hayes, the former publisher of the Kentucky New Era provides his perspective on the use of the media in rural western Kentucky. The video provides best practices, creative ideas, and lessons learned to be considered by others during these challenging times. 31:00 video interview.

– L. Darryl and Kay Armstrong

#UnitedAmerica,

#crisisleadership,

#crisiscommunications,

#crisismanagement,

#payitforward,

#Masks4All,

#TeamTybeeStrong,

@DoctorDarryl

Crisis Communications: People Remember How You Make Them Feel Not What You Say – Emotional Connections

Bring something of value to your customers and employees during a crisis. This value can be emotional, physical, or financial. It can be hope, reassurance, leadership, peace of mind for a given moment. People will remember what you do and how you make them feel not what you say.

#crisiscommunications #crisisleadership #crisismanagement #payitforward

The Millennials are Different Use Those Differences to Your Organization’s Benefit Chapter 7 of 7

“There are many things I wish someone would’ve told me before I started my career and emerged into adulthood. I wish someone who have told me that it’s impossible to separate your life from your career, no matter how much you try.” – Adunola Adeshola Contributor @ Forbes

 Remember what we have learned from the previous articles about the sociological and psychological make-ups of Millennials?

Primarily, this generation has certain behavioral traits and expectations that are well ingrained based on their parental and societal upbringing. Their definition of a “sense of satisfaction” can be defined in three specific ways:

• They seek to “make a difference” in the world, as many of us did. However, they will engage with anyone at any level who can or will help them accomplish this outcome. Their social, supervisory and management skills are influenced by their technology rather than day-to-day social interactions.  Therefore, they can be lacking in social and interpersonal skills and they can be hyperactive and always in a hurry to “git ‘er done!”
• They want to make a “real contribution” to an employer’s mission, vision, and strategies. But they need to believe in the organization’s mission, vision, and values.  To engage them appropriately, you (the manager, owner, executive) must clearly articulate and explain your expectations in a well-written and defined job description, explain how you will measure their accomplishments, and clearly state what is not allowed behaviorally;
• They want to be “innovators”, leading their organizations to do things smarter, faster and better than anyone else. And they believe that they are the only ones who can do it. They want it all, and they want it now!

As Boomers and Xers, “realistic and pragmatic survivors” of the real business world, we have become skeptics and cynics in many regards. We have survived many social, economic, and political situations that the Millennials can’t even conceive of.

Although 60% of the future workforce will be Millennials, there are still plenty of Boomers and Gen-Xers in management positions who will do the hiring. It is best for us all to figure out how to work together through a collaborative approach thus, the Collaborative Informed Consent process.

On the positive side, Millennials can be:

• True believers in organizations and businesses where they work, if they see opportunities to accomplish “their needs and meet their ambitions”. Ambition is good. The flip side of this is that they believe they know much more about their (and often your) field of expertise than you do and will continually search and research different approaches, consultants and “experts” on the Internet for you.
• Desirous of global work experience – they cherish such experience but remember that they will often need to be coached and counseled in diplomacy and process.
• Technology savvy. They embrace the available gigabytes of processing power and interconnectivity because it affords channels of technological collaboration.
• They have the energy to burn and are often hyperactive.

 As we learn to appreciate what the Millennials can offer, we need to understand that most Millennials will not last much longer than 3-5 years with any organization. They expect to change jobs many times, perhaps 5-10 times, in their lives.

Choosing to leave the company, or your family business for greater challenges and go “where they are appreciated and can fulfill their needs and ambitions” doesn’t mean that they are not valuable during their time with us.

Just don’t expect them to be there for the long haul.

The evolved Millennial sees each new job as an opportunity and learning experience in the building blocks of their resume and life.

Some of the insecurity and angst of Boomers and GenXers comes from the fact that many of the M-Generation would take our jobs tomorrow if offered because it simply looks like fun.

It doesn’t take them long to feel that they have learned all they need to learn in their current position. It’s nothing personal; it’s just the way they think.

Grunt work, teamwork, and collaboration with other generations are interesting to them only if they can do so technologically. So utilize this to the fullest degree.

We are not saying that it will be easy for us Boomers and GenXers to work with Millennials. Yet it can be accomplished with members of the M-Generation who are open to mentoring, coaching and counseling by the “old gray hairs.”

If we can tap into the fact that The Millennials truly want to “make a difference” by tackling big issues within our organizations such as poverty, environmental cleanup, best practices in management, or environmental sustainability, we can gain their respect and better utilize their talents.

Innovation, especially in the areas of digital communication and technology, is what they seek.  This is where they shine.  We need to acknowledge and appreciate this while also making sure that they allow us to guide them in understanding social and management style differences.

Getting along with each other and respecting our different generational styles can only help us all achieve what we want to achieve. Let them have free rein in innovating to a certain point, but make it very clear that “they” must respect (as “we” will) social and management style differences so that we can all just “get along” for the greater good.

They will need coaching and mentoring in face-to-face social skills and we owe it to them to help them develop in this area. They are “texters” and have issues with interpersonal relationships.

There are several things that we can do to satisfy the particular kind of meaning that Millennials wants to feel in their work.

First, Millennials want to be heard.

Like it or not, Millennials have ideas and opinions about the organization from day one.  They want their ideas about the mission, the work, and the way to get things done to be taken seriously.

The traditional response in many organizations, “This is just the way it is done around here” simply opens the door to them to give you their alternatives, opinions, ideas, and suggestions in an unproductive way.

I recommend you be prepared to capture their ideas and suggestions because you might just learn something from their insight that benefits everyone and improves your project.

The need to be heard is not unique to just this generation.

Everyone wants to be heard and taken seriously. What makes Millennials different from other generations is that they want to be heard from day one before they have earned the privilege in the eyes of their older colleagues.

We waited… until we had gained experience, or understood the project, or had the gravitas to deal with the political, community, management or organizational implications of the situation…before we expected to be heard.

The good news is that research shows they are less concerned about whether their ideas are accepted or not. They simply want the opportunity to speak.

We recommend that you make it a consistent behavior to ask your M-Generation new hire what she thinks about an idea or an issue under discussion. Remember you are under no obligation to act on her ideas or comments.

However, listen enough and closely, and you actually may hear something insightful and valuable and worthy of integration.

The new hire will feel fully engaged simply because you asked for her input. And who amongst us doesn’t appreciate being asked?

Millennials also want to hear from you, and they want it immediately – not in annual service reviews.

These folks need and want more feedback about their work so that they know they are making positive contributions.

We all feel this way regardless of our generation; however, Millennials want immediate, as in “right now”, feedback not just annually but daily in some cases. This will be tiring and even exhausting yet this is what our research shows.

Those of us in the older generations are generally content with feedback through structured reviews with supervisors periodically throughout the year.

For Millennials, though, feedback based on clearly defined and explained expectations, and clearly articulated job descriptions should follow closely on particular projects or accomplishments. If you think about it, this makes a certain amount of sense.

So, “chill”, all you Boomers and Xers, you don’t have to follow these new hires around all day, reviewing every little task they complete.   Rather, integrate and adopt the consistent behavior of offering the Millennial brief evaluative comments in the midst of his work and pointing out how his efforts relate to the larger mission and vision.

Another thing to remember is that Millennials want to express themselves through their work and will do so often very creatively.

Boomers and Xers have placed greater emphasis on accomplishment as the primary means of self-expression.

For Millennials, how they do their work is just as expressive as what they accomplish.

Expect to hear them say “what an awesome” job they have done because they believe their accomplishments are “awesome”.

The authors of The M-Factor note this is a generation with an intuitive sense of “personal branding.” Sure, everyone has an iPhone they say, but no one has an iPhone case just like mine.

Being unique and being noticed are powerful motivators for Millennials. One way to do this is to give them room to put their own creative stamp on their work, whether it is the décor of their workspace or the design of a newsletter, the creation of a new website, or the Internet marketing.

Another way is to let them own something, a project or responsibility, which is fully in their control and means a great deal to them. Proceed very cautiously and allow them opportunity to grow one small project at a time.

In summary, we have examined Millennials and their expectations about the workplace from several different viewpoints:

• Their relationship with their parents;
• Their sense of entitlement;
• Their need for speed and connectivity to the wired world;
• And their desire for meaning of their work and life.

For each of these areas, we have offered insight and ideas for “negotiating” through the challenges and taking advantage of the opportunities we will face in working with The M-Generation.

To be most effective at this interaction, and to supervise them, we must work smarter by understanding the unique and different behaviors and traits that are relatively fixed and permanent in this generation.

Don’t waste your time or their time asking how to change them. Accept their strengths and weaknesses for what they are. Realistically consider what behaviors you choose to challenge and what behaviors you will accommodate, and then make it absolutely clear what your expectations are.  Be prepared to negotiate with them.

It’s important to define sensible, well-articulated, and mutually understood boundaries, standards and expectations for these new hires to live up to and abide by.

However, it’s equally important to learn how to adapt to what they want and need, if they are to be productive in the workplace.

Once you negotiate a balance between challenge and accommodation, you must then negotiate with the Millennials to focus on releasing the exceptional gifts and talents that the generation can bring to the workplace.

Most importantly, as the authors of The M-Factor summarize in their practical wisdom and with which I totally agree:

• Keep learning.
• Stay resilient and flexible.
• Maintain a sense of humor.
• Find a way to center yourself and remain calm.

This generation will bring unique talents to the workplace. Find the time and patience to utilize them.

The END of this book and the beginning of your adventure …

Dr. L. Darryl Armstrong

L. Darryl ARMSTRONG and Associates Behavioral Public Relations LLC

http://www.ldarrylarmstrong.com

270.619.3803

 

 

 

The M-Generation Has a Desire for Meaning in Life and Work Chapter 6 of 7

 “We have met the enemy and he is us!” Pogo

“Most of us Baby Boomers and GenXers don’t recall creating a disturbance when we entered the market place. We’ve forgotten that the ‘Greatest Generation’ saw us as possibly the end of their dreams and their aspirations for our country. In the 1950s, the comic strip character Pogo even proclaimed we were the enemy!”  – Dr. L. Darryl Armstrong, The Four Rivers Business Journal

The generational differences we have discussed thus far between The M-Generation and the rest of us indicate that there will be as much, if not more, angst with this incoming group of employees. Some might say we are facing the greatest crisis of the workforce in more than 60-years.

I am not so pessimistic. I am a realistic person and I do understand the challenges we face. As a behavioral psychologist for 45-years, I have seen the ebb and flow of behavioral issues in society and the workplace. So, buckle up for a good yet at times frustrating ride. We will survive this adventure even if at times we have our doubts.

We hypothesize that the M-Generation is simply a reflection once again of the turbulent process of generations getting to understand one another’s different behaviors and behavioral responses. Just as we brought our strengths and weaknesses to the table when we integrated into the work environment, so do the M-Generation new hires.

Many of my colleagues believe that the M-Generation will bring a new paradigm to the workplace that will be of benefit to us —  expansive and engaging collaboration. Please allow me to explain.

Millennials want to find meaning in what they do. Now, such a desire is not unique to this generation, as many of us sought for “meaning of our lives” over the past six decades.  And some of us looked for meaning  in “sex, drugs and rock and roll” before zeroing in on careers and families.

Photo by Nina Uhlíková on Pexels.com

Authors Lancaster and lman note that each generation has had a different view of what constitutes “meaning”.  As Boomers, we found meaning in the “long climb upwards to success” by working hard, paying our dues, and playing “politics” in the workplace because we believed that ultimately we would achieve a position of prominence and influence. We delayed our gratification expecting a reward later rather than sooner. We assimilated a great deal of this thinking and resulting behavioral responses from our own parents who had been loyal Trojans, often to a single company for more than 50-years.

However, in the 1980s as I was on that corporate ladder climb, I found myself having to make difficult decisions. When employees were being swept aside to positively impact an organization’s “bottom-line”, I began to realize the concept of “delayed gratification” was probably not the best career decision for me.

When Gen-Xers came into the workplace, they had seen enough evidence to confirm their doubts about the so-called “long term benefits” of hard work and delayed gratification.

GenXers had witnessed dramatic increases in divorce rates and massive “downsizing” with terminations and layoffs from companies to whom Boomers had given much sweat, tears, and loyalty.

Xers watching the rapid market cycles of boom and bust and the globalization of business became convinced that it’s better to find meaning in the present moment and in something other than their job. It began to appear that their job was a temporary condition at best for many. They became skeptical of businesses and organizations with their seemingly meaningless commitments to their employees.

Therefore, Xers found meaning in work and life balance and invested as much energy in developing their hobbies, sports, passions, and relationships as Boomers did into growing their professional success.

So how did this affect ideas about what constitutes a meaningful life and work experience to the M-Generation?

First, Millennials want to experience meaning in their life and work now. This is difficult for us Boomers to understand probably because it makes us question the paths we have pursued and the costs we have experienced on that path to success. We delayed gratification, and we ask why can’t they?

On the other hand, many Boomers have told their Millennial children, “If you are going to work hard for a lifetime, find something to do that has meaning for you”.

We Boomers have told them that they should not put off meaningful satisfaction indefinitely. If it can’t be found in the here and now, it may not come at all. Unlike their Xer older siblings, Millennials are much less skeptical about organizations, businesses, institutions, and systems.

The M-Generation believes that it’s possible to experience just as much satisfaction on the clock as off. As we observed, they “plug in and wire up” and then go about doing their work while listening to their music or podcasts, surfing the Internet, or tweeting their extended family. They relish in multi-tasking, and we, as Boomers and Xers, question how they can handle this multichannel approach to life and work because it’s such a foreign concept to us.

My conclusion is this — we will survive this generational angst and our country will prosper under this newest generation just as the Greatest Generation survived us and we prospered!

What we must accept is we are not in “Kansas anymore” and we must as generations collaborate to find a way to make this new workplace efficient and effective. I believe that we must work together to determine a mutually productive outcome in our workplace.

An agreed-upon mutual outcome is developed through the process of Collaborative Informed Consent (CIC). CIC is a communication and engagement model of employee involvement that defines informed consent as a situation where  management recognizes that informing and educating their employees about a project, problem, or training need and managing employee expectations while informing employees of the benefit of doing the work, accrues to everyone’s advantage.

Millennials Are Different – Part 7

 

Millennials are Wired to Network Chapter 5 of 7

“Recently a client of mine said, “What we need is a strategic plan!” This same client and his colleagues at the time were going through Patrick Lencioni’s Five Dysfunctions of a Team training with me. I held my tongue and eventually quietly said, “You first have to break down silos and work as a team before even thinking about building a strategic plan, if you are going to be successful.” What we often find is, Millennials want to jump in front of the train instead of boarding it for the ride to the station. – Dr. L. Darryl Armstrong

What Baby Boomers and GenXers can learn from Millennials about being “wired?”

Born into the digital world, M-Generation employees are wired for speed and constant connection. Connected to friends, family, and even strangers, they are masters of multitasking for immediate information gathering often bouncing off the walls like a ball bearing shot into a steel plated room.

When technology becomes obsolete, they rid themselves of it immediately for the latest upgrade. The replacement is  always the newest, fastest, slimmest and most fashionable.

Even though Boomers and GenXers are technologically savvy, we are awed by the ease with which Millennials navigate the complex and ever-changing digital terrain.

While you and I may “surf” YouTube occasionally, a Millennial will make and post his own movie in an hour and link it to everyone on his LinkedIn account.

Although we marvel at his skills, we also recognize the dark side of such technology and the impact that digital immediacy and constant connectivity can have on our employees and their audiences at large.

As Baby Boomers and Gen-Xers, we’re concerned that the Instantaneous, perpetual availability of friends and entertainment means that an M-Generation employee could be slacking off instead of working. We can’t believe it’s possible to be productive and wired-in at the same time.

How she can get any work done with the music playing constantly in her earphones? Has the informality of social media left Millennials unmindful to professional workplace etiquette, appropriate styles of communications, and the boundaries between professional and personal information?

Lancaster and Stillman in the M-Factor book point out our concerns that the continual flow of digital content is eroding the M-generations’ attention spans and impairing their ability to concentrate.

We’re concerned that the Millennials have no criteria for distinguishing what is authoritative information from what is just one blogger’s opinion.  Do they even understand that this is an important distinction?

Observing these digital natives, we may overly focus on their devices and the strange behaviors they conjure – heads buried in screens, fingers clicking out texts, and eyes darting around dozens of images per minute. These things, though, are outward expressions of what could be the defining personality of the Millennial generation – the concept of continuous collaboration.

“The M- Factor” predicts that the Millennial generation will be known as the “Great Collaborators”.  And this can be a good thing.

For the M-Generation, work is usually a team sport and isolation from friends, family, and coworkers is the worst! Remember the TV-show Friends? The analogy here is most appropriate.

When you see them plugged into their devices, remember that they are probably using that device to connect with someone, to communicate something that matters to them, or to attend to a community of their own making, all of which may be business related.

Reconciling yourself to your M-Generation employee’s constant immersion in the digital world may begin with this recognition. To prevent conflict and crisis from developing, develop a greater appreciation for your wired and constantly plugged in employee so that you can make his weird, wired ways work for you.

Find a project that is a perfect match for his interests and his technical know – how. Let him drive it as fast as he wants. You may pick up a few new tricks and learn something about social media yourself.

This also may result in a teachable moment if his enthusiasm, efficiency, and innovations collide with organizational traditions, protocols, and habits. You can demonstrate how “faster is not always better”.

Finally, it is important to develop the habit of assessing an M-Generation’s work based on what she produces, not by how she spends her time. Between dramatic changes in educational paradigms and the rapid evolution of technology in the past 20 years, your new hire’s ways of being productive may not bear any resemblance to your ways of being productive. The completed project, however, is what matters.

He may spend more time at the coffee shop than at his desk. Based solely on casual observation, you can’t tell whether he is working or playing. You wonder about his work ethic when he outsources tasks and assignments to friends, family, or even large groups of online acquaintances.

As a supervisor, you could insist that he conform to a work style that looks more productive to you. However, a better alternative is to evaluate his performance based on criteria that you can both agree on, namely, well-defined outcomes. In other words, you must negotiate an arrangement that meets both parties’ needs.

Let your M-Generation employee know what needs to be accomplished when, and do this in an upfront, direct, and clear way and ensure they have a well-written and they understand their job description.

Then step back and let him tackle it in his own “unique and wired” way. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Millennials Want Meaning for Their Work – Part 6

Part 2: How to deal effectively with the M-Generation

Part 2: How to deal effectively with the M-Generation

In Part One of this series, we gave some general behavioral insights into the M-Generation, the people born between 1982-2000, who are currently entering the work place. In this article, we will look at the common characteristics that further define this generation and how to effectively deal with them.

As Baby Boomers and GenXers, our parents invariably worked hard and often long hours to provide us a better life. Parental involvement was limited, and our parents trusted us to our teachers and coaches, pastors and Sunday school teachers.

Parents came to ballgames, plays and special events. We knew that if the principal or teacher called our folks because of our unruly behavior during or even after school, we would suffer the consequences, and, yes, there would be some parental involvement at that juncture! This parental involvement did not include blaming any one else for our misdeeds. We were expected to accept responsibility for our behavior or accept the consequence.

Enter the “Helicopter Parent”

However, in the last 30 years, we have seen a major shift in the parental role as parents have become more involved socially and educationally with their children.  As a result of this era of “parents being the child’s friend”, the parent is no longer in a role of authority in their children’s eyes.

Millenials became their parents’ “colleagues” and “associates”, and with the proliferation of the cell phone, the kids were never far from the “nest” of the parents. So, enters the “helicopter” parent, and the parents, in many cases, enjoy this relationship because psychologist say it “gives them more meaningful lives”  and therefore they don’t choose to or want to “push the child out of the nest.”

The Millennials are fine with this because they are not seeking or striving for independence in many cases. Educators and others have observed this trend for years. Yes, it is the M-Generation that chose to live in their parent’s basements as long as possible while finding themselves and their calling whereas the Baby Boomers fought for and sought early independence from their parents the Millennials prefer the security of the nest.

Teachers, and counselors in some cases, have appreciated more parental involvement, if it was not “too much”. Employers, on the other hand, frankly have little to no interest in parents “helicoptering” their Millennial employees.

“Sadly, it is increasingly common for employers to receive phone calls from a parent wanting to discuss problems or a disappointment their (adult) child has had at work says.” Lynne C. Lancaster and David Stillman, authors of The M- Factor: How the Millennial Generation is Rocking the Workplace” (Harper Collins, 2010).

Employers have even reported that Millenials have told them they have asked their “Mom or Dad as their colleague” to review their work or even do it for them. Just like they did in school and sadly, in this author’s opinion, many parents do so. These same parents maintain even more control of the M-Generation often by paying their bills, buying them cars, food or clothes and taking care of their children because after all these children are the “grandchildren” the Boomers and Gen-Xers always wanted.

Lancaster and Stillman note that one of the bigger surprises experienced in the work place is when the new hire millennial shares some feedback from a parent, who happens to be a senior vice president at a similar company. This feedback about how the parent could do things better, if they were in charge, is not solicited or appreciated by the employer.

Simply, the M-Generation view their parents as valuable resources whose counsel and input will be as vital for their work life as it was when they were students. When you hire a millennial, you will get the parents as part of the bargain, whether you like it or not.

Initially, I thought this was hyperbole or outrageous complaining until I actually observed such behavior from a member of my own extended family. Since I left home at age 17 and paid my way through college, I found this enabling behavior to be an antithesis to my idea of maturity, healthy self-reliance, and productivity.  I would dare to say that much of society feels the same way. But then, apparently there are a lot of helicopter parents who do not.

However, based on my own observations and research, I recommend that you forget about trying to change this perspective, or debate with the new hire (or their parents). Whether this perspective and behavior is appropriate, healthy, or mature is irrelevant to them. The reality is you must accept the fact that this “parental helicoptering” and the M-Generation’s social behaviors are now at least 20 years into solidification, and you are not likely to change that perspective anytime soon.

There are strategies, however, that can be deployed to deal with this M-Generation behavior. One is to articulate and clearly establish boundaries up front in the working relationship regarding your feelings about parental involvement.

For example, personnel records, including performance reviews, are generally considered organizationally confidential and are not open for discussion with anyone other than the employee and her supervisors. This is a distinct and most appropriate boundary that you should clarify to a new hire in case his parent wants to explore his child’s experience at your company.

However, some researchers say it might also help to understand the close relationship Millenials have with their parents by viewing it the same way they do – as an asset when it comes to “reflection” on work place issues.

Remember these Millennials are products of parental engagement. They have been sharing and processing their experiences with their parents from the earliest of ages.

If your new M-Generation employees seemingly have this kind of relationship with their parents, encourage them to involve their parents in reflection on their profession, roles, responsibilities and chosen vocation. Do not, however, allow them to think that you and the parents will be having this kind of relationship.

Remember that Millennials don’t readily grasp the concept of confidentiality, especially in conversation with their parents. Therefore, it is important to provide them clearly articulated and well-defined guidelines on what kind of information is inappropriate for such conversations.

Lancaster and Stillman note that a Millennial’s relationship with his parents is the template for interaction with other older adults and authority figures.

If you can objectively observe or ascertain from his comments how a Millennial interacts with his parents, you may uncover clues on how he hopes to relate to you as an older colleague.

If your new hire sees his parents as a perpetually available resource, he may expect the same from you. If he is open to their counsel and coaching, he may readily accept the same from you as his mentor.

Accept the fact that you will have to spend extra time and attention on the Millennials, which can be burdensome at times. However their enthusiasm for your input may leave you feeling more gratified than grumpy.

Next: The single greatest complaint about Milleninals from employers

Sources: The M- Factor: How the Millennial Generation is Rocking the Workplace” by Lynne C. Lancaster and David Stillman (Harper Collins, 2010)

PWC.Com – Millennials in the Work Place – Reshaping the World https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/managing-tomorrows-people/future-of-work/assets/reshaping-the-workplace.pdf

 

Bankruptcy or rebirth following a crisis

Your company has just killed 23 people and 57 others are deathly ill, some critical. Your production plant is dead in the water and more than 5,000 unique media stories have been written about your crisis.

What you do and how you communicate in such a situation literally will make or break your reputation and can lead to bankruptcy or rebirth. Perhaps, you think this is just one of those table-top worse-case scenarios and that it just couldn’t happen, especially not to your organization.

The Canadian firm Maple Leaf Foods most likely thought the same thing in 2008; however, listeria bacterium contaminated a number of its food products at its plant in the Toronto area. Suddenly the firm had a 100 percent brand recognition rate among Canadians and many Americans, and it was the sort of recognition you would rather not have.

Dr. Randy Huffman, senior vice president operations and chief food safety officer for Maple Leaf Foods, doesn’t mince his words when speaking of this crisis. He frequently starts his presentations by saying he works for a company that took the lives of 23 Canadians.

When the listeria crisis erupted, Huffman was president of the American Meat Institute (AMI) Foundation. Maple Leaf Foods contracted with Huffman, as an external consultant on food safety, and after working with the senior leadership team during the crisis, he joined the company’s safety and quality assurance programs primarily because he was so impressed with the company’s values when it came to handling the listeria outbreak.

Eight years later, he remains dedicated to the constant improvement of food safety standards. He and the other members of Maple Leaf’s senior leadership team continue to talk about the event that so drastically changed their organization because they believe others need to learn from that tragedy.

“We keep it real and alive,” Huffman said in an interview for Ivey in November 2014. He explained that, in the orientation video for Maple Leaf staff, from top level executives to middle management to temporary plant staff, the seriousness of this event is always emphasized in all trainings.

“I can guarantee you, you won’t find any other major corporate training videos that show a hearse,” he said, emphasizing that it’s important for new staff members to understand why the organization continues to raise the bar of food safety standards.

Few organizations get accolades for handling a crisis; however, Maple Leaf Foods is lauded time and time again for how well it handled this tragedy through open and transparent and timely communications.

There was no complex communications strategy. There was not a huge PR crisis team.

Instead, the company chose to keep a handle on the crisis within its management leadership team and strictly adhere to its company’s values. The strategy worked. The team did a number of things well to manage its crisis; Huffman emphasized three vital moves company officials made:

n They acted with urgency.

n They held themselves accountable.

n They were open and transparent from the outset.

CEO Michael McCain and the entire senior leadership team immediately accepted accountability and responsibility for the mistake once investigators pointed to the Maple Leaf products. They didn’t shift blame to food safety standards, or equipment manufacturers, or individual employees, or deign that they needed more time for investigation. The CEO simply owned up to the breach of standards at the organizational level and continually apologized throughout the event.

“Our values said to do what’s right, be transparent, open and honest,” Huffman said. “So that’s what we did.”

Once investigators linked Maple Leaf Foods to the outbreak, McCain immediately went to the media and told the company’s side of the story.

The company acknowledged the seriousness of the problem right up front. The homepage of the Maple Leaf Foods website featured a full-page update with information from the company along with links to information on the recall.

McCain personally apologized for the tragic incidents in a video that played on mainstream TV, and that the company posted to YouTube. Later the various social media platforms carried the video repeatedly.The company immediately moved to recall all 220 packaged meats produced at the affected plant.

A sense of urgency, being proactive and open and transparent from the outset of the crisis allowed Maple Leaf to rebirth itself and prosper instead of landing on the heap of bankruptcy, and the lessons learned apply to many organizations looking for guidance during a crisis.

1. Darryl Armstrong is a crisis prevention and management consultant. He can be reached at 1-888-340-2006 or drdarryl@aol.com. His website is http://www.ldarrylarmstrong.com. He is available on a limited basis for speaking engagements and workshops.

What we can learn as crisis communicators from Dallas Police Chief David Brown

38 Important Questions to Answer Before You Invest – Body cameras are just part of a complex audio and video documentation puzzle

www.ldarrylarmstrong.com

(The Chicago dashcam video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Zz03rvyhIk) of the shooting of a 17-year old released last evening 11.24.15 raises many of the questions that must be answered prior to purchasing body or in-car video/audio cameras.)

Let’s face it in law enforcement these days whether it is on campus or in the city, county and state LE groups the issue of outfitting officers with body cameras has become a national focus with many LE organizations rushing to get the grants and funding to purchase equipment. One in three police departments in the U.S. are using body cameras for at least some of their officers, according to a 2013 study conducted by the US Department of Justice.

President Barack Hussein Obama has proposed a three-year, $75 million investment that could help purchase 50,000 body-worn cameras for law enforcement nation-wide. The goal is that these cameras will increase accountability for the police and civilians.

However, there are questions and issues to consider before making decisions on audio and video equipment that LE personnel would be wise to answer and resolve in advance of making such significant investment.

Let’s consider how will the purchase of a body camera lead to an all-inclusive system of audio and video recording?

As a crisis communications professional, when debriefing and investigating clients’ situations and how well they handled their crisis, I want to understand the complete context in which an action or reaction to a situation has occurred. Video obtained from body cameras is only one piece of a complex puzzle and only provides a glimpse into the overall event.

If we are to successfully either prevent or manage an organizational crisis, then we must understand from outset to completion how the incident came to be and how it evolved so that a time-line can be generated to see how and why decisions were made during the incident. Simply, this means that you need the audio 911 recording from the minute the incident starts at dispatch and the entire audio and video dialogue between dispatch, command and patrol until the incident is resolved.

I believe that simply reviewing video of an incident as it evolves or erupts even with audio from the scene can be presumptive without overall context and can lead to less than accurate interpretations by command, the media and the public.

Simply, when doing crisis investigations and reconstructions without pre and post context you are severely handicapped in determining how and why certain decisions to act or react were made.

In other words, body cameras are just another tool in the documentary arsenal. When selecting audio and video equipment consider these factors and answer these questions in advance of any purchase:

1. Does your body or in-car camera have as good an audio recording capability as it does a video capability?
2. Does the video and audio recording begin immediately or is there a delay?
3. Does your 911 system have a dedicated audio recording system that has the capability of backing up files for quick future reference, ease of use and rapid association with the video capture?
4. Is the quality of the audio recording systems for incoming 911 calls and your body cameras the best available?
5. What is the quality of a night recording on the camera?
6. How easy is the body cam system you are considering for an officer to use?
7. Does it have an on and off switch or is there the capability for an immediate on using other activation parameters?
8. How much work will be required of an officer to download videos from the camera, label them and store them in a secure database or video management system? How often will they be required to do so? How easy is the download process to learn and use?
9. How durable are the audio/video hardware systems for the weather conditions under which they must operate in your community?
10. Have you vetted the durability and reliability of the equipment through other LE departments that have experience with them?
11. Have you investigated the cost of operation/maintenance based on other LE departmental experiences? What are the annual costs of repairs and replacements for departments of a similar size?
12. Is the system comfortable to wear and reasonably unobtrusive?
13. Where will your officers wear these cameras i.e. chest, shoulders, on helmets or eyewear? Different mounting positions come with different challenges. A chest-mounted camera view could be blocked by an officer’s arms when in a shooting stance. A shoulder-mounted camera will not follow the officer’s line of site when peering around a corner with the officer’s back against a wall.
14. Do you and your officer understand and are you willing to accept that wherever you place the camera it still won’t capture 100% of the actions, which is why audio capability is equally important.
15. What is the length of the video and audio that can be captured on the camera?
16. Does the camera only support a proprietary rather than a standards-based video format?
17. Is the video format the same as current cell phones in the market place? Using such a format will help eliminate complicated video analysis issues later on because of the need to convert the footage to a standard format, which can also impact the actual video quality.
18. Does the camera provide date and time visuals and other possible environmental conditions?
19. From the moment of capture to storage does the camera encrypt the data so that it cannot be altered?
20. Can the camera’s audio and video be remotely accessed by command, viewed real-time and recorded at command central?
21. What does the system you are considering cost in terms of hardware compared to other systems?
22. What “unusual” and “unexpected” hardware issues have other departments had with the system?
23. What will be the cost of training, technical support, video storage, software to analyze and manage the audio and video evidence?
24. Does your department have Informational Technical (IT) support, or will training of each officer be required using the vendor’s training resources? Does the vendor provide a “train-the-trainer” program?
25. Can the vendor provide IT support 24/7/365 and what will it cost annually? What is their turn-around time on a call for immediate assistance? Are they willing to come to you on immediate notice?
26. What policies and guidelines need to be developed to ensure transparency and accountability?
27. When can an officer record or not record an interaction?
28. How long will you keep the video evidence?
29. Do you have offsite backup (cloud) storage for long-term evidence needs?
30. How will the data be shared externally?
31. Do you know and understand the requirements in your state to consider before releasing footage to the media or public?
32. What research and considerations have you made and integrated into your policies concerning privacy of the videos, as it relates to the public?
33. Have these policies been vetted by your legal/public affairs team?
34. Is it necessary in your state for you to redact (or visually blur) video frames of innocent bystanders, minors or witnesses?
35. Do you need to purchase and have staff trained on how to do manual frame-by-frame redaction/blurring?
36. Do you have the in-house resources and/or do you need a consultant as part of your review team to make sure the hardware fits your community’s specific needs?
37. Will the vendor agree to allow you to run a minimum test and trial of the equipment for 30-90 days or longer with larger purchases of cameras?
38. Have you investigated available grants at the state and federal level?

It will be necessary for your department to plan and conduct a “test-trial” of the hardware using table-top and field exercises to assess the audio/video quality of the equipment and to “test” your policies, procedures and communications and crisis plans under different environmental and work conditions. These exercises should be inclusive from the moment of 911 dispatch to resolution of the event.

Finally, it is essential that you collaborate with your public affairs officer and your crisis communications manager to develop, implement and test an inclusive and comprehensive communications plan to engage the media and public during your trial.

This exercise should include not only the traditional media (newspapers, radio and television); it also should include a well-defined and executable social media plan that at a minimum includes Facebook and Twitter. The use of exercise platforms such as offered by Nusura (www.nusura.com) can be helpful at this phase.

Remember the general public is divided between those that are concerned about privacy implications of body cameras and those that demand their use by police departments to increase accountability.  Therefore, it is critically important that you demonstrate transparency and openness in all communications associated with the purchase and use of your body cameras and let the public and media know how you will address any issues that may develop from their use.

If you have questions or need assistance in developing a crisis communications plan please visit www.ldarrylarmstrong.com for free resource materials.

We are available to assist 24/7/365 by calling 1.888.340.2006.

Your feedback and comments are appreciated.

L. Darryl Armstrong PhD

L. Darryl ARMSTRONG and Associates

Behavioral Public Relations LLC

1.888.340.2006

www.ldarrylarmstrong.com

drdarryl@aol.com

Do you want to become a respected crisis manager? If so, keep reading.

Do you want to become a respected crisis manager?  If so, keep reading.

By Dr. L. Darryl Armstrong APR CCMC CAMT

www.ldarrylarmstrong.com

1.888.340.2006

In 1973 on my second week at work, I had to manage an alleged “kidnapping” crisis. News stations from as far away as Nashville and Evansville convened on the front-steps of the trailer where my office was. For more than 8-hours, we were the center of regional attention by every news media organization in a 100-mile radius, and, of course, by our community and our customers. Newspaper, radio and television stations were camped out waiting for my every word.  That may sound exciting, but believe me it was not.

My employer and I survived that crisis and learned from it. The experience that I gained shaped the way that I have handled a crisis situation ever since. At that time, I worked for a large federal agency: today my firm works with small businesses, large corporations, universities and government agencies.  Our job is to ensure that they have adequate plans to handle any crisis in advance.  In order to do this, they must have trained and respected crisis managers within the organization.

It seems as if it were only yesterday that we were all engaged in learning how to deal with a 24-hour news cycle. Today, it makes no difference if you are a “Mom and Pop” convenience store or a Fortune 50 company.  When a crisis occurs, you become the focus of the news and social media, and of your employees, customers and the community. You become a 24-hour news story. How you handle a crisis makes the difference in whether you resume work and prosper, or ultimately are perceived negatively in the public’s opinion.  Being perceived negatively is not a good thing and can lead to litigation or even bankruptcy.

With the onset of citizen journalists, social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and You Tube, the proliferation of blogs and smartphones, innuendoes, gaffes and just out and out blunders can achieve viral status in minutes. Don’t believe me? Just ask Vice President Joe Biden!!! Remember when he said, “This is a f#@%ing big deal” in describing Obamacare?

Protecting your brand and reputation in a global environment requires a multifaceted strategic plan of action that starts within the organization and is executed before brand/reputation damaging occurs.

The proverbial “seat at the table”

How many of us who have worked in management have wanted, and often fought for, that “proverbial seat at the management table?”  Having to fight for a seat as a crisis manager may seem ironic these days since all polls show that that the public wants executives, managers, and especially government officials to be more transparent and more engaged.  The public expects officials to have communication and crisis management skills, and they want them to actively seek communications and crisis management counsel.

Although most recently the President has said that “…there is not a smidgen of scandal…” in his administration, the polls show that his own behavior has not served him well as a crisis manager.

President Barack Obama and his administration would be wise to follow the advice and counsel of one of his often mentioned heroes, President Abraham Lincoln. “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.”

I have always counseled that when you make a mistake and you know you have, simply own up to it; be contrite and humble, apologize, and be very clear that you are doing so.

Then immediately commit to fixing that mistake. The public, be they the American people or your customers or clients, will respect you for such behavior and will most likely be more forgiving.

A study that the public relations firm SpencerStuart and Weber-Shandwick conducted in 2010 found that “whether management says so or not, when a crisis occurs, management is expecting corporate communications crisis managers to be proactive internally, to coordinate key stakeholders, and to develop and implement a communications plan.”

In the more progressive organizations, crisis managers within the communications group have begun to rise in the ranks to executive positions. Some companies even have their own Corporate Communications Officer (CCO). These communication executives, who often serve as the organization’s crisis managers, must understand the business and its financial operations. They must serve as confidants, coaches and cheerleaders.

As Renee T. Walker, an Accredited Public Relations (APR) professional says in The Strategist Summer 2012, “…being adept at each of these roles can help crisis managers manage the often competing agendas of the executive team.”

No, mam it is not just about the facts

Just because we may have the “facts” as best we know them during a crisis, and we can manage the media to some degree, it does not mean we have the management or the public’s support. Knowing the “facts” also does not necessarily demonstrate transparency or promote integrity and social responsibility.  We might have a “seat at the table” as far as the public and management is concerned; however, we have yet “to win their trust.”

It is one thing to say, as the current Presidential administration has said for more than 6-years, that “we are the most open and transparent administration ever”. It is another thing entirely to actually exhibit the behaviors that back up the rhetoric.

The public will expect you to “walk your talk.” This is where a veteran and experienced crisis manager and communicator within the organization becomes exceptionally valuable. Such veterans understand the importance of navigating their way through the “court of public opinion”, while staying out of the “court of law.” By doing this, they protect their organization’s reputation/brand while managing potential litigation.

As one of my colleagues who is currently the Director of Public Relations at one of the nation’s largest utility once said, “…this requires a delicate balance and the ability to work with a legal team as well as the communications team.” Such an experienced crisis manager/communicator is greatly coveted for their knowledge and experience. This knowledge and experience will enable them to address the potential impacts on revenue, stock value, reputation, competition, market share, and executive compensation.

When in doubt, go on the offense

Invariably, when a threat is perceived or an attack on the organization occurs, our organizations and their executive leadership either want to stand and fight (we will sue the bastards) or run away from the situation.

In behavioral psychology, we simply refer to this as the “fight or flight” response, the throwback behavior to our early days as cavemen. We see this all the time.  Our organizations either “ignore the issue,” hoping it will go away, or aggressively attack the accuser to deflect the issue.  Resorting to the time honored and terribly ineffective “no comment” invariably makes the organization appear guilty as charged!

Failing to feed the media the information or ignoring the situation by not commenting just increases the public’s interest and objections.  All of these responses ultimately result in heightening the negative reputation/brand and in preventing the organization’s voice from being heard in the media and marketplace.

Sadly, many of our friends who are lawyers don’t understand that it is important to “manage the court of public opinion”, even if the organization is likely to end up in the “court of law.” When you don’t manager the court of public opinion, you can and often do lose in the court of law! I have often advised my clients to “do the right thing” because when the public sees you trying to do so, they will be more understanding and lenient in their judgment.

Ms. Walker says that a well-planned and well-executed offense enables the organization to insulate its reputation/brand.  This offense will support its future litigation strategy, demonstrate its values, and show compassion and empathy along with integrity in the media as well as in the court of public opinion.

Remember that “kidnapping” that I handled in 1973?

My organization came out of the media spectacle and the crisis with the respect of the public because we immediately stepped to the plate with a thoughtfully tailored offense:

1. We reassured the public that, “we were cooperating with all the law enforcement agencies to ensure the incident was resolved as quickly as possible.”
2. The safety of the victim, the alleged kidnappers, our customers and employees were of paramount importance to us and would not be compromised.
3. We understood and empathized with the parents of the victim and assured them we would reunite them as soon as possible “once the situation was under control.”
4. We assured the media that “we would be open and transparent and forthcoming with verifiable information as soon as we could”, and we asked them to not speculate or use information other than that provided by us since it could place the victim and the investigation in jeopardy. They did honor this request by the way because we “walked our talk.”
5. We updated the media (and therefore the public) every 60-minutes, even if we had no further details.

“The Art of War”

‘Every battle is won or lost before it is ever fought,” said Sun Tzu author of The Art of War. Organizations with a well thought out and executed internal/ external plan of action, as well as  a communications protocol for a crisis situation, will ultimately successfully manage the crisis. However, just having a plan is not enough. You must develop a mutual trust with the executives and leadership before you can successfully, as the crisis manager and communicator, direct the response of the organization during the crisis.

Tenet – something accepted as important truth: an established fundamental belief.

 There are seven basic tenets that a crisis manager and communicator must follow in order to help an organization successfully survive a crisis:

1. You must become “a coveted advisor.”  A coveted advisor understands the organization from many different perspectives.  He or she must  understand the culture and strategic alliances within human resources, the legal team, operations, supply, transportation, and others.  Only then will he be able to ensure that they can help management navigate their way to the end of a crisis. A coveted advisor provides good counsel before, during and after the crisis and has developed sufficient rapport and respect to “speak the truth even when it hurts.”
2. You must know those people who can “influence the situation.” Within any organization there are those people who can exert significant influence during a crisis due to their title, their position, their skills of persuasion or simply because they are “natural born leaders.” To be a successful crisis manager, you must know who these people are, how they operate and what motivates them.
3. 3.       You must build “strategic alliances.” You need to know the more influential people within the organization, and you must also build mutual trust, respect and relationships with them. A strong support system and informational, intelligence gathering network is essential to be successful in handling a crisis.
4. 4.       You must become “partners with your legal team.” A strong, respectful and supportive relationship between the communications and legal team can literally be a game changer when building strategy during a crisis.
5. 5.       You must “understand the rules of engagement.” Before engaging in the management of a crisis, you must understand how and who within an organization makes the decisions. Who shares information? Who secrets information? What is the reward and penalty system for each? What are the organization’s values? Once you understand these rules, you stand a better chance of successfully managing the crisis.
6. 6.       You must implement a “positive and affirmative response strategy.” The going always gets rough with emotions running high during a crisis. The exceptional crisis manager will always maintain composure and objectivity, make careful decisions, and always consider the short and long term implications of those decisions. Managing that always-delicate balance between the legal and communications teams is also imperative. It is always important to help your executives understand what the media is doing, what the media’s needs are, and what the “media speak” is really all about, in terms they can understand.
7. 7.       You must ensure that “expectations are realistic and aligned with outcomes.” Crises are challenging. The expectations of your management must be realistic and based on the circumstances of the crisis. Those expectations must be directly aligned with the organization’s strategic priorities, basic tenets, values and philosophies.

Ms. Walker notes that often the right response in a crisis will seem counterintuitive to the leadership team. However, if you have become a coveted and respected crisis manager, you will have come to know and understand the influencers within the organization, and you will have built strategic alliances with them.  Then and only then will the leadership team heed your advice and counsel.

To paraphrase President Abraham Lincoln, during a crisis is not the time to try and fool any of the people.

END

 Sources: www.ldarrylarmstrong.com; The Strategist Summer 2012

Dr. L. Darryl Armstrong is a crisis and emergency communications and management consultant. He can be reached at drdarryl@aol.com or 1.888.340.2006. Dr. Armstrong is available for speaking engagements and conducts training workshops. Visit his website at www.ldarrylarmstrong.com where you can find even more free resources including the FREE white paper The 11 Steps in Crisis Communications.