What do the major Firestone tire recall, Martha Stewart, Mad Cow Disease and the NYC blackout have in common? They were all seismic crisis events that occurred in the Summertime. It amazes me how complacent Corporate America is when it comes to crisis preparation. They seem to be on a permanent Summer vacation. Recently, we conducted surveys of business continuity and risk managers of Fortune 500 companies and found out the vast majority have never simulated a potential crisis. As a result, they’re not prepared for the inevitable. It’s simply amazing that this mindset still prevails in our Post 9/11, Madrid and London bombings world.
What will it take for business and industry to wake up? CEO kidnappings, hostage situations, actual terrorist attacks on fabled American brands?
It’s a chilling thought in the middle of a heat wave.
It’s always interesting to watch crises in motion. As someone in the business (of communicating during crises, not causing them), it’s always fun to watch the companies that clearly don’t have a plan (of which I have no pity for) and those that have clearly thought through at least the most plausible scenarios (of which I have admiration). It would be interesting to plot the last 50 years of crises on a calendar to see if there are any trends.