As most seasoned executives will attest, there's a standard drill when a crisis hits: say as much as you can, as quickly as you can. Hunkering down and hiding details will only come back to haunt you.
But, as with everything in life, there are exceptions. A recent string of bombings at Lowe's Home Improvement Centers in North Carolina proffers a good example. In situations where public safety is at risk, the rules are different.
On Sept. 22, two bombs exploded minutes apart in Lowe's stores in Asheboro and Salisbury, injuring three people. A third bomb was later discovered by a store clerk in Concord. Authorities are investigating whether the crimes might be linked to unionization talks, or to an accident last May at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, in which three spectators were killed by flying debris.
PR NEWS spoke with two experts about how crisis strategy should differ when lives are at stake. Their suggestions:
Don't Tell All...
The first thing to do is step up security and address the fears of those who've been victimized. But don't get too specific. "Here's a situation where you have to be circumspect in what you say," says Larry Smith, president of the Institute for Crisis Management in Louisville, Ky. "Because while you'll need to be proactive in assuring customers, employees, vendors and neighbors that you're doing everything you can to make your stores safe, you don't want to give away too many details regarding your security arrangements."
Remember, the perpetrator is probably watching, and may even have ties to your organization.
But Don't Avoid Reporters
The press will call, adds Jim Lukaszewski, head of The Lukaszewski Group in White Plains, N.Y. - a team of troubleshooters who bill themselves as "specialists in managing corporate bad news." It's not a good idea to avoid reporters altogether, but it's important to remind them that citizens are endangered and could be affected by the tone of their coverage.
"I caution people against sensationalizing situations like this, because that will only gratify the person who's doing it," Lukaszewski says. "The media loves to expose all those details about what the perpetrator is doing and what stores are doing to counter the threat, but this is not reporting a baseball game. It's extraordinarily serious."
Take a Back Seat
In a life-threatening crisis, the communications team is not in charge, Smith stresses. Police investigators, federal agents and security experts are better equipped to handle criminal cases in which lives are endangered - particularly incidents that could spur copycat crimes. The main objective is to keep communication channels open with law enforcement. You don't want to surprise the ATF, FBI or local police, he says. "If you're going to make a statement, give them a heads up first."
Free Your CEO
When a crisis hits, appoint someone other than your CEO to act as media spokesperson. This will free up the CEO's time to manage the crisis, and to make one-on-one contact with victims' families, customers, employees, local government officials (e.g., the mayor), investors, lending institutions and other stakeholders.
Plan Ahead
While no two crises are alike, premeditated acts such as bombings follow definite patterns and, therefore, can be planned for, Lukaszewski says. "Retail organizations that have great exposure should have such plans in place - much like those that prepare for situations involving workplace violence."
From a communications standpoint, the goal is not so much to prevent the crisis (that's security's job) as it is to minimize visibility in the event that a crisis occurs. "Because there is a pattern, it's possible to hypothesize about different scenarios ahead of time and have rough comments ready," he says. "You owe it to your customers and employees to make appropriate public statements."
(Institute for Crisis Management, 812/284-8351; The Lukaszewski Group, 914/688-0000)