A Crisis Audit is the Best Way to Prepare for Leadership Debacles

Notorious CEOs do or say things that can damage a company. In addition, a CEO’s bad behavior can affect employee morale and hiring and destroy years of positive brand reputation.

Clothier Abercrombie & Fitch was somewhat of a status symbol for teenagers and college students in the late 1990s to mid-2000s. However, then-CEO Michael Jeffries’ tone-deaf views did not sit well with the next generation of shoppers in the new millennium.

For example: “We hire good-looking people in our stores. Because good-looking people attract other good-looking people, and we want to market to cool, good-looking people. We don’t market to anyone other than that.”

A tweet, statement or leaked email from the likes of Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and former CEOs John Schnatter (Papa John’s) and Travis Kalanick (Uber) could make or break a company’s reputation.

Regardless of your organization’s size, preparing for leadership gaffes is an essential part of any PR pro’s job.
Where to Start?
It’s always better to get ahead of a potential situation. However, human activity can be unpredictable.