When we look at any crisis communications scenario we work hard to anticipate the unanticipated and deal with it using the best knowledge base we have accumulated over the years. Maybe a certain technique we learned at an industry seminar or college class, maybe a case study of another crisis incident that we garnered good intelligence and experience from.
While it’s great to be book smart and learn from others experience, the top element, in my mind, of dealing with any crisis communications incident is to have COMMON SENSE. Yes, PR is allot about COMMON SENSE. There are many out there who make good livings in PR, are book smart and savvy, but totally lack COMMON SENSE.
This lack of COMMON SENSE can be traced to both the doors of the White House and hallowed hall of BP corporate headquarters in the way these two organizations blatantly lacked any tact in three incidents that happened over the weekend.
Moses led the Children of Israel using his rod and staff; I guess President Obama will lead us to prosperity through the raising of his three iron. Who at the White House lacked the COMMON SENSE to allow the President, not only to play golf with the VP, but while people are ringing their hands in the Gulf of Mexico, devote 5 hours of “quality time” to the pursuit of bettering his short game?
Who at the White House lacked the COMMON SENSE to allow the President to go to a Washington Nationals game on Friday night? While shrimpers worry about their future the President not only attended the game but stayed into the ninth inning! He even sang Take me out to the Ball Game.
Not to let the uber high paid PR consultants at BP off the hook for their lack of COMMON SENSE, they allowed their CEO to be photographed on a yacht during a race near the Isle of Wight in obviously clean waters.
The White House blamed BP for their lack of tact in allowing Tony Hayward to sail while the Gulf becomes more and more polluted. So I guess it’s acceptable then for the President to give Biden a Mulligan for a whiff.
Both these incidents show a lack of COMMON SENSE on the part of the PR and media handlers of these two ‘leaders.”
The tragedy in the Gulf is of unprecedented proportions. There is so much to be done by both the federal government and BP.
Maybe it would be of greater COMMON SENSE, just like the government put a moratorium on the current operation of oil rigs, that both BP and the White House put a similar moratorium on frivolous activities until this mess shows some signs of resolution.
Also on The Fire PIO…
- Do we have Robots running the country? – December 13, 2010
- Even the Walls have Ears – November 24, 2010
- A PIO Social Media Christmas – December 22, 2010
During a prolonged incident for a firefighter or paramedic the expectation is likely they will work 12 hours on and 12 hours off. While they are off should to what degree should we legislate their activities and public visibility of those activities?
I am a strong advocate of the Covey principle to sharpen the saw. Although I am disgusted with the gulf oil spill, the ineptitude of the response, and saddened by the consequences that will impact land, wildlife, and people for decades I cannot fault any responder from the BP CEO and President Obama to a volunteer scrubbing an oiled bird for taking a few hours to “sharpen their saw.”
Some of the most viewed images of large scale incidents are of responders taking a nap, calling home, playing an impromptu ball game, playing with their search dog, etc. I think that expecting that life will stop for responders at a certain level of authority in an incident is unrealistic and unhealthy.
I agree with Greg but I also agree that the photo ops are pretty poorly timed. Really, we’ve been at war for the longest period of time in the history of the United States of America and that even trumps the gulf disaster, but the presidents of both administrations have (expectedly) taken a break or two during that period.
Awkward, yes. Wrong, no (grudgingly said). Now going back to an acute disaster and the chief heading out to the conference- there are some mitigating factors there, but if a hurricane is bearing down on our population and the fire chief doesn’t return home, although I can understand it (try to rearrange a flight sometime and you’ll see what I mean), it doesn’t seem like the public is apt to FORGIVE it. As the chief fire official in your jurisdiction, if your community is under the serious threat of extinction, you’d better figure out how to get home. I don’t agree with it because your second in command on down should be able to handle things, but I know from a self-preservation standpoint, it’s not a good career move to not be there.