How do you balance transparency and confidentiality in a crisis?

Trust is the foundation in all relationships. Respect is something that is gained by being authentic and honest when dealing with any type of crisis in any life situation. The core of the message should be the same. Tailoring one’s response to each individual group focusing on how it will affect them differently is most important. One of the greatest challenges during crisis situations is to find a balance not to create mistrust as once trust has lost it can be very difficult to regain. In any type of situation, especially in a crisis situation all anyone really wants is to be told the truth. Trust is the foundation in all relationships.

Knowing your audience is key. And knowing that your audience really only cares about how this crisis impacts them is where you can gain momentum in responding to any crisis. What patients or customers want to know may be very different from what employees want to know. Having spent some proactive time in advance of a crisis to anticipate and plan can be a game-changer when a crisis actually occurs. Outlining 2 things in advance will make a difference: 1. Who the audiences are, and 2. Basic components of holding statements tailored for each audience. With that prep work done and some decisions already made in advance, you can create clarity in base communications and avoid any mixed signals and misinformation.

You can’t just blast out one message and hope for the best. You need to segment your audience and tailor your communication. For example, if you have a racism issue in your company, like Starbucks did in 2018, you need to address it differently with your employees, customers, media, and social media followers. You need to apologize sincerely and personally to the people affected. You need to train your staff on diversity and inclusion. You need to announce new policies and initiatives that show you care about your community. And you need to do it fast, before someone else tells your story for you. That’s how Starbucks handled their crisis. They knew their audiences and they communicated clearly, consistently, and compassionately.

How do you balance transparency and confidentiality in a crisis? You tell the truth. The truth is not easy, but it is simple. It shows that you care, trust, and value your stakeholders. It shows that you are confident, accountable, and adaptable. It shows that you are different from those who lie, evade, and blame. The truth may not win you fans or friends. But it will win you respect and trust. And that’s what matters most in a crisis. So tell the truth. Clearly, consistently, and compassionately. To everyone who needs to hear it. And before someone else tells it for you. That’s how you lead.

Yes. Anticipating questions and concerns will really help in anticipating problems and issues that may come. This will help you, as an executive leader, prepare for what may come and allow you the opportunity to gage what's "need to know", what they would "like to know", and what they "don't need to know right now".

Anticipating questions from various stakeholders is key to ensuring the communications are clear, consistent, and comprehensive. Key to any crisis is preparing in advance. Tabletop exercises and drills are great learning opportunities for teams to regularly and proactively run through a hypothetical situation to consider gaps in their response plans, identify areas where more focus is required, and confirm that roles and responsibilities are clear going into the crisis.

"While we cannot always control what happens to us, we can control how we respond." - Epictetus Balancing transparency and confidentiality in a crisis is like walking on a tight rope. The key is to remain firm in terms of what you can't divulge at any cost and be transparent about what helps all the stakeholders.