Have you ever had that “oops, what did I just do wrong” feeling? Well, you are not alone. In the personal world, making a mistake can impact the strength of a relationship. In the academic world, making a mistake can result in poor test grades. In the business world, a mistake has the potential to erupt into a full-blown crisis.
Ragan
Social Media Lessons from DiGiorno’s Hashtag Fail
Handling a crisis in the 21st century is like none other. With the help of social media, news spreads like wildfire. Take the iconic DiGiorno Pizza, for instance. DiGiorno’s community manager saw a popular hashtag trending on Twitter and without thinking, joined in on the fun. On behalf of the entire DiGiorno chain, the community manager tweets, “#WhyIStayed You had pizza.” Seems cool enough, right? Think again. #WhyIStayed is a trending hashtag because it gives people a chance to share personal infliction and abuse stories. While the tweet was immediately taken down, screenshots were shared across social media platforms, landing fans into a fury. Read more to see how DiGiorno’s social media representative handled the crisis the right way.
PR Week
Mathis to Communicators: Speak up when you see something wrong
Listen carefully to the SVP of marketing at Standard & Poor’s: “Tomorrow’s headlines are being written today. At an organization, the seeds of whatever crises are there.” Take these words to heart and remember that business decisions are just like flowers. Flowers begin small and ultimately flourish into an astounding sight. Heed with caution though, because whether your flowers die or thrive is dependent upon you and your fellow coworkers. It is imperative to recognize that a business is founded on its corporate culture, reputation and leadership abilities. Take a peek to read more helpful advice on why speaking up when something feels wrong keeps your crisis plan a step above the rest.
Forbes
Four Things Leaders Must Do in a Crisis
When a crisis hits, it hurts. Understanding how to effectively handle a crisis may save your business from burning up in flames. What do you do? Get the facts, fast. Come clean with the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Estimate the broadest possible fallout from the
crisis, triple it and realize that someone big is going to fall. No matter what, remember to be more proactive rather than reactive by working relentlessly with your organizational team. Read the four (somewhat funny) tips in depth to see what leaders must do when a significant crisis becomes known.
Take note that all of these words of wisdom shared one common mantra: honesty is the best policy. When a hashtag fail plummets a pizza chain into social media misery, remain calm and admit the wrong. When your thoughtful business ideas flourish to success, keep watering the seeds. And when a crisis ultimately does erupt, remember to be brutally honest by following the four CEO advised tips. And no matter what, remember that at the end of the day you are not alone. Take a minute and evaluate the professional mistakes you have made in the past. How have you used those lessons to propel your business forward?
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Julia Pizzutti is an intern for WordWrite Communications. You can find her on Twitter @julzutti93.
