Four things Virginia Tech taught us about crisis management

It is possible to underestimate how difficult it is to manage a crisis.  Armchair quarterbacking often occurs because the “quarterback” has the advantage of time and calm emotions – both luxuries in a real emergency.  So I tip my hat to the team at Virginia Tech, who showed real leadership yesterday. 

Here are four things that Tech can teach you about crisis leadership and management.

1. Have a plan:  Multiple crisis leaders over the years have used a variation of this phrase:  Plans are useless, but planning is essential.  Tech had a plan and they used it.  I would bet that for the leaders and players involved, they rarely had to look at the document; rather they had internalized the most important parts and simply knew what to do.
2. Be present:  It impressed me a great deal to see President Charles Steger and University Spokesman Larry Hincker in front of the cameras by late in the afternoon.  They knew the importance of being present at their institution’s time of need and they got there.  Having said that, Tech’s plan provided for the absence of senior leaders at time of crisis. 
3. Train your people:  When I saw the 15 or so law enforcement vehicles barreling down I-81 yesterday, I knew immediately that the training implemented by Tech and the law enforcement community was worth the time and effort.  Response was swift and coordinated.  Of the people I trained in emergency response and crisis leadership over the years, those who were trained improved their response 10 fold. 
4. Communicate fast and often:  In my previous life I was responsible (at times) for pressing the button that alerted an entire community to a threat.  My goal was to have a message out within ten minutes of an initial report.  Various sources don’t agree on yesterday’s timing of the first message, but all of them said that Tech communicated in under 10 minutes.  Six messages were released by the University during the following four hours.

You may not be responsible for an organization the size of Virginia Tech, but crisis is not limited to large organizations.  The first crisis I ever handled in my career was an active shooter in a small corporate office, but the crises I have personally faced include cyber threats, power outages that severely disrupt business, and a host of physical security threats. 

Given yesterday’s shootings and the various threats we all face, here’s my tip:  gather your leadership team together for an informal luncheon and ask them: what if.  It will be the start of an invaluable conversation.