In a world that moves at the speed of Twitter, a crisis is quite literally around every digital corner. What you say, when you say it and how you say it will fly into the Twittersphere faster than you can imagine, which is why your ego cannot be anywhere near a crisis interview. 

Too often, we see human egos telling startup founders that they can wing it and spontaneously create great media statements when a crisis hits.

Spoiler: your ego will ruin your chances of great on the spot thinking if you aren’t prepared. Your ego, unrestrained, is a dangerous, expensive and eventually, painful error.

Keeping your ego in check is necessary to contain a crisis and make it through the other side but to master this art, you need to hear 3 hard truths (you’ll thank us later).

#1 It is not about you

Resist the urge to be right. Your need to be the centre of the story and gain credit for the actions you are taking during this crisis will backfire. In a crisis interview, your objective is to communicate the problem and the steps being taken to rectify the situation.

You do not have to be the centre of the story to communicate this effectively. Remember, it is good to embrace vulnerability and empathy in these situations but be careful this empathy is not directed towards yourself – no one cares about you and your rough day.

#2 Ditch the defence

 When you go into defensive mode, your words, actions, and even body language will backfire on you. Instead of jumping on everything that puts you in a bad light, accept responsibility, and be clear about how you are solving this problem and what you are doing to ensure it does not happen again. Do not put yourself in the defensive position – this never ends well.  

 #3 Do not get self-righteous

When there’s a crisis, and your startup is in the firing line, your ego will take arms and shift the blame – you weren’t directly involved anyway, right? Wrong. 

It may seem like a more manageable and less painful path to have a fall person, but it is disingenuous, and we all see through this. Remember, as the crisis communication spokesperson for your startup, you need to offer reassurance and not judgement. Your opinion only matters so far that you provide help, value and guidance to those affected.

What’s new on the blog