Public affairs disasters and how to avoid them

As soon as a crisis happens, there always appears a stream of posts about what the organisation has done wrong. But what about taking some pre-emptive steps to prevent public affairs disasters from happening in the first place?

I must admit to being as guilty as other bloggers when it comes to writing posts about crisis communications. Many of these posts focus on the paucity of ‘the apology’, the lack of empathy, a failure to answer even the most basic of questions and not doing enough to make sure it never happens again.

But it is often a failure in dealing with public affairs that can lead to the crisis. A crisis is rarely created by failings in media relations but can be created by failings in public affairs.

What are some of the potential pitfalls that you can take action to avoid?

• Not listening to government – by simply not paying attention to what government is saying and doing means you have little idea about what its policy priorities are, what its direction of travel is and what is likely to come up. The lack of information means that you are ill-prepared to make the most of opportunities or respond to potential threats. It is the surprise attack that can be most damaging.
• Detaching your business from public policy – simply assuming that you comply fully with the latest regulations is not enough to prevent problems from arising. Simply leaving policy development up to officials and politicians can lead to unintended consequences. They need your expertise and that of others in the sector. Not engaging means that new policies can blindside you.
• Thinking you are bigger than the politicians – answering back through the media or in the forum of a Select Committee is rarely wise. Even the most popular brands can rarely stand the consistent attacks that politicians can inflict. Entering listening and engaging modes are more useful than attack, however unjustified you believe they are being.
• Not thinking like a politician – politicians are different from the rest of us, they need to be elected! This can influence what questions will come your way, how you will be treated and what options are open to you. Failing to think like a politician and understand their motivations and needs puts you at a disadvantage. They will rarely behave in the way that a business would, for instance, and if you think they will then you will make mistakes.
• Not having any political friends or allies – networks are needed in all walks of life and political engagement is no different. Developing a political network is as straightforward as starting with your constituency MP and can then be developed over time. This network can help provide advice and guidance if things do go wrong and may even be prepared to stand up for you in times of difficulty.
• The classic climb down – eventually after all the gnashing of teeth and general wailing in the media, you end up making the change or having to comply in any case. All this extends the period of risk and uncertainty, inflicts more reputational damage and shows weakness. That is the ultimate irony in itself – in an attempt to look strong and fightback, the ultimate outcome is one of weakness. That is not to say, organisations should not stand up for themselves but instead the initial assessment needs to be carefully considered rather than knee-jerk. If senior executives, in particular, are under fire then that can be challenging to achieve.

If you can avoid some of these then your political risk profile looks much more manageable and you will be in a position to take action, should any be needed.

Try not to be the next Sir Philip Green…