危急時刻，領導層如何保持冷靜？

The word crisis suggests something that happens infrequently. But these days, crises have become a regular state of affairs. Brands that you’d think would be fairly immune to scandal have found themselves embroiled in controversy. And those that deal with public relations challenges regularly have still been caught off guard by a customer insurgency. Some crises disappear quickly and others never seem to go away.

“危機”一詞暗示了一些不經常發生的事情。但如今，危機已成爲常態。那些你認爲會對醜聞免疫的品牌發現自己捲入了爭議。而那些處理公共關係挑戰的人，經常會被一羣客戶的叛亂搞得措手不及。一些危機能夠馬上解決，而另一些危機一直盤旋在我們周圍。

When it comes to a crisis happening, the question seems to no longer be “if” but “when.” Every leader needs to be prepared. By their very nature, crises put things in a whirlwind and emotions run high. So it’s imperative that leaders keep their cool and make smart decisions.

當危機發生時，問題似乎不再是“如果”而是“何時”。每個領導人都需要做好準備。從本質上講，危機把事情搞得一團糟。因此，領導者必須保持冷靜，做出明智的決定。

We spoke with executives who have had to successfully navigate crises of all kinds. Here’s what we learned:

我們採訪了那些必須成功應對各種危機的高管們。這是我們從他們身上總結出來的：

The first thing to know is that you need to expect the unexpected. “Rule Number 1,” according to Jamie Moldafsky, CMO of Wells Fargo, “is that you don’t get to pick your crisis. You have to be ready.” Brian Irving, former CMO of Hampton Creek, concurs: “Your crisis is not the one you think it’s going to be.” Regardless of the cause, the important thing is to have the right people, data, tools, process, and mindset to handle whatever might come your way.

你不能選擇危機。首先要知道的是你需要期待意想不到的事情。富國銀行CMO Jamie Moldafsky說:“第一條規則是，你不能選擇你的危機。你必須時刻準備好。”漢普頓克里克(Hampton Creek)的前首席經濟學家布賴恩•歐文(Brian Irving)表示贊同:“你的危機不是你認爲的那種危機。”不管處於什麼行業，重要的是要有正確的人、數據、工具、過程和心態來處理可能發生的事情。

When the crisis does hit, the first hours are essential. The usual response is for the CEO to huddle with his or her legal counsel and communications team. The focus is typically on assessing legal risks and figuring out how investors and the media will react. But there are other constituencies that need to be considered, too. Customers, employees, and partners are watching to see how the company reacts. Are you being transparent? Are you taking responsibility? Are you living up to your own mission and values? Involve your head of marketing and human resources early. They will have a perspective the lawyers won’t have and need to be in the room when decisions are made.

不要把它留給律師來處理。當危機來臨時，第一個小時是至關重要的。人們通常的反應是首席執行官與法律顧問和通信團隊碰頭。重點通常是評估法律風險，並弄清楚投資者和媒體將如何反應。但客戶、員工和合作夥伴都在關注公司的反應。你的行動是否透明?你會承擔責任嗎?你的做法是否符合自己的使命和價值觀?儘早讓你的營銷和人力資源主管參與進來。他們會與律師有不同的觀點，需要幫助你做決定。

As a leader, it can be difficult to keep everyone motivated in a crisis, including oneself. Amy Friedlander-Hoffman, Head of Experiential Marketing at Uber, believes it is essential to keep “coming back to the core.” Personally, this means knowing “Who I am and what am I bringing to this.” As a company, this means, “Who are we and what is our mission?”

找到你的北極星。作爲一個領導者，要讓每個人都在危機中受到激勵是很困難的，包括自己。優步(Uber)體驗營銷主管艾米•弗裏德蘭•霍夫曼(Amy Friedlander-Hoffman)認爲，保持“迴歸核心”至關重要。就個人而言，這意味着要知道“我是誰，我要做些什麼。”作爲一個公司，這意味着“我們是誰，我們的使命是什麼?”

Jamie Moldafsky emphasizes the importance of staying positive and optimistic: “You have to keep your eye on the long-term.” According to Marvin Chow, it’s easy to point out the problems. The challenge is being someone who gives answers and solutions. Stay true to your mission by focusing on the user or customer and doing what’s best for them in a way that is meaningful to the brand.

傑米•莫達夫斯基（Jamie Moldafsky）強調保持樂觀和樂觀的重要性:“你必須着眼於長遠。”馬文•周（Marvin Chow）說，認識到問題所在很容易，真正的挑戰在於提供答案和解決方案。專注於你的用戶或客戶，以對品牌有意義的方式爲他們做最好的事情。

One of the consequences of digital and social media is that a story can grow exponentially and go from zero-to-crisis in a matter of hours. It also means that you don’t have the control over the story that you once had. Many who have been through a crisis note a shift in their thinking. Jamie Moldafsky observes that the focus used to be solely on the question “What are we going to say about this?” Now an equal concern is “What are others going to say about this?”

我們的發聲無法決定大衆的想法。數字和社交媒體的一個後果是，一個故事可以在數小時內廣泛傳播，成爲危機。這也意味着你無法控制故事的蔓延。許多經歷過危機的人都發現他們的想法發生了轉變。傑米•莫達夫斯基(Jamie Moldafsky)觀察到，過去的焦點僅僅是關於“我們該怎麼說呢?”現在，同樣重要的問題是“其他人會怎麼說?”

The challenge is that by the time the crisis comes, it’s often too late for many brands. You need to create a bank of goodwill when times are good, so that when a crisis comes, a community of advocates is ready to speak up, reassuring critics and reinforcing your message.

挑戰在於，當危機到來時，對許多品牌來說，往往爲時已晚。當經濟形勢好的時候，你需要建立一個善意銀行，這樣當危機來臨時，就會有擁護者站出來，讓批評者們放心，增強公司言論的可信度。

You might not be able to control what people say about you. But there is one thing you can control: yourself. According to Jamie Moldafsky, “A crisis is a crisis. It’s all about how you handle it. And that’s within every leader’s control.” Amy Friedlander-Hoffman advises to “get comfortable with being uncomfortable.” You have a choice. “You can come in every day trying to get your job done, frustrated that you have to keep putting out fires. Or you can realize that putting out fires actually is your job.”

盡你所能地控制事態蔓延。你可能無法控制別人對你的看法。但是有一件事你可以控制—那就是你自己。傑米•莫達夫斯基(Jamie Moldafsky)表示:“危機就是一場危機。關鍵在於你如何處理它。這在每個領導人的控制範圍內。艾米•弗裏德蘭-霍夫曼建議“要習慣於處理棘手的事情”。你可以選擇。“每天都要處理麻煩事，這讓你覺得很沮喪。但你也可以換種想法，認識到處理麻煩事就是你的工作。”

Sometimes a crisis is simply not your fault. But sometimes it’s a symptom of a deeper problem in your culture, product, or operating model. If you don’t fix the underlying problem, the crisis will go from “one-and-done” to one that goes “on-and-on.” Hannah Jones, Chief Sustainability Officer at Nike, believes a company “should never let a crisis go unused or unleveraged.” Instead, use it as an opportunity for transformation. In Nike’s case, complaints about worker conditions in the late 1990s was the impetus to “tap into something deep within us about our values. We learned to respect differences, be empathetic, and find shared vision. We accepted accountability, apologized, and began to make the deep, systemic changes internally, in our supply chain, and to embark on a journey of collaboration and advocacy with the industry as a whole.” It’s too easy in a crisis to just treat the surface symptoms, and not look to the underlying issues.

解決潛在問題。有時候，危機不是你的錯。但有時候這凸顯了公司文化、產品或運營模式的深層矛盾。如果你不能解決根本問題，危機就會從“馬上消失”變成“綿延不絕”。耐克公司(Nike)首席可持續發展官漢娜•瓊斯(Hannah Jones)認爲，一家公司“絕不應該錯過利用危機的機會”，而要把它當做一個轉變的機會。在耐克的案例中，90年代後期工人對工作條件的不滿是“挖掘我們內心深處的價值觀”的推動力。我們學會了尊重差異，有同理心，並找到了共同的願景。我們承擔了責任、向工人道歉，並開始在我們的供應鏈內部進行深刻的、系統性的變革，並開始與整個行業進行合作。“在危機中，人們很容易僅僅處理表面症狀而忽視潛在的問題。”

The lessons learned by executives who have weathered a crisis are relevant to anyone who finds themselves in challenging circumstances. We all have to get better at overcoming obstacles, dealing with uncertainty, and staying focused in a changing environment. It’s good advice for everyone to be prepared, stay true to your purpose, involve others in solutions, control what you can, and work on the underlying issues.

那些經歷過危機的高管們所吸取的教訓，與那些身處逆境的人息息相關。我們都必須在克服障礙、處理不確定性和保持專注於變化的環境方面做得更好。每個人都應該隨時做好準備，忠於你的目標，讓別人參與到解決方案中，控制你能做的事情，並解決潛在的問題。