David Preston
New Harbor Group founder and president
Time and again at New Harbor Group we see the old adage confirmed – there is simply no substitute for preparation. We see it while handling a client crisis and we’re on “defense,” and in times of opportunity, where the right plan can turn good news into long-term benefits.
Preparation is crucial in a crisis because the risks can be high and time is often short. First, establish the basic facts – what actually happened and what does it mean for your organization? What is the potential harm to operations – and your reputation? From there, it’s crucial to create a concrete plan to frame events and deliver information on your own terms, always staying mindful of keeping out of harm’s way legally.
Successful preparation on “offense” is not only essential to achieving business or policy goals: it can also create a string of other benefits because nothing succeeds like success. It can bolster morale and recruiting, build momentum for the sales team and even inoculate against the day when you may have to “play defense” in a crisis.
While it is true that “no plan survives the first encounter with the enemy,” it’s clear that failing to prepare always increases risk in a crisis or leads to missed opportunities when there’s good news.
The bottom line? Fortune favors the prepared.