In the law enforcement arena, it is not a matter of if a crisis will hit, but when will it hit. Crises may mean time, money, customers, careers and, in worst-case scenarios, lives lost. And the background of it all, organizations operations are disrupted, reputations are slighted and damage control must be done.

Rob Weinhold joins Justice Clearinghouse to provide an overview of the key concepts and case studies contained in his book, The Art of Crisis Leadership. Rob is currently the Chief Executive of Fallston Group, a Baltimore-based executive advisory firm designed to help organizations build, strengthen, and defend their reputations. He’s worked in both the public and private sectors and served in a sworn capacity for the Baltimore Police Department, as Chief of Staff for the United States Department of Justice, and senior executive within Maryland’s Governor’s Office.

Specifics he discussed in this session are:

• Current world crises causing us some level of personal disorientation, anxiety, and depression.
• The value in focusing on things that we can control and how this can help in crisis situations.
• A Baltimore City shooting incident that ingrained the significance of everyone’s roles when crisis struck.
• Looking into some of the biggest brands in the world – both those with favorable impressions and those that have suffered some damage.
• Being realistic amidst a crisis to avoid over-promising yet under-delivering which can ruin a reputation that took years to build.
• Why organizations must tell their story instead of having others tell it and run the risk of smearing the brand.
• The preparation required to represent your organization/brand effectively.
• Understanding the nuanced and instinctive approach to crisis leadership that requires experience and muscle memory.
• The importance of understanding and getting to know the stakeholders that are likely to be impacted by crisis and can define your organization’s/brand’s outcomes after the crisis.
• The types of crises in the organizational level, the most common ones according to research, and the nature of these crises which may demonstrate leaders’ inability to confront issues immediately.
• Domino’s Pizza Case Study: How employee conduct smeared the brand and how Domino’s executives were able to flip public opinion by showing empathy, accountability, and resolve.
• The five critical questions that must be answered immediately after a crisis to appease stakeholders and spectators.
• The road to success: Optimism and giving instead of taking energy.
• Non-negotiable qualities of integrity, communication, decisiveness, optimism, responsibility, resiliency, and self-care observed in the world’s top leaders.
• Organizational level muscle memory: How preparation enabled Captain Sully’s Hudson River emergency landing and how it can provide organizations with the tools and plans to recalibrate after a crisis.

Topics addressed during the Q&A were about:

• Striking a balance between transparency while practicing needed confidentiality.
• The biggest mistake that leaders tend to commit during a crisis and how to overcome this.
• Why law enforcement leaders must work closely with PIOs.
• Resources mentioned in the webinar.
• Working with a fault-finding, finger-pointing stakeholder.
• How leaders can set people up for success when it is people’s attitudes that is hindering them.

Resources and Handouts

• The Art of Crisis Leadership – Book Overview
• Rob Weinhold Backgrounder
• Media Quick Tips
• Crisis and Issue Leadership
• The Secrets of Resilient Leadership: When Failure Is Not an Option. Six Essential Characteristics for Leading in Adversity by Dr. George Everly

Audience Comments

• “The information was clear, useful, and presented in an engaging way. Well done.” — Alysn
• “The resilient leadership qualities and the crisis communication tree were something I hadn’t seen before. The way Rob explained each one was easy to follow. A big thank you to Rob for being the presenter, for his Service to the Community and his willingness to let us learn from his experiences.” — Anne
• “Great speaker and would love to hear from him again in the future.” — April
• “Your organization puts on good quality presentations with your guest speakers. Keep up the good work here.” — Robert
• “Feeling validated, I am performing well based on the info provided in this webinar. Knowing how to alleviate tensions w/in a unit and how to work around the politics of agency would be helpful.” — Chelsea
• “Overall great speaker, clear, concise, straight to the point, great examples.” — Christina
• “The most valuable thing I learned today is to really focus on the stakeholders (defendants and the public) and how my agency might be viewed. It made me think about how they may perceive what we do, how we do it, etc. Great perspective. There were many other important messages learned today. Great class! Thank you.” — James
• “It was great seeing the video examples of well-handled crisis situations rather than just listing good qualities.” — Jessica
• “This was one of the better presentations and presenters that I’ve come across via your webinars. Clearly had a handle of the information and was quite polished in regards to delivery and time.” — Aric