Follow these 8 steps to prepare for a crisis

Your response to a disaster starts long before the first flare-up. It must begin with a change in mindset among everyone in your organization. Preserving your reputation is vital. Here’s how.

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This article originally appeared on PR Daily in January of 2018.

Crisis preparedness is important, but is it essential?

Preparing for an event that may occur is easy to put aside when teams are busy with what’s relevant now. Unfortunately, the experience of managing a real-life crisis prompts many organizations to finally begin preparing for the next potential disaster.

Developing the gold standard for crisis readiness is more than a robust plan or even sporadic trainings and simulations. It begins with a mindset change—companywide—toward realizing that reputation is a crucial asset and a key consideration in every decision. How, though do you shift mindsets and take the essential steps needed for effective crisis management?

Dr. John Kotter developed a helpful roadmap. In his 1995 book “Leading Change,” Kotter introduced his eight-step methodology for organizational change. It’s an ideal framework for making a cultural shift to become more resilient.

Below are the eight steps for positive change, paired with guidance on how to apply each toward your reputation-management and crisis preparedness efforts:

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