S1: Becoming Crisis Proof with Jonathan Hemus

Building Better Leaders

In this episode of the podcast John and Rachael talk to Jonathan Hemus - founder and managing director of crisis management consultancy Insignia. He is also the award winning author of ‘Crisis Proof’ - ‘How to prepare for the worst day of your business life’ written for executives who have responsibility for crisis management thrust upon them.

We discuss a proactive approach to Crisis Management and the many benefits it can bring to an organisation - even if it never ends up facing a crisis. Jonathan shares examples of historical exceptional and poor handling or crisis, making this conversation super insightful for leaders and executives who are considering the need for crisis management interventions.

Jonathan talks through a summary of his twenty-five years’ of crisis management experience so business leaders can successfully prepare for and handle their worst business nightmares. We discuss the relevant skills required when communicating during a crisis to journalists, stakeholders, and team members; skills which are also transferable into having difficult conversations in daily leadership life.

Tips for leaders leading through a crisis:

• The importance of responding quickly
• Staying open to information from all levels of the organisation for crisis prevention
• Communication in a crisis is everything - it needs to come from a place of values
• Getting all of the relevant information - seeing others perspectives
• Rehearsing in advance, so people know what to do
• Looking after your team in a crisis, but also yourself as well.

Jonathan’s Leadership Essentials:

1. Be true to your values - both yours and the organisations. Those that suffer most in a crisis act contrary to their values

2. Be courageous in making decisions - if you don’t make good early decisions the crisis will manage you, rather than you managing the crisis

3. Look after yourself and look after your people
Links from the show:
Website & Book: https://jonathanhemus.com/
Crisis Management Training: https://insigniacrisis.com/