I just finished Erik Larson’s latest book, The Demon of Unrest. It’s about the high-stakes game of brinksmanship in which Lincoln induced the South to fire the first shot, a critical political point in the years to come.

Like all of Larsons’ work, this is an outstanding book. I found two of the segments especially thought-provoking as they relate to the work of real-time communication, or crisis communication.

The first was when a Confederate officer was sent under a white flag to Sumter to inquire about something or other. (They were doing this constantly).

In a bit of comic relief worth of the Coen Brothers, they didn’t have a white flag handy. So, the lead officer stuck a handkerchief on the end of his saber. When they got to Sumter, the front door had been blown closed and they had to come in a side door. After they did that, Major Anderson, the Union commander of the fort, forced the front door open from the inside and found a single Confederate soldier standing there keeping the boat from washing away. Anderson asked him what his business was and was told that an officer was in the fort looking for Anderson.

A dual search ensues inside the Fort, much of which is on fire. After what one can imagine as a slapstick, door-opening and closing chase, the two finally meet. Impulsively, and entirely without authorization, the Confederate soldier asks for Sumter’s surrender. And Anderson accepts…which is fine until an official delegation from the actual Confederate leadership showed up a few minutes later and asked for Anderson surrender—the Union officer, exasperated, informed them that he had already surrendered to someone else.

The second was when two fleets of Navy ships were leaving to reprovision two different Union forts in territory claimed by the Confederacy. A battleship was assigned to go to Sumter but went to Florida instead. A mistake on its own, but the man leading the Sumter force didn’t know it and waited for it to arrive right up until Sumter fell.

(You can go on. Sumter was designed to repel attacks from the sea and its weakest side was therefore toward land, from which direction they were attacked in this unforeseen circumstance. Also, only one person died in the Sumter attack….and it was a cannoneer whose weapon exploded during a 100-gun salute to the US Flag, which was part of the surrender ceremony—pictured above).

The point being that we make all these plans, and yet human fallibility is a constant presence, and it’s worse under stress/fear.

So, we make all these crisis plans. The charts are pretty. And then someone messes up…maybe more than once. What can we do?

Prevalence of Mistakes

A survey by the Institute for Public Relations found that a significant percentage of organizations experienced miscommunication during crises, with 61% of respondents admitting to a communication breakdown.
Research by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement noted that medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the U.S., highlighting how mistakes can have severe consequences in critical sectors.

Causes of Mistakes

Lack of Communication: Poor communication channels can lead to misunderstandings and errors. A study by McKinsey & Company found that effective communication can boost productivity by up to 25%.
Inadequate Training: Employees who are not properly trained are more likely to make mistakes. Also, employees who have rehearsed their roles, even in a desktop drill, will be more likely to respond correctly under pressure.
Stress and Workload: High-pressure environments and excessive workloads can lead to burnout, increasing the likelihood of errors. Research indicates that employee stress levels correlate with a higher incidence of mistakes.

The Answer? Our Old Friend Agility

In today’s uncertain business environment, organizations must be agile for many reasons—one of which is to manage a crisis within an environment where mistakes are expected and random. This post explores how effective communication can foster the ability to go off-script and still win the day.

Streamlining Information Flow and Decision-Making

One of the primary responsibilities of communicators is to streamline information flow within the organization. During a crisis, streamlined communication is more important than ever. So is decision-making. Every crisis needs a clear path of authority to approve actions and communications. The fewer links in the chain, the better. People have to be available and prepared to respond in real time.

Promoting Cross-Functional Collaboration

Real-time communications are by their nature cross-functional. We are going to need executive leadership. Legal. Human Resources. Communicators. Operations. Investor Relations. ETC. Sometimes, you will be cross-functional and multi-location. You might have two lawyers, one on-site and one at corporate. When a mistake is made and the game plan has to be adjusted, you will find out how effective your collaboration is.

People have to Be Unafraid to Admit a Mistake

Imagine this. Someone in an action-taking role makes a terrible mistake during a crisis. Out of fear, they keep it a secret. The consequences could be massive.

Building a culture where that person reports their mistake, you should start before the crisis happens. To create an organization where people feel comfortable admitting mistakes, start by modeling vulnerability at the leadership level. Leaders should openly acknowledge their errors and share lessons learned. Encourage a growth mindset by framing mistakes as opportunities for learning. Celebrate transparency and constructive discussions about errors, reinforcing that admitting mistakes is a sign of strength

Train For Agility

Training is used in a lot of crisis communication situations. There are two methods I would recommend here. One is scenario planning, where you have one scenario where, for example, someone has given bad information to a reporter that could cause a panic. The other method is that during a normal drill, the facilitator actually inserts a mistake into the flow so people are prepared to move off their scripts and think on their feet…you know, agilely. Lastly, these drills can reduce the stress the team feels, which prevents mistakes.

Conclusion

In conclusion, communicators are essential in fostering a responsive and agile culture. By streamlining information flow, encouraging feedback, empowering employees, promoting collaboration, and supporting change management, they can help organizations adapt swiftly to the ever-evolving business landscape.

Crisis Communication: Adjusting to Mistakes in Real-Time