Barra, however, showed right from the outset that she was able to take responsibility for the failings.
- She told employees they had not done their job properly and now everyone would have to take responsibility for their actions.
- She apologised publicly and visited the families of victims.
- She set up a compensation fund even before any legal liability had been established.
- As a result of an internal investigation, she fired 15 employees and introduced new policies so that workers would flag problems.
At the very beginning, you never have perfect information. Chances are there is still much to unfold. Barra assembled a crisis team which met daily. This created a sense of internal clarity among company managers, despite the incomplete information, according to the management-issues.com website.
What to remember
When things go wrong, you need to take responsibility for failure and prioritise the customer in problem-solving. Ensure media transparency. Be prepared to consider the nuances of your industry. Also focus on your company: strong crisis leadership is difficult to achieve without a strong sense of purpose. When making difficult decisions, fall back on core values of the company.
Some crises – like the events of 9/11 – happen suddenly and give leaders almost no time to react. Other crises may last months or even years, but that does not make them less challenging. Let the broader purpose of the company be larger than the current crisis.
-jk-