The risks that threaten companies are becoming larger and more complex. Companies operate in volatile environments and the geopolitical context does not give the economy any respite, as shown by the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. With the aim of shedding light on the management of contemporary crises, PROA Communication held on Tuesday a new edition of its 'Current Affairs Dialogues' with Yago de la CiervaCrisis Communications Director at PROA Communicationteacher in IESE Business School and author of Navigating turbulent waters.
De la Cierva has a long track record in reputation management and critical situation management. He has also been founder and director of the international agency TV ROMEreports and Executive Director of the World Youth Day Madrid 2011. In his experience, prevention and managerial preparedness make the difference in overcoming a serious threat.
"Crises are the moments when real leadership is seen. They are crises of governance, not of communication, so they are either managed by decision-makers or not at all. The leader is the one who opens the unexplored path, which is why the preparation of top management is so important."he said. In this regard, he referred to the latest report of the Institute for Crisis Management57% of crises break out because organisations do not pay attention to them in their gestation period. A fact that reinforces the need to include risk prevention and risk analysis in the non-market strategy.
"Companies call in at the last moment, when the crisis hits, but they must understand that what is not prevention is merely damage control.s," he said. As an example of good foresight, he cited the Wimbledon tournament, which had protected itself since 2003 with insurance against coronavirus pandemics and was able to save its accounts when it had to cancel in 2020.
In this small-format meeting, PROA Comunicación brought together executives from IBEX 35 companies, decision-makers from the private sector and business associations. During the colloquium they analysed also cases of corporate and reputational crises that have dominated the media agenda in recent months.. "These situations can be avoided in two ways: by not making mistakes, which is impossible; or by having a strong and solid relationship with our stakeholders that leads to an understanding in case of crisis," said De la Cierva.
He therefore insisted that it is essential to build good relations with all stakeholders beforehand. stakeholdersReputation is a consequence of a direct relationship and how I have dealt with the media, customers, regulators, shareholders, employees, etc. Communication alone does not create reputation". Thus, a well-managed crisis is defined by the fact that it ultimately helps to strengthen relationships with target audiences.
Finally, De la Cierva emphasised the value of empathy, but with a permanent listening approach: "Those who listen best communicate best, and companies where there is a lot of listening have a safety cushion, because the alarm is raised earlier in order to react and avoid crises.".
The 'Current Affairs Dialogues' of PROA Communication bring together key figures from the economic, political, media and cultural spheres with business people, executives and opinion leaders to contribute to a deeper knowledge of reality, and to foster an understanding of the issues that are at the forefront of the news agenda.
If you are interested in learning more about our anticipatory and crisis communication management services, or require further information, please contact us at: info@proacomunicacion.es.