Crisis Management for Businesses

In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast I talk with Bob Bliss about crisis management and why it matters for every business. I frame it around real problems like a cyber security breach, equipment failure, or a recall tied to something you sell or use. Bob helps me see a crisis as a process, not a single bad moment.

Bob breaks crises into levels, from minor to major, and makes the point that most of them build over time. There are hints along the way, and people often admit later that they saw it coming. His view is simple: if someone sees a problem in a procedure, they need to speak up early, not after the damage is done.

I bring up a smaller example, like a key client getting upset and preparing to cancel. Bob treats that as a crisis too, depending on the business. He explains how it often starts at a lower level with a complaint that somebody heard and did nothing with, until it grows into a major problem.

Bob ties crisis management to flying. He has a pilot background and follows crash investigations, and he explains that it can take a long time to learn the cause because the crash is the outcome, not the start. The chain usually includes earlier mistakes, weak procedures, and the wrong failure at the wrong time, which is why steady maintenance in a business matters too.

When we talk about communication during a public issue, Bob starts with clarity: what happened, why it happened, when it was first noticed, and who noticed it first. He focuses on culture over micromanaging, where employees feel safe raising problems. On public messaging, he leans toward truth and forward action: do not lie, do not feed panic, explain what you are changing, state it will not happen again, and thank customers for their patience while you fix it.