Crisis Playbook Shows the High Stakes of Leadership Failures and Communication Missteps
From President Biden's disastrous debate performance which upended his candidacy to the McDonald's e-coli outbreak to the technological snafu that wrecked havoc at Delta Airlines, 2024 had more than its share of crisis communication challenges.
The president's quest for a second term was irrevocably damaged following his poor debate performance with Donald Trump last June. Biden's poll numbers took a dramatic turn downward and panicked Democrats began persuading him to quit. After initially refusing to bow out, Biden concluded that he couldn't win and threw his full support to Vice President Kamala Harris. Top Democrats followed his lead and the party quickly rallied around its new nominee. Harris' candidacy generated a wave of enthusiasm and she raised more than a billion dollars. In addition, her poll numbers rose substantially and the race with Trump remained razor close to the very end.
Two big city mayors, Eric Adams of New York and Brandon Johnson of Chicago, also had to grapple with crisis moments in 2024. Adams was federally indicted for bribery and fraud schemes while Johnson's many missteps, including a botched attempt to remove the city's popular school superintendent, caused his approval ratings to plummet to an all-time low of 14 percent.
The volatile airline industry exemplified by Boeing’s equipment problems and Delta Airlines’ computer woes, hit a low point this summer when Delta was forced to cancel 5,000 flights, more than its competitors, due to a botched software update.
Even McDonald's Golden Arches couldn't escape the blemish of crisis when the chain experienced an E coli outbreak this fall stemming from contaminated onions on quarter pounders sold at its restaurants in 14 states. At least 104 people contracted the disease and one person died.
FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) which aids communities impacted by hurricanes and other disasters faced criticism for its response to Hurricane Helene after the storm devastated Western North Carolina and other areas. Leading the charge was Donald Trump who falsely claimed that FEMA funding was going instead to assist migrants. The spread of misinformation was making the natural crisis worse by hampering relief efforts and planting doubt in the minds of victims on whether they should seek assistance. The situation got so serious that President Biden forcefully pushed back, saying that Trump was lying and FEMA money was not going to migrants. Biden acknowledged that FEMA faced a long-term financial problem due to having to respond to so many catastrophes and asked Congress to boost the agency's funding.
The lessons from these crises that communicators should carry forward into 2025 include the need to stay vigilant, respond quickly and change course as Biden did by dropping out of the presidential race and endorsing Harris. Or by forcefully pushing back on misinformation.
A public apology from top management never goes out of style as demonstrated by Delta's CEO Ed Bastian who expressed regret to the carrier's customers for its widespread service disruptions.
