I'm Dumbfounded: A Horrific Workplace Lesson in Communication
Late last night on a cross-country flight from NY to Phoenix on JetBlue I was riveted to the screen in front of me describing the safe removal of the miners in West Virginia. A few hours later, after checking into the hotel, I was shocked to learn that the true fate of 12 of the miners.
Sadly, this is a disastrous lesson in how NOT to manage communication in a crisis! According to the news conference I watched at 3:00 a.m. the CEO attributed the miscommunication to wayward cell phone calls back to the church where the families were located. Seems that the rumor spread like wildfire and there was no effort to put a stop to it until almost 3 hours had past (perhaps most likely after the company scripted and vetted every word...).
Seems to me (yes, I am Monday morning quarter backing), that someone should have been with the families with a direct link to whoever was in charge at the mine! I can only imagine the shock of the family members. What a disgrace.