Managing a crisis
Brooke Buchanan accepted the role as vice president of communications at Theranos just days after The Wall Street Journal published its first expose on the validity of the company’s blood test technology.
Why it matters: Crisis communicators are often given the impossible task of saving a house that is already on fire — and Buchanan’s time at Theranos was no different.
As part of Axios Communicators’ “In the Trenches” series, Buchanan shares for the first time the lessons she learned during her nine-month stint at Theranos.
Flashback: When she arrived, the company was already under federal investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission, CEO Elizabeth Holmes was still booking media and attorneys were fielding reporters’ inquiries.
- Buchanan’s job was to manage communications around the fallout, by “protecting and defending — and to do it legally.”
Here’s what she learned in the process:
- Demand to be involved. The best response is unified and action-based, and communicators must help craft it.
- “I don’t think anyone within Theranos was thinking about the long term. They were thinking about [The Wall Street Journal] story and not necessarily about the fallout to come,” Buchanan said.
- This is why “communicators need to have a seat at the table, understanding that they have to work very closely with legal, investor relations and HR” to craft a messaging strategy that will stick externally.
- Choose your messenger wisely. Sending lawyers to manage media relations signals blood in the water, Buchanan said.
- “It is the worst decision I think they could have made” in the beginning, she recalls.
- It’s OK to miss a deadline.“If you don’t know or don’t believe what you’re saying is true, it’s not going to do your organization any good to respond. … I never wanted to put out false information. We missed deadlines because of it — and that’s OK.”
- Consider hitting pause. Throughout the investigation, Holmes continued her media blitz, which Buchanan said was a mistake.
- “We needed to shelter in place and figure out the defense … but throughout all of this, [many] still wanted her to be out there and do things and tell her story, but she needed to take a beat and pause.”
- Reporters are not the enemy. “Back in the day I was known for barking at reporters,” Buchanan said. “I learned that reporters have a job to do — and you have to respect each other and yes, sometimes it can get heated and I yelled at people way too much, but I don’t do that anymore.”
-Skills for managing a crisis
What does it take to work in crisis comms? Buchanan, now executive vice president of crisis and risk at Edelman, said you need a steady hand and thick skin.
Plus:
- Dedication: “You need to go in with your hazmat suit on … and be willing to jump in and work all hours, day or night if needed.”
- Agility:To effectively manage a crisis, you must “be intellectually curious and pivot very quickly.”
- Mental toughness:“It’s very fast-paced and you [might] be managing through some horrific, sensitive issues. You need to be able to compartmentalize those things.”
- Empathy: When a crisis communicator is brought in it’s often “that executive’s or company’s worst day. And so it’s your job to create the communication strategy and reassure [the client].”
- Loyalty: Buchanan was loyal to Theranos’ leadership until the end, a trait she picked up during her time handling communications for Sen. John McCain — who first introduced her to Holmes.
- “I understood what I was getting into. And as I started working there, I knew more and more about the volatility of the organization, but I still wanted to help Theranos’ overall reputation and narrative. Looking back, it seems like a futile attempt.”
The bottom line: You have to jump in feet first.
- “If you’re in an organization that is going through something difficult, raise your hand to volunteer and see if you’re interested in it. Because it takes a certain gene … or maybe just a screw loose,” she joked.
-Communicators Spotlight: Brooke Buchanan
Axios Communicators is launching a Communicators Spotlight series to highlight the habits of top practitioners in the field.
- Given today’s theme, it felt right to start with Buchanan.
How she got here: Buchanan started in politics and gravitated toward crisis management early on with roles supporting FEMA efforts after Hurricane Katrina, steering PR for McCain’s presidential campaign and navigating daily crises as a member of Walmart’s corporate communications team.
Trend spot: Buchanan is attuned to how the midterms might impact the way companies, brands or executives respond to social issues, geopolitics and current events.
News alerts: “I have two TVs in my home office that alternate between CNBC, CNN, Bloomberg, BBC, FOX, WDIV (Detroit’s NBC affiliate),” she said.
- She also scans morning newsletters by Axios Detroit, Protocol, The Hustle, The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal.
Influenced by: She listens to a range of podcasts — from “The Daily” to “Juicy Scoop with Heather McDonald” — regularly watches “The Golden Girls” or foreign procedural dramas and recently read “The Bomber Mafia” by Malcolm Gladwell.
Open rates: Normally her most-used app is Words with Friends, but this week she’s been glued to the U.S. Open app.
Morning ritual: “I work across time zones and my evenings can go pretty late, so I wake up around 7:30am, usually by my lawless yet beloved golden retriever, Willoughby.”
- But no breakfast for Buchanan. “I’m trying out intermittent fasting, so I typically have one cup of Buc-ee’s coffee around noon.”
De-stress routine: She plays tennis on the weekends to unwind and always has a trip planned as something to look forward to.
- “I had a recent epiphany that taking time off allows you to reset and return stronger and more focused.”
– Shifting agendas
The chaos of the past two years has earned communicators a seat at the table, but now “it’s more about delivering the value that you should be delivering,” said Jim O’Leary, U.S. chief operating officer and global chair of impact & ESG at Edelman.
Why it matters: Modern communicators need to be multidisciplinary in a way that previously was not essential.
By the numbers: Hybrid work paired with social media and employee activism has increased the need for strong internal communicators — and 62% of chief communications officers (CCO) report an added focus in this area, according to an Edelman study.
- 73% report that current events have shifted their communications agendas — so CCOs must anticipate issues and plan accordingly.
- Roughly half have been centralized under the CEO and 77% say they are viewed as strategic business drivers, which is a change since 2019.
The bottom line: As Microsoft corporate vice president of communications Frank Shaw put it, communicators “do more than just hold the pen, we help write the story.”
– Hall of shame
Another round of botched layoff announcements inspired the Hall of Shame — which I hope will not become a mainstay in Axios Communicators.
Driving the news: According to Business Insider, Facebook contractors — employed through Accenture — learned they were out of work during a last-minute video call.
- “The representatives did not give a specific reason for why Accenture was cutting some employees’ work at Facebook. When a worker asked how people were chosen, the Accenture representatives said ‘an algorithm’ helped choose people at random,” per Business Insider (subscription).
Go deeper: How to communicate layoffs in a dignified way
Πηγή: axios.com
