Five Common Mistakes

• No planning in advance
• Hoping the problem resolve itself
• Misreading the severity of the issue in the early stages
• Failure th harness the power of media and control the narrative
• Assuming goodwill is enough to protect you.

"Over the past 75 years poor issues management has brought down the presidencies of Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Donald Trump. In crisis, Dwight Eisenhower called on skills he learned as a general; Harry Truman chose the lesser of two bad choices, and Bill Clinton dramatically changed course. George H.W. Bush defined the limits of power,  George W. Bush did the opposite and Barack Obama showed the value of learning from the mistakes of others. These are the stories of lessons, learned and ignored, that are timeless."  Profiles in Crisis by Dennis M. Powell

Issues Management

• Three Scans: 
  • Internal: Identify issues and vulnerabilities;
  • External: Understand support and opposition,
  • Political: Measure current capital and temperature.
• Seven Rules:
  • Makes sure you are solving the right problem
  • Create a strategy to either solve or defuse the issue
  • Define success
  • Align resources to maximize their effectiveness
  • Assure that your first move is the right move
  • Sequence actions to create, build and maintain momentum
  • Control the narrative throughout the process
• Measurable Results
  • Strategic clarity
  • Operational agility
  • Tactical advantage