How to Handle a Crisis

<p>On this special episode of Creating Disney Magic, Dan Cockerell, my son and former VP of the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World joins me to talk about how to handle a crisis.</p> <p>Here are four steps to keep in mind while dealing with a crisis:</p> <p><strong>Safety First. </strong>Before anything else, the safety of employees, customers, and yourself comes before anything else.</p> <p><strong>Deal with the Facts. </strong>During a crisis people get emotional. People speculate and gossip. You should deal only with the facts when you communicate with people.</p> <p><strong>Be Empathetic. </strong>Everybody is dealing with a crisis in different ways for different reasons. Understand people are worried.</p> <p><strong>Use the situation to get better. </strong>You and your organization can learn plenty from a crisis. Use it as a training opportunity.</p> <p>During my time as EVP of Walt Disney World, we had to shut down the parks due to hurricanes and 9/11. </p> <p>During a crisis, your culture is on show for everyone to see. Your actions should match your words. What you say doesn’t build a culture. Culture is built through actions.</p>