Issues can emerge unexpectedly, impacting reputation, customer sales and relations, as well as brand perception. As communicators, our role extends beyond reacting; it involves proactive anticipation and strategic preparation.
Being strategic partners to the business, communicators stand at the intersection of strategy and execution, where the action takes place. Anticipating potential issues allows us to build protective shields around the brand, address the concerns of customers proactively and shape the narrative externally, this can help prevent or reduce reputational damage.
Without anticipation, look forward to reactive messiness
A minor customer complaint, an operational glitch, or a seemingly harmless social media post — each has the potential to snowball into chaos.
Without anticipation and preparation, the situation can evolve into an issue and catch the organisation and the communicator unawares, leaving the organisation vulnerable.
Issues rarely emerge in isolation.
They often begin as subtle ripples—an overlooked detail, an unaddressed concern, or an unforeseen consequence. These triggers, if left unattended, gather momentum and escalate. Suddenly, what seemed insignificant becomes a mess.
When issues strike, our reputation hangs in the balance. Stakeholders—customers, investors, employees—are watching closely.
The issues management tool kit is central to the issues management plan
When dealing with a potential issue under observation, it can be prudent to start putting together a tool kit to deal with it, and other similar issues.
A tool kit is simply a collection of tools that empower us to anticipate, strategise, and navigate with precision. The issues management calendar – as part of the issues management plan – stands at its core.
The calendar pinpoints critical triggers—those subtle points that could erupt into messy chaos.
These triggers can include:
- Events: Product launches, conferences, or industry summits—from your organisation, competitors and industry partners.
- Announcements: A press release, a policy change, or a leadership transition—each holds significance.
- Policy Shifts: Regulatory updates, legal amendments, or geopolitical shifts—these can set off ripples.
By identifying these milestones, we proactively prepare our response strategies.
The calendar should also cover who, when and how to engage our stakeholders. Some examples of stakeholders – beyond our typical C-Suite and leadership can be:
- Customers: Their concerns, feedback, and loyalty matter. What are the matters when the issue grows that they will be most concerned about?
- Employees: They need clarity when things get messy. The calendar guides our internal communications.
- Investors and Regulators: Their trust is currency. The calendar helps us navigate investor relations and regulatory compliance.
- The Public: Perception shapes reality. The calendar ensures our external messaging aligns with public expectations.
Saving the best for last. Critically, the calendar must be created with specific decision-makers in mind. Communicators benefit from involving decision-makers by gaining:
- Understanding: Decision-makers understand the communication strategy and issues management plan.
- Timely Decisions: When the issue hits, decisions are needed, and there is no time to wait. The calendar prompts timely actions.
- Coordination: The calendar choreographs the steps needed, and lesser time is spent on persuasion.
Co-ownership is an advantage in managing issues
Seeking co-ownership isn’t just about sharing thoughts, documents and agreeing to support one another at meetings; it’s a mindset.
When decision-makers and stakeholders actively participate in shaping the issues management calendar, they become invested in its success. Their insights enrich our strategies, and their commitment strengthens our collective resilience.
The co-ownership mindset is about actively participating in the stewardship of what is co-owned.
- Shared Responsibility for Outcomes: Co-owners take responsibility not only for their individual contributions but also for the overall success or failure of managing the issue. They recognise that their decisions impact everyone involved.
- Empowerment and Decision-Making: An ownership mindset empowers co-owners to make decisions that influence outcomes.
- Transparency and Communication: Effective co-ownership requires open communication, especially when discussing plans, challenges, and potential issues around the issue. Transparency fosters trust and ensures everyone is on the same page.
From a psychological perspective, bringing decision-makers and stakeholders together to co-own the issues management plan and calendar ensures that the team can:
- Anticipate Challenges: The team proactively address potential risks.
- Conduct Holistic Problem-Solving: Instead of focusing solely on individual pieces, co-owners consider the entire system. In issues management, this mindset helps identify interconnected challenges and find comprehensive solutions.
- Benefit from Collective Resilience: When co-owners share responsibility, they create a safety net. This collective resilience ensures that challenges are being tackled collaboratively.
- Lead to More Effective Decision-Making: Co-owners bring diverse perspectives. Their combined insights lead to better decisions. This translates to well-informed strategies and adaptive responses.
- Prevent and Resolve Conflicts: Co-ownership agreements clarify roles, expectations, and dispute resolution mechanisms.
To Prepare and Be Prepared Is Not a Chore; Time is Our Greatest Ally
The issues management calendar serves as a practical navigational tool. It guides us through the intricacies of risk assessment, opportunity identification, and stakeholder engagement.
Here are three core components that can help communicators customise their issues management calendar to map to their issue and/or organisation:
- Organisational Goals: The calendar aligns communication efforts with broader objectives. Whether it’s launching a new product, adapting to policy changes, or mitigating risks, each entry serves a purpose.
This is how we anticipate triggers —product recalls, regulatory shifts, market trends— and by doing so, we prepare in advance, minimising the impact of potential issues.
- Stakeholder Engagement Roadmap: Stakeholders—internal and external—shape the response to the issue. The calendar becomes akin to a roadmap of dealing with the various stakeholders involved.
Some examples of stakeholders include:
- Employees, leadership, cross-functional teams—they all need clarity. The calendar ensures everyone is informed and ready to act when needed.
- External Stakeholders: Investors, customers, regulators, and the public have a stake in our success. The calendar guides our interactions, fostering transparency and trust.
- Co-Ownership and Collective Resilience: The calendar should not be a solitary endeavour; it thrives on co-ownership. Ensure that decision-makers’ and their insights are captured in the plan and/or calendar, including how and when to engage with them as their insights will serve to enrich strategies on handling the issue, and their commitment ensures timely decisions.
The issues management calendar plays a crucial role. It provides direction, allowing us to anticipate, prepare, and navigate effectively. As communicators, let’s recognise its capability to provide us with foresight, strategy, and collective ownership.
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