Dear Leah,
I'm account director at a crisis communications firm and our client's board is paralysing our crisis response.
They're facing serious allegations about workplace culture, and we've developed a comprehensive strategy: acknowledge what has happened, commit to independent review, demonstrate visible leadership accountability. But the board can't agree on anything.
The chair wants to "wait for legal advice," two non-execs are demanding the CEO resign immediately, the CEO is threatening to sue the complainants, and the founder is insisting "this will blow over if we ignore it."
We're being paid £50k per month but can't execute our strategy because every decision gets blocked by internal conflicts. Meanwhile, the story is escalating, employees are leaking more damaging information, and our reputation is being damaged by association with a client that won't act. Do we walk away from
the revenue, or do we keep billing whilst they self-destruct?
— Held hostage by paralysis
Oh dear!
A brilliant crisis communications strategy is worthless when the client's leadership team is the crisis. Your board isn't disagreeing about tactics—they're acting out their own dynamics whilst the organisation burns.
DIAGNOSIS:
This board has pre-existing conflicts that are now being expressed through the crisis response. The chair, non-execs, CEO, and founder were probably at odds before the scandal hit, and the crisis has simply revealed existing fault lines. They're using your strategy as a proxy battleground for deeper governance issues they've never addressed.
THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM:
You've been hired to manage external crisis whilst the real crisis is internal board breakdown. No communications strategy will work when leadership can't make decisions, present a united front, or prioritise organisational wellbeing over personal agendas. Your £50k monthly retainer is paying for the privilege of watching things go up in flames in real-time.
THE PATH TO RESOLVING IT:
Tell your client the truth: their board needs to repair governance before you can implement crisis communications strategy. Either they bring in board mediation specialists to resolve the leadership paralysis, or your firm should exit before this damages your reputation. Offer to pause the engagement whilst they address internal goings on, then resume once they're capable of decisive action.
YOUR ROLE GOING FORWARDS:
Protect your firm's reputation: being associated with clients who publicly fail damages your brand.
Expand your service offering: partner with governance specialists so you can offer integrated solutions.
Be selective about clients: some crises can't be communications-managed because the leadership is the problem.
Document everything: when this goes spectacularly wrong, you'll need evidence that you tried to help.
