Most Leaders Hate Preparing for a Crisis

(But the smart ones do it anyway.)

Most leaders hate preparing for a crisis. It's uncomfortable, unpredictable, and easy to postpone when the day-to-day already feels urgent. But the smart ones do it anyway --- because they've seen what happens when you don't.

The worst version? A real crisis breaks at 8 a.m., and everyone scrambles to figure out who's in charge, what happens next, who owns the message, what's at risk, and what to say first.

If you lead a university, company, or public organization today, assume this: in the next 30 days, a stakeholder, regulator, or political actor will challenge something central to your mission --- and threaten your credibility, your funding, or both.

The most innovative teams aren't waiting. They know preparation doesn't prevent a crisis, but it does protect the institution when one hits. They're getting their best people in a room and running the scenario before it runs them.

What That Looks Like in Practice

1. Name the trigger. A DEI program flagged. A Title VI letter. A donor revolt.

2. Identify the actor. DOJ? State AG? Congressional committee? Anonymous email?

3. Map your exposure. Which grants, policies, or digital records are vulnerable?

4. Generate the first hit: a tweet, a leak, a press call, a demand letter.

5. Simulate the first 72 hours. Who leads? What's said internally and externally? How does authority transition if the top leader is under fire?

Then run it live. Draft the statements. Pressure-test the team. Stress-test the board call.

Use AI to move faster --- not to replace judgment, but to surface decision paths, simulate reactions, and keep your best people focused on what only they can do.

Learning Through Simulation

A few weeks ago, I joined a university team running one of their most feared scenarios. We did it "gaming style." Even I didn't know what was coming --- CrisisCommand EDU threw some brutal curveballs that day.

And you know what? It was a lot of fun.

We learned who made the best calls with limited data. We rewrote a section of their crisis plan to make it more straightforward. The team immediately scheduled Simulation #2 for six months in the future.

"In a crisis, people don't rise to the occasion. They fall to the level of their training."

--- Lt. Col. Dave Grossman

He's right.

At CrisisCommand, we've found that the best preparation doesn't start with fear --- it begins with rehearsal. Once teams experience the pace, uncertainty, and decision friction of a real crisis, they don't freeze when the next one hits. They focus.

The Questions You Need to Answer

So, let me ask:

Has your team tested its first 72 hours?

Who leads if it's your president, CEO, or top donor under fire?

What's your plan if the board fractures or if AI responses outpace the legal team?

And how confident are you that the first version of your message gets it right?