Entries by Holly Helstrom

Crisis Simulations: Why practice can make all the difference

Imagine taking your driver’s test without ever having driven a car or taken a driver’s education course. You’d more likely end up straddled on a curb with a dented bumper than passing the test with flying colors, right? Had you practiced beforehand, you almost certainly would perform better in your road test. Why? Because practice […]

Crisis Management Lessons from the NBA / China Dispute

A core principle of effective crisis response is the ability to learn from others’ mistakes without having to experience the pain of those mistakes directly to learn the lesson. The National Basketball Association (NBA)’s (mis)handling of a recent dispute with the Chinese government is a reminder of two valuable evergreen lessons in effective crisis management. […]

A Lesson in Listening: What can be learned from the NFL’s response to Colin Kaepernick and #TakeAKnee

A hallmark of effective leadership and crisis response is the ability to learn from others’ mistakes without directly experiencing the pain from those mistakes to learn the lesson. Nike’s latest ad campaign returns attention to an issue regarding the NFL’s and its senior leaders’ response to former San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s social activism efforts.