Communicating Your Values During Tough Times
The world has been shaken by Russia invading Ukraine. Obviously. Lots of people feel overwhelmed, distraught, or otherwise unsettled. And lots of business owners feel pressure to make an official statement.
Crisis communications is a whole specialty in its own right, so how are average business owners like us supposed to know how to navigate conversations around tough times? My advice: show up in alignment with your values and your audience.
Yep, that’s my advice for all your marketing and operations decisions. Why? Because it means you’re automatically authentic. You’re operating from a place that’s actually anchored in something concrete (aka your values and audience), rather than trying to sound like an expert on something you’re absolutely not.
Leading As A Conscientious Business Owner
Personally, I don’t know much about geopolitics and the military-industrial complex. But I do know about conscientious business. So I’m soaking in posts about Africans being blocked from leaving Ukraine and makeshift NICUs being created and the media coverage of “civilized” wars vs conflicts in countries where people are brown and Black. These are the types of human-centered stories I feel comfortable sharing or commenting on to my audience.
And in terms of “official” statements, I made a quick disclaimer at the beginning of my IG stories this week that people should take the time and space they need to process their feelings, but that I’d be sharing good news from my business. I also put a disclaimer at the start of my Live Out Your Brand Values Mini-Intensive* this week—if people don’t have the mental bandwidth to reflect on their business, they shouldn’t feel pressured to do so.
*This free 5-day mini-intensive has since been updated to become a 1:1 half-day intensive.
I’m not saying this was the right or wrong way to approach the topic. It’s simply what felt comfortable to me. Most online entrepreneurs I’ve seen have done something similar, mostly because we know that people need a reprieve from doom-scrolling and we still have families and communities to care for regardless of what’s going on in the news. I’ve also seen lots of resource sharing, which is another great option.
So, how do you navigate a crisis, either on a worldwide scale or in your own business bubble? Would love to know!
Toward purpose and progress,
Ashlee
This is an excerpt from Toward Purpose & Progress, my newsletter where I share business tips, good news, shoutouts to Founder Friends, and other juicy snippets. Subscribe here for more rants, reflections, and resources.