As gold is tested in fire, so are companies and their leadership in crisis. Great leaders handle adversity differently. When most decide to see difficulty as the end, they have the ability to see it as the beginning of something better.
An opportunity to demonstrate the essence, the corporate values, the interest and willingness to do the right thing, even when the right thing is, for the most part, the most difficult thing to do.
They do not shy away from situations by transferring their share of responsibility to third parties or hiding their faces, they face them despite fear, uncertainty and risks. Even without knowing how they are going to get out of them, they go through them in the same way with courage and positivism.
Brugal showed us that a positive face present in crises, despite the episode experienced, focused on his strengths, principles and assumed responsibility for him as a model corporate citizen in the national industry.
He didn’t hesitate to take control of the conversation. Less than an hour after the news about the fire in his facilities went viral, he published the first statement on all his profiles reporting the details of the situation that he had known until then.
Its CEO, Augusto Ramírez, proactively came to the facilities, was present and accessible to the questions of the different audiences, which allowed generating trust and clarity. He eliminated the possibility of others speaking for them, of creating speculation and misinformation.
We saw the impulse of a committed work team, of a shared effort, where unity, cohesion and responsibility brought the energies undertaken to a successful conclusion. An action not resulting from what is embodied in a response program or protocol, but rather the result of a culture where doing the right thing and thinking of others first is natural.
Six, and many more, communications kept us informed from the beginning until the successful completion of the situation. The first laid the foundations for what was the priority for the company: the well-being of its employees and of all those who were present in the assistance work.
The last report presented on Sunday, served to thank all those who provided assistance, and contributed to minimize the damage caused by the impact experienced.
Trust, like reputation, is an asset that every organization strives to achieve. Brugal showed that he enjoys that confidence; that society in the face of rumor, speculation and criticism, is willing to give it the accolade to listen to it first, because it trusts not only the organization but also the professionals present in it.
