Richard Branson: a role model for good crisis communication. Photo from Virgin Galactic.
The quest for civilian space travel took a huge hit with the tragic crash of a Virgin Galactic spaceplane during a test flight near Bakersfield, California. But from many tragedies come lessons - and the biggest lesson of this awful event may have come directly from Virgin's founder.
Richard Branson not only promptly acknowledged the pain and loss of those affected. Nor did he stop with promising to cooperate in the investigation. He dropped what he was doing and flew straightaway to the scene of the accident. He ramped up his presence on social media, and he vowed he would continue to work to make civilian space travel a reality. "With leaders like Branson," writes marketing strategist Michelle Lutz, "there's no need for crisis managers." Courtesy LinkedIn Pulse.