Buttigieg And Shaw Underscore Benefits And Risks For Visiting The Site Of A Crisis

Corporate and government leaders who go to the scene of a disaster, emergency, or other crisis can send timely and welcome messages to the public about accountability, responsibility, and transparency.

But leaders could risk making a crisis worse if they visit the site for the wrong reason, in the wrong way, delay the trip too long, or say the wrong thing when they get there.

The benefits and risks were on display this week. Today, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg went to East Palestine, Ohio, where a Norfolk Southern train derailed earlier this month, spilling hazardous chemicals and forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents.

Buttigieg’s Regrets

“The secretary addressed criticisms that he waited roughly three weeks to visit East Palestine and too long to respond publicly, admitting that he regrets not expressing concerns for community residents quicker,” CBS News reported.

"I felt strongly about this and could have expressed that sooner," Buttigieg said. "I was taking pains to respect the role that I have and the role that I don't have, and that should not have stopped me from weighing in about how I felt about what was happening to this community."

Buttigieg “pledged the Biden administration would ‘never forget the people of East Palestine’ as he visited the site of the train derailment in Ohio that has left residents fearful of contaminated air and water,” according to the Washington Post.

“Buttigieg said his department is working to ensure such disasters don’t continue to happen. His visit came a day after former president Donald Trump made a campaign stop in the small town near the Pennsylvania border and accused the Biden administration of abandoning it,” according to the newspaper.

Norfolk Southern Criticized

Alan Shaw, “The president of Norfolk Southern, made a visit to East Palestine, Ohio, [last] Saturday following criticism from residents and political leaders about the company's response to the fiery derailment of a freight train carrying toxic materials earlier this month,” the Associated Press reported.

“Earlier in the week, representatives of Norfolk Southern were absent from a public meeting attended by hundreds of people, with officials saying they were worried about physical threats. Gov. Mike DeWine was upset by the no-show at the Wednesday meeting and said Shaw needed to go to East Palestine and answer questions,” according to the wire service.

“Where Can Norfolk Southern Go From Here?”

“Now that we’re about three weeks past the accident, where can Norfolk Southern go from here? In short, the company—namely its CEO and other top officials—need to go, and stay for various time intervals in East Palestine. So do government officials who hope to have any credibility with residents,” Anthony D'Angelo, a public relations professor at Syracuse University, said in a statement.

“Nowhere does nature abhor a vacuum more than in a social/digital media environment. Any perceived delay in responsiveness by Norfolk Southern or by Pete Buttigieg will cause an avalanche of criticism. It already has. This may even be unfair criticism, but that doesn’t matter when community residents are rightly worried about their safety and property values,” he observed.

“Oftentimes CEOs prioritize being at company headquarters, where they can be better situated to receive reports and analyze the data needed to make decisions. That’s a mistake because it creates optics that portray the CEO as unfeeling and out of touch.

“The immediate action of going to where the hurt is, even if it’s largely symbolic, matters. Buttigieg is under fire for the same reason, as his political opponents are lambasting him, taking almost three weeks to go to Ohio,” D'Angelo said.

The Role Of Business Leaders After A Crisis

“The role of business leaders in the aftermath of a crisis is to respond in a way that limits damage to the firm’s reputation and business value and, more importantly, protects the lives and livelihoods of the people affected by it. Norfolk Southern has fallen short on both counts,” Jonathan Hemus, managing director and crisis management consultant at Insignia, said via email.

“To successfully manage a crisis, leaders must both say and do the right thing: one without the other is never enough. Despite the empathetic words of CEO Alan Shaw—‘We hear you’—his actions, in particular, his decision not to attend a town hall meeting, communicated a different message,” he commented.

“Organizations are judged by what they do and say in the first 24 hours of a crisis. Being ready to step forward, reassure stakeholders and take actions that address their concerns is essential if business leaders are to retain trust, confidence and reputation. Fail to do this, and an already challenging situation can become a catastrophe,” Hemus predicted.