If everything worked well, all the time, and we never knew adversity, I doubt we could appreciate the good times as much. As well, undoubtedly challenging times — especially ones which test our ability to continue in business — can prove to be turning-points where we bring out the best in ourselves.
Unfortunately, crisis situations can also be killers, especially when you mess up on key things, such as communications, or allow your emotions to overtake rational thinking and in some cases, the law.
The story I’m following now has taken an interesting, and surprisingly positive turn. While negative publicity can be a killer, in this situation, a major and well-respected newspaper has taken up the cause and written a surprisingly positive story. ?(PR 101 — if you have friendly media contacts and a good story to share, share it!)
However, I sense the story will only have a happy ending if the individual involved truly understands and appreciates the role of municipal building officials, their statutory obligations, and the limits of their discretionary authority. You can get political and even obtain great press coverage, but if there are fundamental fire safety issues, you won’t win the war unless you can prove that the matters can be corrected with immediacy and effectiveness.
(For those reading autobiography into this posting, there is some, though it isn’t my business where these matters apply. It is a current crisis affecting someone I know quite well and behind the scenes I’m providing some advice.)
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