--- title: Why the biggest risk isn’t the crisis - It’s being unprepared description: We live in age of permacrisis which necessitates a mindset of always being prepared. The three tenets of crisis leadership are culture, PAP, and resilience image: https://apac.archetype.co/hubfs/Navigating%20Trumps%20Re-Election%20(2).png --- [![author](https://apac.archetype.co/hubfs/Mei%20Ling.jpg) ](https://apac.archetype.co/blog/author/yeow-mei-ling) [Yeow Mei Ling](https://apac.archetype.co/blog/author/yeow-mei-ling) November 17 2025 - - - Why the biggest risk isn’t the crisis - It’s being unprepared 4:43 ### Iceland’s calm in crisis: A real-world lesson In July, I spent nine unforgettable days in Iceland, a land carved from fire and ice. On our second-last day, a volcano had erupted near the famous Blue Lagoon spa, where we were booked to go that afternoon. Videos and images of lava flowing down the mountain side appeared instantly on global news sites. My first thought: *would flights home be disrupted like the 2010 eruption that grounded Europe?* *‍*But on the ground, just kilometres from the eruption, there was calm and control. Icelanders carried on with their day. I was quickly offered Sky Lagoon as an alternative and given a link to book, a full refund email arrived from Blue Lagoon shortly, and another operator confirmed our “Inside the Volcano” tour would proceed as planned – even suggesting a helicopter ride over the new lava fields. A taxi driver summed it up:* “It’s just a small eruption, nothing to worry about.”* In Iceland, if your house is destroyed by lava, the government will rebuild it. It felt like par for the course. --- ### From Volcanoes to Boardrooms: A Leadership Parallel Back at work, I asked myself: *If I sent the Icelandic Meteorological Office our Primed Pulse Check, would they score as a “Crisis Commander” or just “Operationally Ready?* *‍*The government’s official response on their site was brief but clear: “Highly localised, no impact on air traffic or attractions.” Concise, factual, and enough for the situation. Links were provided to FAQs and additional information. But I couldn’t help but wonder on the what if’s – what if it had been worse or the issue was compounded? What if misinformation spread, sensationalism caused fear to escalate, or cascading events created a polycrisis? Complacency or over-confidence in having dealt with an issue before, is a real risk. Crises are, after all, **vulnerabilities manifested, risks realised, and threats materialised.** **The Age of Permacrisis: Crisis as The Air We Breathe** In the past five years, organisations globally have weathered wave after wave of disruption, from pandemics and supply chain failures to geopolitical shocks and social backlash. Today, crisis is rarely a one-off event. It feels continuous and overlapping. Permacrisis. Polycrisis, even *permachaos* are terms that have emerged. In this environment, the **biggest risk isn’t the crisis itself. It’s being unprepared** - unprepared to lead, unprepared to communicate, unprepared to act with speed, empathy, and authenticity. --- ### **Three Tenets of Crisis Leadership Today** **1. Culture and Leadership Matter More than Ever** In a permacrisis, response is about mindset as much as tactics. Leaders must be visible “Chief Resilience Officers”, setting a steady vision, exemplifying courage and empowering teams. Operational readiness is essential, but culture determines whether employees *believe* and *support* crisis decisions. Do your teams know how you expect them to behave in a crisis? **2. PAP: People First, Action, Perspective ** • **People First:** Put stakeholders at the heart of every response. Fatigue and scepticism are high; perfunctory statements don’t cut through. • **Action: **A templated “copy-cat” response can quickly backfire. Act decisively in a way that reflects your organisation’s unique values. • **Perspective: **Lead with what unites, not what divides. As discussed at PRWeek’s recent conference, anchoring communications in shared values is critical in polarised environments. **3. Resilience As A Strategy, Not A Buzzword** Preparedness is the new power move. Embedding resilience into culture, operations, and leadership is no longer optional. McKinsey data shows [**84% of leaders feel unprepared for future disruption**](https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/the-ceo-as-chief-resilience-officer) - a striking preparedness gap. CEOs and boards must not only endorse but champion resilience programs. Yesterday’s manuals and templates aren’t enough. Organisations need: • **Dynamic scenario planning **and real-time simulations • **Continuous monitoring** for mis/disinformation and emerging risks • **Updated playbooks** tailored to today’s threat landscape   Because the unlikely and unimaginable do happen – and increasingly often. --- ### **Preparedness As The Ultimate Differentiator** Crisis preparedness isn’t a dusty manual or defensive insurance policy. It’s a **state of readiness**, a leadership moment defined by clarity, empathy, and intent. The organisations that thrive in a permacrisis era will be those that see preparedness not as a burden, but as a strategic advantage. Archetype has designed the [**Primed Pulse Check**](https://www.archetype.co/scorecard) for you to assess how prepared your organisation is if a crisis hits today. Take the pulse check and see how you're primed and prepared to respond. ![Yeow Mei Ling](https://apac.archetype.co/hubfs/Mei%20Ling.jpg) [Yeow Mei Ling](https://apac.archetype.co/blog/author/yeow-mei-ling) - [**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/yeowmeiling/) [![image](https://apac.archetype.co/hubfs/blog%20cover%20image.jpg)](https://apac.archetype.co/blog/ai-visibility-is-becoming-a-core-pr-discipline) [previous ](https://apac.archetype.co/blog/ai-visibility-is-becoming-a-core-pr-discipline) ### [AI visibility is becoming a core PR discipline](https://apac.archetype.co/blog/ai-visibility-is-becoming-a-core-pr-discipline) [![Archetype strengthens leadership team in Malaysia](https://apac.archetype.co/hubfs/APAC%20Content/APAC%20-%20Social/Archetype%20Malaysia.jpg)](https://apac.archetype.co/blog/archetype-strengthens-leadership-team-in-malaysia) [next ](https://apac.archetype.co/blog/archetype-strengthens-leadership-team-in-malaysia) ### [Archetype strengthens leadership team in Malaysia](https://apac.archetype.co/blog/archetype-strengthens-leadership-team-in-malaysia) #### Related news ### [The Oasis Pricing Controversy and the Lessons for B2B](https://apac.archetype.co/blog/the-oasis-pricing-controversy-and-the-lessons-for-b2b) [![image](https://apac.archetype.co/hs-fs/hubfs/Jack%20Whitaker%202%20(1).png?width=35&height=35&length=35&upsize=true&upscale=true&name=Jack%20Whitaker%202%20(1).png) ](https://apac.archetype.co/blog/author/jack-whitaker) [Jack Whitaker](https://apac.archetype.co/blog/author/jack-whitaker) September 2 2024 [Digital Marketing](https://apac.archetype.co/blog/tag/digital-marketing) ### [Is Your Strategy Still Right for the New Financial Year?](https://apac.archetype.co/blog/is-your-strategy-still-right-for-the-new-financial-year) [![image](https://apac.archetype.co/hs-fs/hubfs/APAC%20Content/APAC%20-%20Blog/Simon%20-%20Circle%20(Black).png?width=35&height=35&length=35&upsize=true&upscale=true&name=Simon%20-%20Circle%20(Black).png) ](https://apac.archetype.co/blog/author/simon-lesch) [Simon Lesch](https://apac.archetype.co/blog/author/simon-lesch) June 25 2024 [Brand Strategy](https://apac.archetype.co/blog/tag/brand-strategy) ### [The Power of Small B2B Events in Your ABM Strategy](https://apac.archetype.co/blog/the-power-of-small-b2b-events-in-your-abm-strategy) [![image](https://apac.archetype.co/hs-fs/hubfs/APAC%20Content/APAC%20-%20Blog/Simon%20-%20Circle%20(Black).png?width=35&height=35&length=35&upsize=true&upscale=true&name=Simon%20-%20Circle%20(Black).png) ](https://apac.archetype.co/blog/author/simon-lesch) [Simon Lesch](https://apac.archetype.co/blog/author/simon-lesch) October 10 2024 [Digital Marketing](https://apac.archetype.co/blog/tag/digital-marketing) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Yeow Mei Ling", "url" : "https://apac.archetype.co/blog/author/yeow-mei-ling" }, "dateModified" : "2025-11-17T04:20:15.070Z", "datePublished" : "2025-11-17T04:20:15.000Z", "headline" : "Why the biggest risk isn’t the crisis - It’s being unprepared", "image" : [ "https://apac.archetype.co/hubfs/Navigating%20Trumps%20Re-Election%20(2).png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://apac.archetype.co/blog/why-the-biggest-risk-isnt-the-crisis-its-being-unprepared", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://apac.archetype.co/hubfs/Global%20Content/Archetype%20-%20Logos/Archetype_wordmark_BLACK_RGB.png" }, "name" : "Archetype Agency Ltd" } } ```