Transparency in Crisis Management

Transparency in crisis management is the subject of this video for anyone facing a crisis with a team working on their reputation. But what happens when people find the not so good stuff?

This video first went up on YouTube on March 28, 2025. The written post was added on October 25, 2026.

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Table of Contents

Why Does Transparency in Crisis Management Matter?

Transparency in crisis management can matter because the people handling your reputation may not know how to work with what they do not know. Revealing everything, including what you are not proud of, can help, in Loren Weisman’s view, since anything hidden that shows up later can be like a tidal wave on your reputation.

Hiding things from the people working on your reputation may only make their job harder.
A marketing team that puts out only the good stuff may leave you exposed when people find the not so good stuff.
Putting embarrassing things right out front with humility can help shift the optic, so people may see your intention instead of a perception others built up.
An NDA or confidentiality agreement can keep what you share quiet while your team learns the entire situation.
Helping hide bad, evil or dishonest actions may be off the table, while misunderstandings and mistakes met with humility can be worked on.

My own non-disclosure agreement for the people I work with: Non-Disclosure Agreement for Loren Weisman.

Transparency in Crisis Management: The Full Transcription

Why Hiding Things Makes the Work Harder

When you hide things from people that are trying to help you with your reputation, with crisis management, with preventative maintenance, it only makes our jobs harder. My name is Loren Weisman. I’m a brand communications and optics strategist.

I work in the optics and the communications, sometimes crisis management. And this goes beyond marketing. There’s certain people that say, okay, I did something and I’m gonna go hire a marketing team and. And they’re just gonna take over and just put out all the good stuff.

But what happens when people find the not so good stuff? Now, maybe you messed up, maybe you did something accidentally. Maybe there are even people right now that are trying to harm your reputation and you don’t even deserve it.

Revealing What You Are Not Proud Of

However, when working with someone like me or me, it is crucial for you to reveal all these things, reveal what’s going on. The stuff you might not be proud of, the stuff you might be ashamed of, the stuff that you want hidden from the world, understandably.

But if I don’t know it, or people like me don’t know it, we don’t know how to work with it.

Sometimes the things that can become the most embarrassing in your mind, maybe some of the things that putting them right out front in honesty, in humility, can help shift the tide, can change the optic and allow people to see what your intention was and not the perception of what people may have built up. So it’s crucial whether you’re working with someone in crisis management, pr, communications, optics, sit down and reveal it.

Sharing the Entire Situation

And again, with people, with me. You can sign an NDA, we can sign confidentiality agreements, I can be completely quiet. But if you’re not prepared to come to the table and share the entire situation, the array of it, everything, I can’t be as effective for you, and others can’t be as effective for you as possible.

Because one of the worst things that could happen is if we build the correct, authoritative, authentic communication plan, if we showcase intention over perception, if we reveal certain things, and then there’s other stuff that all of a sudden shows up, it can be like a tidal wave on your reputation.

Where I Stand on Cover Ups

Let’s get it all out so we know what the foundation is, we know what the blueprint is, and we know what we have to address at the same time. Where I stand inside of brand communications and optics, if you’re just doing bad things, evil things, dishonest things, I will not work with you.

I will not help you hide them. I will not enable you to continue to do what you do in the communications and the optics. There is one element of what I work on. If there are misunderstandings, if there are mistakes, if there’s a humility, if there’s an element of honesty, or a lot of elements of honesty, I I’m all there.

But if this is just a cover up, glaze it over, make it look pretty and go market and try to shift the trend or shift the optic, I won’t touch it. My name is Loren Weisman.

Reveal Everything to the People You Work With

Again, I’m a brand communications and optics strategist. And the point I’m trying to get at, whether it’s with me or anyone else, reveal everything when you’re dealing with your optics, communications or crisis management problems to the people that you’re working with. Otherwise it may come back up and bite you in the rear.

Intention Versus Perception in My Talks

Understanding, applying and communicating the intention versus perception differential in your brand.

Questions and Answers

Why tell a crisis management team everything, even the embarrassing parts?

A crisis management team may not know how to work with what it does not know. Revealing everything, including what you are ashamed of, can let the team build the plan on the full foundation instead of being caught when hidden things show up later.

Can a marketing team fix a crisis by promoting only the good news?

Not always, since crisis work can go beyond marketing. Putting out only the good stuff may leave you exposed when people find the not so good stuff, so the real issues can still need to be shared with the people helping you.

Can admitting a mistake help your reputation during a crisis?

Yes, admitting a mistake can help. Putting embarrassing things out front with humility can help shift the tide, change the optic and let people see what your intention was, instead of the perception others may have built up.

Is what you tell a crisis management consultant kept confidential?

What you tell a consultant can be kept confidential through an NDA or a confidentiality agreement. That protection may only help when the client comes to the table with the entire situation, since a consultant may not be as effective without it.

Can a crisis consultant help cover up wrongdoing?

Not in Loren Weisman’s view, since helping anyone hide bad, evil or dishonest actions, or glazing over a cover up to shift the optic, is something he will not do. His work can be helping with misunderstandings and mistakes where humility and truthfulness can be part of the picture.

Transparency in Crisis Management: Consider Revealing Everything