Over the last year, I’ve spent a good amount of time thinking about my leadership style. Essentially what kind of boss I want to be to attract, build, and empower the right team to succeed.

When I get asked by people looking to start their own business about the hardest parts, I rarely say marketing the firm. But in launching Calkin Public Affairs, it became apparent that for the company to succeed we would have to treat ourselves as a client -- to promote our brand, work and service offerings. And while that should be simple given that we do this for clients every single day, the practice of doing so for yourself and your firm somehow feels much harder.

I have known for decades that the life of a consultant, particularly one in politics and public affairs, would never be a typical 9-5 kind of a gig. The work we do is fast-paced and can feel “always on.” That excitement and energy has driven me for so many years – it’s part of what I love about our industry – you never know what the next day will bring in terms of crisis, wins and new friendships. You also know that in this business, some periods simply require more time commitment to reach successful outcomes for our clients.

In part one of this series on managing a crisis, we covered the critical foundational steps for how to prepare yourself and your team as a crisis is unfolding.

Now let’s move on to the crisis itself. Once you have your house in order, the real work begins. In terms of managing clients through a crisis, I also have a few tips to deliver the best counsel and services possible