“This was like Armageddon,” said Sherrie Crumpler of Malibu, California recounting her harrowing ordeal as one of the thousands of people impacted by the devastating Los Angeles wildfires.
Fuelled by strong winds, the inferno has led global headlines since it began on 7 January. To date, 29 people have been reported killed with thousands more expected to suffer due to toxic smoke, more than 15,000 structures (including homes) destroyed, at one point 200,000 people were under evacuation orders and an astonishing $250 billion in estimated damages and economic loss.
This will go down as one of the worst disasters in the history of California.
Every time an incident of this magnitude occurs, we tend to see the best, and unfortunately the worst, in how people choose to react.
Following the start of the blaze, stories of heroism, generosity, and communities coming together started pouring in. People opened their homes and provided much needed funding and resources to help anyone who needed it. The actions of first responders, police, and firefighters was nothing short of incredible. Empathy was on full display through the actions of friends, neighbours, and strangers.
However, with every story that helped restore faith in humanity there was an internet troll ready to provide a cruel take on the situation. These ranged from an ‘eat the rich’ sentiment asserting that victims deserved it, to blaming the victims based on California’s political heritage, and an overall lack of compassion in the form of disturbing comments and ‘dark humour’.
As distressing as these sentiments are, they were mostly from anonymous keyboard warriors or random individuals, clearly with their own issues, typing away en masse from the comfort of their homes. But what about elected leaders in these situations? They do not have the luxury of remaining anonymous or posting a tasteless comment without giving it a second thought.
Among other things, leaders during a crisis need to be present, grounded, and always showcase empathy. Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass did the opposite of this and has been heavily criticised for her complete lack of empathy in the face of what one would think is her defining moment in office.
Mayor Bass made several missteps leading up to and immediately following the fire that decimated 40,000 acres of her town. She had a chance to correct these missteps but failed to even attempt to do so.
The mayor was advised of the potential catastrophe at hand but opted to attend a diplomatic event in Ghana, some 11,000 km away. As the city began to burn, she was photographed enjoying cocktails. At a time when the people needed their leader for direction, decisions, and support, she was nowhere to be found. Not a great start. Upon her arrival back to Los Angeles, she was naturally approached by reporters asking relevant questions. She was dismissive, curt and overall unfriendly, all while wearing a rehearsed smile. She came across as tone deaf and having a serious lack of empathy. The people of Los Angeles were scared and needed something or someone to blame to direct their anger, sadness, and frustration towards. And now they had it – Mayor Bass.
If she had shown compassion and empathy upon her arrival, she would have regained trust, established credibility and given the people the comfort of knowing someone who cares is in charge. It was a time where true leadership could have been displayed but it didn’t happen. Citizens are now demanding she resign or be removed from office. It’s difficult to predict if this will happen, but I am willing to bet she will not be re-elected.
The Los Angeles fires will certainly be the subject matter of multiple case studies across various industries and topics, including crisis communications. One key take away that any leader in business or politics needs to remember is that we are all human and empathy plays a meaningful role when communicating during a major crisis. While all of us are, hopefully, capable of empathy it still takes skill to convey it effectively and genuinely. Like developing any skill, one needs to practice to get better.
Regular drills, trainings, and exercises will ensure that if the time comes, empathy will be part of your messaging which will help you avoid being compared to people like Mayor Bass.
