5 Valuable Notes on Crisis Management from the “Ray Donovan” TV series

I have a hobby of watching TV series and films about crises — both business and politics.

One of my favorite TV series is Ray Donovan. It’s about a crisis fixer who helps rich and influential clients solve their problems.

Actor Liev Schreiber perfectly played this ambiguous Irish-American in Zegna suits, constantly solving problems in his family and with clients. The character has many ethical and personal questions. But he is effective in his work if we measure it by the results of his clients’ desires.

I’ve made valuable observations about what makes Ray Donovan successful in his business.

Being proactive

Ray often anticipates potential problems and makes decisions to prevent them from becoming crises. Being safe now is better than fighting a fire after it has started.

In my practice, only some clients want to protect themselves in advance than those who call me during a crisis. But you know exactly what your two or three situations are that could potentially turn into a crisis. So, you know your problems. That’s good!

Staying calm under pressure

Ray Donovan is astonishingly calm and focused in situations where everyone around him is freaking out and becoming inadequate. He remains focused on making informed decisions even in these circumstances.

This is a valuable skill for any crisis manager. When a client is in a crisis, it is essential to remain the calmest person in the room.

When the initial shock of my clients passes and they start to think more rationally, I often hear gratitude that I helped balance the situation and bring it to a manageable state with my prudence.

Building strong relationships

Ray has a network of contacts and allies he can rely on. First and foremost, it is the core of his team and specific contractors. Donovan knows how to build professional relationships so that professionals perceive his call for help as a priority.

My list of such professionals includes people I appreciate for their willingness to get involved in a project quickly and for their trust in me. This allows me to quickly mobilize the resources necessary to respond to a client’s crisis.

Communicate effectively

Ray Donovan is a pro at what he says and how he says it. He is very concise (sometimes too much so), but he knows how to convey the critical essence of the situation and the task. Given how quickly his team and partners solve problems, they understand his communication style well.

For me, the best brief is a short brief. It contains a basic description of the situation from which we start working, the expected result and the conditions for achieving it. When you have worked with professional partners for many years, you know exactly what information you need to give them to get the desired result.

Be flexible

Ray adapts to the changes that are constantly taking place and finds creative solutions to unexpected problems.

As a crisis and reputation advisor, I need to think strategically and on the fly. When I enter a project, I have only limited information from the client and open sources. But in work, new data always emerges, circumstances change, and I must adjust the action plan. The strategy must be flexible and dynamic.

I offer you a choice of two “homework assignments” based on this post:

1. Think of two or three of your situations that could potentially turn into a crisis. Analyze the worst-case scenario they could lead to. Will you feel so uncomfortable that you won’t leave your apartment? Or will you experience negative financial consequences? If so, make anti-crisis notes about what you would do in the first three hours of one of your crisis scenarios.

2. Make a list of 5 “anti-crisis” trusted contacts — whom you will call first if you have a crisis.

About me:

Sergii Bidenko is an award-winning Crisis and Reputation Advisor to business owners, top managers and supervisory board members. Bestselling book author, cancel culture researcher.

He consults for owners and top managers of companies on issues of strategic reputation management, protection against information attacks, resolving corporate, customer and organizational conflicts.