“Don’t let a good crisis go to waste,” a phrase that was artfully coined by Rahm Emanuel while he was the White House chief of staff, has become an interesting point of discussion among crisis communications experts and enthusiasts. Is there such thing as a “good crisis?” Emanuel might agree that a crisis can be used to provide opportunities in the political boxing ring. However, to the average government and business leader, a better way to look at the issue of crisis management is to approach the topic from the standpoint of: “Don’t let a good crisis waste you!” It is a law of nature that each and every one of us experiences a crisis in at least three ways:

• We are just coming out of some type of crisis.
• We are currently experiencing a crisis.
• We are heading into a crisis.

How we respond to the hills, valleys and