Crisis and Issues Management in Higher Ed with Jeff Hunt, Founder of Legend Labs
About this episode
Mike Palmer interviews Jeff Hunt about crisis management in higher education and the principles for effective communication during crises.
When the house is on fire, you don't want to be reading the manual for the first time. On this episode of Trending in Education, Mike Palmer sits down with Jeff Hunt, the founder of Legend Labs and a professor at the University of Texas, to discuss the high-stakes world of crisis communication in higher education . Jeff brings a unique perspective shaped by 18 years at a global firm and a career spent managing issues across the world, from Seoul to London . His deep dive into higher education began with the reputational recovery of Penn State after the Jerry Sandusky crisis, a "trial by fire" that revealed how techniques from global world crises could be adapted to the university setting . In an era of hyper-connectivity and a "nanosecond news cycle," Jeff argues that the old ways of managing a narrative are gone . He breaks down his book, Brand Under Fire, and a new playbook centered on five core principles: Authenticity, Transparency, Speed, Agility, and Creativity . We explore how leaders can move from a reactive stance to a "culture of readiness" . Jeff explains the mechanics of modern crisis prep, including "issues heat maps" to track percolating risks like labor strikes or…
People in this episode
Host: Mike Palmer
Guest: Jeff Hunt
Topics covered
- crisis communication
- higher education
- leadership
- reputation management
- preparedness
Keywords
- crisis management
- higher education
- communication
- leadership
- reputation recovery
- issues heat maps
- AI simulations
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Legend Labs, University of Texas, Penn State
Books & works: Brand Under Fire
Places: Seoul, London
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