Hearts & Minds: Dying Matters – how to deal with the death of a senior leader

The death of Liam Payne was a shock. Young and seemingly in good health, it was the sort of sudden, sad news that brings you up short.

In comms, we’re used to planning and strategizing. We like to think ahead, to cover most bases. But what do you do when the entirely unforeseen occurs, when a senior leader at your company or client dies?

Be human. That may seem obvious, but as comms professionals, we’re trained to take a pragmatic approach to whatever is thrown at us. The longer we continue, the more it becomes second nature: call an urgent meeting with the team, obtain updates, monitor the share price and market reaction, divide roles, draft releases, and agree to assemble again.

It’s what we do and it’s what is expected of us. But in this situation, it is worth pausing. There is no imperative for an immediate rush. Let the development sink in, take stock of those you know, who will be deeply affected, possibly more so than you - they’re the ones you reach out to, privately and personally.

Remember your colleagues who may have dealt with them on a regular, even daily basis. They could have been among the last to speak with them. They require your comfort and support.

The world is still absorbing the information, the same as you. Many people may not even yet know what has occurred.

The knee-jerk comms reaction is to issue a statement. That can and should happen, but not now, not immediately. For once, put the corporate to one side.

As the news spreads, that’s when you move into crisis mode, but again, treading carefully and sympathetically. But this is where your comms experience really can make a difference.

If the lost person is a corporate leader, call their deputy or whoever it is you would expect to be temporarily in charge. They’re reeling, you’re there to instill calm, to lift some of the weight off their shoulders, to act as a barrier between them and the outside world - you will deal with the media and stakeholders, they don’t have to worry.

That’s when you call the meeting and begin preparing the formal response. Here, it should be very much ‘the king is dead’. Again, the moment to emphasise ‘long live the king’, to look to their successor, is not now.

The media and markets will wish to know. Don’t indulge them, don’t get drawn into their speculative guessing game. It’s too soon. Plead for sensitivity. You may fall on deaf ears, but you did try.

Chris Blackhurst is one of the UK’s foremost business journalists. He was previously Editor of The Independent and City Editor of the Evening Standard.