Iceland’s calm in crisis: A real-world lesson
In July, I spent nine unforgettable days in Iceland, a land carved from fire and ice. On our second-last day, news broke: a volcano had erupted near the famous Blue Lagoon spa, where we were booked to go that afternoon.
Videos and images of lava flowing down the mountain side appeared instantly on global news sites. My first thought: would flights home be disrupted like the 2010 eruption that grounded Europe?
But on the ground, just kilometres from the eruption, there was calm and control. Icelanders carried on with their day. I was quickly offered Sky Lagoon as an alternative and given a link to book, a full refund email arrived from Blue Lagoon shortly, and another operator confirmed our “Inside the Volcano” tour would proceed as planned – even suggesting a helicopter ride over the new lava fields.
A taxi driver summed it up: “It’s just a small eruption, nothing to worry about.” In Iceland, if your house is destroyed by lava, the government will rebuild it. It felt like par for the course.
From Volcanoes to Boardrooms: A Leadership Parallel
Back at work, I asked myself: If I sent the Icelandic Meteorological Office our Primed Pulse Check, would they score as a “Crisis Commander” or just “Operationally Ready?
The government’s official response on their site was brief but clear: “Highly localised, no impact on air traffic or attractions.” Concise, factual, and enough for the situation. Links were provided to FAQs and additional information.
But I couldn’t help but wonder on the what if’s – what if it had been worse or the issue was compounded? What if misinformation spread, sensationalism caused fear to escalate, or cascading events created a polycrisis? Complacency or over-confidence in having dealt with an issue before, is a real risk.
Crises are, after all, vulnerabilities manifested, risks realised, and threats materialised.
The Age of Permacrisis: Crises as the Air We Breathe
In the past five years, organisations globally have weathered wave after wave of disruption, from pandemics and supply chain failures to geopolitical shocks and social backlash.
Today, crisis is rarely a one-off event. It feels continuous and overlapping. Permacrisis. Polycrisis, even permachaos are terms that have emerged.
In this environment, the biggest risk isn’t the crisis itself. It’s being unprepared - unprepared to lead, unprepared to communicate, unprepared to act with speed, empathy, and authenticity.
Three Tenets of Crisis Leadership Today
1. Leadership and Culture Matter More Than Ever
In a permacrisis, response is about mindset as much as tactics. Leaders must be visible “Chief Resilience Officers”, setting a steady vision, exemplifying courage and empowering teams.
Operational readiness is essential, but culture determines whether employees believe and support crisis decisions. Do your teams know how you expect them to behave in a crisis?
2. PAP: People First, Action, Perspective
• People First: Put stakeholders at the heart of every response. Fatigue and scepticism are high; perfunctory statements don’t cut through.
• Action: A templated “copy-cat” response can quickly backfire. Act decisively in a way that reflects your organisation’s unique values.
• Perspective: Lead with what unites, not what divides. As discussed at PRWeek’s recent conference, anchoring communications in shared values is critical in polarised environments.
3. Resilience as a Strategy, Not a Buzzword
Preparedness is the new power move. Embedding resilience into culture, operations, and leadership is no longer optional.
McKinsey data shows 84% of leaders feel unprepared for future disruption - a striking preparedness gap. CEOs and boards must not only endorse but champion resilience programs.
Yesterday’s manuals and templates aren’t enough. Organisations need:
• Dynamic scenario planning and real-time simulations
• Continuous monitoring for mis/disinformation and emerging risks
• Updated playbooks tailored to today’s threat landscape
Because the unlikely and unimaginable do happen – and increasingly often.
Preparedness as the Ultimate Differentiator
Crisis preparedness isn’t a dusty manual or defensive insurance policy. It’s a state of readiness, a leadership moment defined by clarity, empathy, and intent.
The organisations that thrive in a permacrisis era will be those that see preparedness not as a burden, but as a strategic advantage.
We have designed the Primed Pulse Check for you to assess how prepared your organisation is if a crisis hits today. Take the pulse check and see how primed and prepared to respond.