SOHO SQUARE -- My friend Tim Luckett has got to be one of the best crisis communication guys out there.  He always seems a little stressed.  And that's got to be a good thing.

Tim gets it coming and going.  Both when that dreaded thing happens -- the proverbial mouse in the box of chicken -- and when you are just planning for it -- what happens if...

So, if you're in either of those situations, call Tim.

But I am interested in the times when we use the word crisis and we don't mean it.  I am interested in the management-adrenaline-junkies who create difficulties just to get through the day.  And I think that our business, the "creative industries", are particularly strong at that.  We could stage the Crisis Olympics in Soho Square and competition would be fierce.

So, here is my list of things that I think do not amount to a crisis:

• Anything to do with your hair or grooming -- or anyone else's, for that matter
• Your failure to meet a deadline or do work in a timely way
• The weather (even if you run outdoor events, I mean, this is London!)
• Your love life... real or imagined
• A client, colleague or passer-by saying something mean to you; unless the police are involved
• A last minute cancellation

In these days of insurance and promised reparations for just about anything, you should have a plan.  Crisis plans are the business equivalent of having the fire department number beside your home phone.  It's just something you learn to do as you grow up.

Everything else is, frankly, poor planning.

/df

P.S. I would certainly welcome any other suggestions of what does not qualify as a crisis.