Pos Malaysia: Leadership Lessons in Crisis Management

Viral post - it can make someone famous instantly and it also can kill a brand instantly.

There has been a viral post recently about some of the Pos Malaysia general worker throwing some Poslaju parcel while shipping it to the consumer. It creates a mixed reaction towards the general public and majority gave some bad comment about it.

Recently, Pos Malaysia created a video to counter the viral post that has shifted the perception towards their brand. However, the way the CEO handles the situation provides us (or at least me) some lessons in leadership.

Here are some of the lessons that come to my mind after viewing the video:


1. Emotional Intelligence: The leader did not overreact by scolding or firing the staff, instead, they came to the ground to discuss. With the introduction of he is just four months working in the company as compared to most of them, he started off with a non-threatening way to have a conversation. If he came in a threatening way, the worker might be defensive towards the boss.

2. Having a conversation. The is a saying "miracles happen in a conversation." The leader had a conversation, a sincere one. And great leaders ask questions. He asked whether they were aware of the viral video. He further asked what do you feel after watching the video.

3. The leader did not make their judgment based on his perspective. He tried to understand from their people's perspective. He gave some room for their worker to give some explanation, instead of judging them as a bad worker.

4. He did give a chance for all of the worker to make an open apology to the public, which he came from the space of "what do you have to say to the general public", instead of "please ask for apologies." This creates a more sincere message instead of the incongruence of "why should I ask for apologize" message playing in their mind.

5. Great way of Crisis Management. They provide a fast response to the public and assure that they are handling the issue professionally.

The result? I might not know what will happen, but I believe the worker won't be demotivated from that scenario, yet they might have a better motivation for such a caring boss. The video itself provides a very good counter promotion to Pos Malaysia and this is a great case study of how to turn a crisis into opportunity.

What is your thought on this video? I would like to hear from you. Please leave your comment.

Kudos Pos Malaysia!