WASHINGTON — Crisis management expert and author Edward Segal said there are seven early crisis management lessons from the Iowa caucuses that companies and organizations should learn from.  The lessons include:

1. Assume nothing will work the way it should.
2. Immediately communicate information about your crisis and provide regular updates about the situation.
3. Apologize when you are at fault.
4. Have a crisis plan in place.
5. Implement your plan from the top down using a clear and logical leadership structure.
6. Prepare contingency plans for different crisis scenarios.
7. Test your crisis plans on a regular basis to make sure they will work when needed.

Segal observed that, "The fiasco in Iowa reminded people of their worst fears about the safety and security of how their ballots will be cast and counted this year."

"There is a silver lining to the dark cloud that is hanging over Iowa — it serves as a wake-up call to all election officials across the country," Segal said. "Federal and state governments must ensure — and provide assurances to the public — that appropriate safeguards and procedures will be in place to guarantee that when votes are cast and counted, nothing will happen that will call the results into question."

Segal is the author of the forthcoming book on crisis management — Crisis Ready: 101 Ways to Prepare for and Bounce Back from Disasters, Scandals, and Other Emergencies (Nicholas Brealey/Hachette Distribution).

Learn more about Crisis Ready and Edward Segal at GetCrisisReady.com.

                                                                  ###