JUDY SMITH

If I'm really telling someone what's coming ahead of them, then I'm going to say it, and I'm going to own those words.

While it may be tempting to bask fully in the glory of success, remember: When a CEO takes too much credit for the good, they will receive far too much criticism for the bad.

We all make mistakes, and sometimes the difference that we forget is that the people we read about in the paper and on the Internet and see on TV, behind that is, at its core, a mistake.

Look at the facts as they truly are, not as you want them to be.

Above all else, protect your brand. If you or your company doesn't live up to your brand's promise, own up to your error.

Social media, for me, is just a thorn in my side. It's painful. For us in crisis, it has totally changed the way we do business. It's a big, big game changer.

I charge by the hour, or I am on a retainer. We try to work with the client.

Rightfully given near-deity status in the early days of industrial America, the J.P. Morgans, Rockefellers, Carnegies, and Vanderbilts of the world not only ran our country, they were also revered - and often despised - as larger-than-life personalities who could perform feats mere mortals could only dream of.

When you're at the center of the universe, you have to think quickly and size up a situation instantly because, whether you like it or not, you're going to be on the news the next day.

I think that scandal and intrigue and all of those sort of things that occur behind closed doors - whether it's on the Hill or in the White House - people all find intriguing.

Protect yourself by always having a record of what transpired or was said in any situation that might be considered sensitive.

While you are searching for a job, it is a good idea to be on your best behavior.

Crisis is not a nine-to-five job... Crisis happens when you least expect it.

I like to believe in the good in people. But we're all going to screw up from time to time. It just happens. It really is how our best growth occurs.

The same qualities that we all have that are good can lead us to bad things or lead us into a crisis if we don't try to balance them.

Most of the time, you think the problem is not as big as it is - because it says something negative about you or your company or your leadership. Face the reality: The facts are not as you want them to be.

It can be a real blow to our egos when we feel as if our hard-earned degrees don't matter as much as our ability to get the morning coffee orders right.

Allegations become facts, and facts become truth in the eyes of the public, whether they are true or not.

A wonderful quality about America is that we love redemption stories. We're quick to lash out and assign blame, but we also draw from deep reservoirs of forgiveness.

I think there are some things that just cannot be fixed.

Unless you work in HR, it's not your responsibility to necessarily police and monitor workplace conversation.

Most people somehow look at people in the crisis industry as fixers, but some things can't be fixed by an outside person.

I will say this about the truth - that it's one of those crisis rules, whether you are a client or someone who's living their life just every day - is that the truth has a funny way of not going away, and telling the truth is extremely important in dealing with any problem or crisis.

There's always an opportunity with crisis. Just as it forces an individual to look inside himself, it forces a company to reexamine its policies and practices.

If your response to a problem or scandal isn't genuine, followers will sense it. And remember, by saying nothing, you're saying something.