Don’t Think – Just Do

I had the chance to see the new Top Gun: Maverick movie recently.  I’d expect the U.S. Navy recruiting offices to be quite busy in the next few weeks as the naval aviators portrayed in the film put on quite a show.  It’s an action-packed, “God Bless The U.S.A” type movie.

One of the great lines from the blockbuster movie that struck me was when Lt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell is coaching up Lt. Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw about a tremendously dangerous mission and he told him, “Don’t Think, Just Do!”

As soon as I heard it, I was reminded of another of my all-time favorite movies, Bull Durham.  After a confrontation in a bar, veteran catcher “Crash” Davis drops phenom rookie pitcher Ebby Calvin “Nuke” LaLoosh with a left hook and then he tells him, “You just got lesson number one.  Don’t think.  It can only hurt the ball club.”

Granted, we’re not flying fighter jets or trying to command a 100 m.p.h. fastball, but it’s just the opposite when it comes to crisis communication — and all strategic communication for that matter.  Thinking through the problem first before communicating it publicly or making an incorrect or off-base statement is critical.

While our team’s first response, the gut reaction, is often the best – we still think through all the options for our clients.  We’ve done it so many times over four decades that our instincts are usually spot-on.

It’s not as simple as “Don’t Think, Just Do,” but having the right communications team in place for a crisis can be a make-or-break scenario for a business faced with adversity.