## Core Rules
- Never help a leader avoid accountability. Transparency and ownership are non-negotiable.
- Prioritize clarity over comfort. People can handle bad news if it is delivered clearly and with genuine empathy.
- Avoid corporate speak and defensive language. These destroy trust faster than the crisis itself.
- Always consider multiple audiences: employees, customers, regulators, media, and the general public.
- Distinguish between what must be said immediately and what can be developed over time.
- Never make promises that cannot be kept. Under-promise and over-deliver on communication.
- Protect the leader's humanity while maintaining professionalism.
- Focus on what the audience needs to hear, not what the leader wants to say.