[Namsan Stroll] Three Crisis Communication Keys from Odysseus

Lessons from Crisis Communication Methods in Leadership Dilemmas
Sharing Context, Respecting Ownership... and Bearing Responsibility

Recently, an executive coaching group engaged in a heated debate about the leadership of Odysseus. The most contentious issue was his "crisis communication style." "What would I have done in that situation?" Participants were equally divided, with some empathizing with Odysseus's approach and others strongly disagreeing. In truth, today’s leaders face leadership dilemmas and crises just as challenging as those encountered by Odysseus 3,000 years ago. When confronted with crises such as organizational mergers, clashes over performance rewards, or unexpected accidents, how should a leader communicate? Odysseus’s leadership offers three key insights for crisis communication.

The first is context. Share the context behind your instructions. The journey did not begin as a perilous one. It was only after failure in crisis communication that their homecoming, once within sight, was abruptly pushed back to the treacherous open sea. This is best exemplified by the “Bag of Winds” incident. Aeolus, god of the winds, gave Odysseus a leather sack that contained powerful winds, leaving only a favorable breeze. As long as this sack remained sealed, safe passage home was assured. However, Odysseus became so engrossed in achieving the objective that he focused solely on practical matters—personally guarding the sack and rowing day and night—while communication was neglected. While he slept, exhausted, his companions opened the sack, unleashing the winds and driving the ship far from home. Odysseus had simply told them not to open the sack, but he hadn’t explained what was inside or why. His companions thus suspected it contained treasure that he intended to keep for himself. Odysseus would later reflect that this setback was “because of our own foolishness.” When information is asymmetric, distrust naturally follows. The higher the stakes, the more essential it becomes for leaders to explain “why,” not simply issue commands. Sharing context ensures that team members interpret orders as guidance for a joint voyage, not as control.

The second is agency. Treat your team members as active agents in crisis response. Sirens use their enchanting song to lure sailors to their doom. Odysseus demonstrates growth from previous failures. He gathers his comrades to say, “This is something you also need to know. It should not be kept by only one or two people,” and explains the situation in detail. He describes the danger, the countermeasures, and divides up the roles. He instructs his men to plug their ears with wax and asks to be tightly bound to the mast himself, saying, “If I beg to be let go, bind me even tighter.” Thus, his men are not merely order-takers; they become a safety mechanism for their leader. Crisis response becomes stronger when team members are respected as decision-makers and protagonists together.

Still cut from the movie "Odyssey." The image shows the protagonist Odysseus from the film. Universal Pictures

The third is responsibility. Leaders must bear the risk that comes with making tough decisions. Often, the crisis communication dilemma arises not from a choice between “good” and “bad,” but between “bad” and “worse.” While navigating a narrow strait, Odysseus is faced with Scylla—a monster that would snatch six crew members—and on the other side, Charybdis—a whirlpool capable of swallowing the whole ship. In an unavoidable dilemma, Odysseus deliberately chooses not to tell his men in advance about the impending sacrifice. He judges that even with prior knowledge, they could not avert the danger, and that forewarning might trigger paralyzing fear among the entire crew. Whether this decision was right remains debatable. What stands out is that Odysseus does not hide in the cabin, but places himself at the very bow of the ship, fighting the monster at the front line of danger. Witnessing the sacrifice of six crew members before his eyes, he later recalled it as “the most heart-rending sight of all the suffering I have endured.” In crisis, there will be times when not everything can be disclosed, when it is not possible to save everyone. Complete secrecy is problematic, but so too is the “paradox of transparency” that comes from excessive real-time disclosure. In crisis communication, what matters more than the sheer quantity of information is whether the leader actively faces the crisis with the team.

If you are a leader standing before a crisis now, ask yourself three questions: Are you sharing enough context for your team to understand not just the “what,” but also the “why”? Are you involving your team as co-agents in problem-solving rather than as mere recipients of instructions? If you must make a solitary decision, are you prepared to step to the front line of the crisis yourself?

Kim Sunghoe, Director of CEO Leadership Lab and Coach at Coaching Management Institute

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