When a crisis hits, you don’t rise to the occasion. You fall to the level of your preparation. Organizations collapse during crises not because they lacked resources or talent, but because they assumed they would figure it out when the moment arrived.
Conan J. Higgins, Crisis Leadership Consultant, Attorney, and former Special Operations veteran, has spent two decades helping organizations solve high-stakes problems in complex, volatile environments. From multinational legal disputes to tactical field operations to leading cross-border teams under pressure, he has seen what happens when organizations are unprepared and what separates those that survive crises from those that don’t.
“I’ve seen it in boardrooms and conflict zones. Organizations collapse because they assumed they’d rise to the occasion,” Higgins explains. “Crisis readiness starts in peacetime. You build before you need it.”
Legal Intelligence as Strategic Advantage
Most organizations treat legal counsel as reactive support rather than strategic intelligence that prevents crises from occurring. This creates avoidable exposure because legal risks that could have been identified months in advance only surface when they become emergencies.
Smarter organizations embed legal intelligence into risk assessments, scenario planning, and operations. Legal insight becomes a strategic tool that shapes decisions before they create liability rather than damage control after problems emerge.
“Crisis-ready organizations don’t just respond legally. They lead with legal foresight,” says Higgins. “When legal intelligence is embedded early, you prevent crises instead of managing them.”
This delivers measurable outcomes. Legal risks are identified during planning rather than discovered during execution. Contract structures prevent disputes instead of creating them. Regulatory compliance becomes a competitive advantage because organizations move into new markets faster when they understand enforcement landscapes before entering.
Tactical Thinking Turns Strategy Into Action
“Crisis doesn’t wait for consensus. It demands tactical discipline,” Higgins explains. “Whether it’s personnel, information, or logistics, crisis readiness means having the ability to act precisely when it counts.”
Tactical thinking creates speed without chaos. Teams know their roles before pressure hits, eliminating the confusion that slows response times. Decision-making authority is clear, preventing the paralysis that comes from unclear chains of command. Execution happens decisively because procedures were rehearsed, not improvised.
Organizations with tactical readiness contain crises quickly because response protocols were established in advance. They minimize damage because teams act immediately rather than waiting for direction. They protect reputation because controlled responses prevent situations from escalating into public spectacles.
Culture and Clarity Are Non-Negotiable
Crisis leadership is not just technical. It is human. Organizations fail during crises when roles are unclear, communication breaks down, or decision-making is paralyzed by fear. Building crisis readiness requires creating cultures where clarity exists before pressure arrives.
Higgins led international teams across six continents on a $480 million project that was hemorrhaging money and trust. The turnaround did not come from implementing more rules. It came from establishing clarity of mission, communication, and accountability.
“We turned it around not with more rules, but with more clarity,” says Higgins. “Clarity of mission, communication, and accountability. Crisis readiness starts in peacetime. Align your people before the pressure hits.”
Clear cultures reduce decision lag because teams understand priorities without waiting for explicit direction. Communication flows efficiently because channels and protocols were established when the stakes were low. Accountability is maintained because roles and responsibilities were defined before anyone needed to question who owns what.
Build Before You Need It
Building a crisis-ready organization does not happen in the heat of the moment. It is a disciplined investment in legal foresight, tactical execution, and resilient leadership. Organizations that wait until crises arrive to build these capabilities discover that preparation cannot be compressed into emergency timelines.
“You don’t get a warm-up round in a real crisis, and hope is not a plan,” Higgins concludes. “Crisis readiness is built through disciplined preparation. Embed legal intelligence early, build tactical muscle memory, and create cultures of clarity. That’s how you fall to the level of your preparation when it matters most.”
Connect with Conan J. Higgins on LinkedIn for insights on building crisis-ready organizations with legal and tactical intelligence.
