The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank was equal parts shocking, difficult and sobering for anyone impacted by the health of the American financial system. Which is to say, everyone.
Some public relations pros will offer analyses of what may have gone wrong and what can be learned from a communications standpoint. I’ll leave that to them. For me, the SVB meltdown had a personal connection and serves as a prompt to reflect on the importance of humility and gratitude in this topsy-turvy business that is the PR world.
The maelstrom of 2023 was, unfortunately, not my first financial crisis. Back in 2008, I was barely ten years into my career with Sloane & Company and representing publicly-traded, multi-state Boston Private Bank & Trust as it navigated a monumental financial meltdown that felt like it might devour the entire global economy. At least that’s how it seemed to my inexperienced and anxious eyes.