It was good to bump into my old mate Alistair Campbell at the Financial Times Sports Conference.

We were the guests on a panel about crisis management and though we have disagreed about various issues in the past (usually his support of Burnley Football Club), we were in complete agreement this time.

The fundamental issue with crisis management is leadership. If that is right, the rest falls into place.

It is true that every company of high profile business should have a crisis plan and that does not necessarily mean for a crisis of nuclear proportions.

It could be a whistleblower as in the case of Haringey Council and Baby P. Trying to injunct the very person who is trying to wrong a right, is not the copybook approach by the way.

It could be a lesser crisis like an employment tribunal or a fall-out between two senior executives. Or in my past it could have been at Hello magazine when a set of wedding pictures we had paid hundreds of thousands of pounds for came out blurred.

Whatever it is the old adage is true Prepare … or be prepared to fail.

By the way there was one thing Alistair and I did not agree on and that is what can rightly be called a crisis. His view is it is a situation that becomes all consuming to the point it takes over your life.

I guess when you have crisis managed wars; you might see things a little differently.

My first thought when managing a crisis is perspective, which I guess dovetails into what Alistair is saying. Usually when a client is in a crisis, they feel nothing else matters, that their business is about to end.

It is amazing how quickly the media agenda will move on - but that is not to say that the media storm could not have been stopped with proper planning and leadership.