October 4, 2025
Forbes recently published an article featuring Moshe Cohen, Master Lecturer of Management and Organizations, exploring leadership lessons from the October 2025 federal government shutdown.
The piece highlights how the shutdown underscores the importance of early action, transparent communication, and proactive crisis planning. Experts note that silence may be a short-term tactic, but prolonged inaction can breed speculation and erode trust. Effective leaders maintain consistent, empathetic communication to guide stakeholders through uncertainty.
Cohen emphasized the need for balance during high-stakes conflicts: “Like politicians, business leaders in such situations must calculate the balance between the benefits of continuing the standoff and the increasing costs to various stakeholders. Too often, while helping one party achieve some advantage over the other, this approach to negotiations weakens both parties, making them vulnerable to outside threats, so it should therefore be applied infrequently, and with great caution.”
Authentic, proactive communication, rather than silence or blame, is the key to sustaining credibility and stability in any crisis.
