When Tech Fails: What M&S Can Teach Us About Grace Under (Cyber) Fire
Marks & Spencer was hit by a cyber attack. Not ideal, obviously. In fact, pretty disastrous, especially for a company that runs on logistics, online orders, and the kind of reliability we expect when we buy pants and Percy Pigs in the same checkout. But here’s what’s remarkable—they handled it like absolute pros. A class act, really.
Despite being unable to process online orders (which, let’s be honest, would send many of us into meltdown mode), M&S didn’t go dark. They pivoted. They kept their communication lines open—email updates, clear messaging, and a tone that was calm, clear, and yes, even a bit kind. No jargon. No excuses. Just straight-up honesty and a plan.
So what can we, as humans, family members, individual traders or small business owners, learn from this? Quite a bit, actually:
1. Communication is king.
When things go wrong (and they will), how you talk to your people matters just as much as how you fix the issue. Be honest. Be human. Don’t vanish.
2. Have a backup plan.
M&S didn’t rely solely on flashy front-end tech. When their systems went down, they still had good old-fashioned email lists and comms ready to go. Lesson? Don’t put all your eggs in one platform.
3. Transparency builds trust.
Rather than pretending everything was fine or quietly patching things behind the scenes, M&S told the truth. That level of clarity makes people more likely to stay loyal—not less.
4. Tone matters.
They didn’t sound panicked. They didn’t sound robotic. They sounded like… people. Friendly, competent people who were doing their best. That’s the tone to aim for in any crisis.
So yes, big business has its resources, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn a thing or two from how they manage a mess. Whether you’re running a one-person Etsy shop or coaching clients one-on-one, the principles are the same: clarity, communication, and keeping your cool when things go sideways.
Let’s hear it for class acts under pressure—and let’s be ready to channel that energy when we need it.
