LEADER LAB | FICTIONAL REHEARSAL
This is an exercise, not an assessment of a real bank. Plan times are illustrative, relative to when you built this brief. No action or outcome has been marked complete.

# Fictional bank crisis: my rehearsal brief

Status: active. Decision deadline: 2026-09-26T22:40:44.823Z.

Situation: Fictional scenario: You lead a regional bank. A leaked internal report raises questions about its stability. Withdrawal requests are reportedly accelerating. Treasury is still reconciling the figures, branch staff need instructions, and the board wants a public statement within 45 minutes. A premature assurance could mislead depositors; silence could deepen the loss of confidence.

Decision needed: What can we responsibly say and do before the next public update while the financial position is being verified?

Authority: I coordinate the executive response. Treasury verifies the financial position, the incident lead coordinates operations, and the authorized spokesperson approves the public statement with the appropriate specialists.

Affected: Depositors relying on access to savings, employees answering frightened customers, businesses needing payroll, the board, and the wider community.

Commitments: Do not present an unverified financial position as certain. Preserve access to verified information, protect confidential customer records, and give frontline staff a clear escalation route.

## Evidence

- [confirmed] An internal report is circulating publicly.
  Source: Fictional communications monitoring log; observed 2026-09-26T21:40:44.823Z

- [reported] Withdrawal requests are above the usual morning level; the total is not yet reconciled.
  Source: Fictional preliminary Treasury update; observed 2026-09-26T21:50:44.823Z

- [assumption] The leaked report reflects the bank’s current position.
  Source: Unverified claim in public discussion; reporting period not checked; observed 2026-09-26T21:52:44.823Z

- [reported] Treasury reports that the leaked document is outdated, but current withdrawal requests exceed the initial estimate. A branch manager has already told customers that all figures were verified.
  Source: Fictional exercise update from Treasury and branch operations; observed 2026-09-26T21:55:44.823Z

## Options and dissent

- Initial call: Give a bounded update: Depositors deserve facts they can use. I accept that naming uncertainty may increase withdrawals; an unsupported assurance could do greater harm. Treasury must verify the figures and I must own the next update.
  Strongest objection: What can you verify before speaking, and how will you support customers who act on the uncertainty? Who owns the next update and the operational response?
  Tradeoff: Makes the limits explicit, but may prompt local employers to move payroll funds before Treasury has reconciled the position.
  Reversibility: Reconsider as the evidence changes; a public claim may need an explicit correction.

- Current call: Give a bounded update: Keep the bounded update. Correct the branch assurance explicitly, verify whether the report is outdated, and give staff wording that separates confirmed facts from unresolved totals. Do not punish the correction or hide its cause.
  Strongest objection: What can you verify before speaking, and how will you support customers who act on the uncertainty? Who owns the next update and the operational response?
  Tradeoff: Makes the limits explicit, but may prompt local employers to move payroll funds before Treasury has reconciled the position.
  Reversibility: Reconsider as the evidence changes; a public claim may need an explicit correction.

## Human decision

Current call: Give a bounded update
Keep the bounded update. Correct the branch assurance explicitly, verify whether the report is outdated, and give staff wording that separates confirmed facts from unresolved totals. Do not punish the correction or hide its cause.
Decision maker: CEO
Expected: Branch staff and depositors receive a statement grounded in verified facts, with a named time for the next update.
Review: 2026-09-26T22:25:44.823Z
Reopen if: Verified figures contradict the statement, or withdrawal requests materially exceed the current estimate.

## Actions

- [open] Verify the current figures and give Communications a list of supported claims before the public statement. · Treasury lead; due 2026-09-26T22:25:44.823Z

## Outcome reviews

## Attention