Purpose This study aims to examine the influence of managerial perceptions on the strategic responses adopted by four Colombian organizations when facing a political crisis. Design/methodology/approach To address this research, face‐to‐face interviews were conducted with Colombian managers, consultants, journalists, government officials, and industry experts, and triangulated with documents and archival data. Findings The findings show that the response adopted by each organization was significantly influenced by their manager's perception of the crisis and, consequently, was prone to producing a particular performance outcome. Practical implications The authors’ findings constitute a strong warning call to managers and management teams about the possibility of falling into the “mirror trap”, through which their organizations will adopt strategic responses influenced by their own perceptions of crises. Originality/value These findings suggest that managers can affect performance through their individual assessment of a crisis as a threat, an opportunity, or neither one nor the other.