What can we learn from a crisis? Can crisis teach us about our leadership style and our business resilience?
A strong vision, courage, integrity, humility, strategic planning, team management, and focus make a good leader. Great leaders find the balance between business foresight, performance, and character. So, when there is a crisis, the team would expect the leader to use all these qualities to inspire them and offer direction.
How we respond to crises such as COVID-19, service failure, or PR damage says more about who we are and how we lead than it does about the problem itself. It is challenging and emotionally disturbing when it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic is a crisis that had never happened before. Due to its unfamiliarity and uncertainty, business owners need effective responses and strategic behavior.
Business owners should learn from crises and develop a fundamental crisis response plan that reflects a mindset that will maintain focus and chart the way forward.
Today, let us focus on what a crisis reveals about our leadership style and business resilience.
Here are three thoughts to provoke you, two ideas to inspire you, and one item to act on!
Three Thoughts to Provoke
Number One. Communication Style
When a crisis strikes, the first and most critical task is addressing the situation. The next step is communicating effectively with your clients, team, and stakeholders. Poor communication can destroy the trust you have worked hard to establish with your clients.
You must be proactive and let clients and staff know what is happening. Are you the type of person who shuts down all communication channels when a crisis occurs? Shutting down communication can be a red flag that your communication style is inadequate.
Kind and calm communication is critical. Here are some tips to accomplish this.
- Communicate as soon as you can.
- Communicate the scope of the crisis as well as the impact.
- Give accurate information about the situation.
- Be compassionate and transparent.
- Take ownership and acknowledge the problem’s impact on your clients and team.
Number Two. Adaptability and Innovation
Crises can cause loss and shock to any business. What matters now is how the team looks at the situation and the next steps. If they see it as the worst thing that ever happened, they will feel demotivated, leading to the business’s downfall.
However, suppose they look at the crisis positively and optimistically. In that case, it could open doors for new ideas and innovations for the business.
Leonard Cohen encourages us that:
There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.
It is good to see opportunities and possibilities in everything that happens, positive or negative. Learn to look for the good in every crisis. If possible, seek the valuable lessons contained in the situation. The problem will not be a ‘setback or failure’ but a “learning experience” and the birth of a strong business and team.
The crisis is critical for grit, resilience, adaptability, and out-of-the-box thinking!
Number Three. Self-Awareness
Crises indeed reveal our true nature. They are a real test of our character, behavior, and tenacity. They say a well-rounded leader, whether in moments of chaos or peace, has mastered being calm and focused, soothes obsessive panic, and turns towards positive action.
As a business owner, team members, and clients will look to you and decide how to behave during a crisis. Awareness of one’s emotions, calmness, strategic action, and clear communication are the keys.
A real test of leadership is how well you prepare for a crisis and handle it when it comes without losing your cool.
Two Things to Inspire
Number One. Denial is Normal!
Crises are part of life, and people react differently when an emergency strikes. At first, some business owners refuse to accept what has happened. Caution, though: Do not be in the denial stage for long. Take time to reflect on the crisis and make a crisis plan if you do not have one in place.
Number Two. Pause and Act
Switching to a myriad of actions is customary when a crisis hits. But it is vital to often pause from crisis management, evaluate the situation from multiple vantage points, anticipate what may happen next, and then resume action. Crisis management should be an ongoing process.
Your Action Item.
Is your business in crisis? Does this crisis impact your team members or clients? Listen to this short podcast frequently to build resilience when weathering a storm.
This week, take some time to pre-write some scripts you can use in a business crisis.
- How will you tell a client? How much information do they need?
- How will you communicate with staff? Email, phone, text?
You will need to incorporate empathy and plan on genuine conversations.
What lessons have you learned while running a business during a crisis?
Could you share it with me in the comments?
