7 Steps of Crisis Leadership

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Photo by krystenn on flickr.

It happens.

A crisis.  A major problem.  A disaster.

If it hasn’t happened to you, my guess is that it will.  Most all of us will find a time in our careers when we are right in the middle of it.

Several times in my career, I’ve found myself in difficult situations.  For me, I find it may be stressful, but also energizing at the same time.  At least a crisis is a reason to take quick, decisive action because a lot is on the line.

What do you do when you find yourself in a really tough situation?

1.  Breathe.  When you get bad news, don’t react a split second later.  Take a deep breath.

2.  Assess the situation.  How bad is it?  What impact will it have?  What’s the worst that can happen?

3.  Communicate.  How will this impact your business?  How could employees be affected?

4.  Be visible.  Walk around the office.  Be visible on your social networks.  If you blog or tweet, don’t disappear from social view.  Attend conferences.  Visit customers.  During a crisis, if a leader is not visible in the office, online or at conferences, it undermines confidence and starts rumors.

5.  Assemble the leadership team.  This is not necessarily the top people on your team, though often it is.  You want to assemble the team that will guide the organization through strategically, with customers, with the media.  I’ve always been fortunate enough to find amazingly talented people in all levels of organizations.  And they are willing to step up in a crisis and make a difference.  You don’t need to be a CEO to find people who can be on a crisis team.

6.  Hold small town hall meetings.  Get the tough questions on the table.  The questions that are being thought, but not voiced.  Tackle the tough questions directly and encourage open communication.

7.  Deputize key leaders.  Leadership is not doing it alone, but finding talented people.  For example, human resource leaders may know of appropriately talented employees and be able to reach out across the organization.  Sales leadership may reach out to customers faster.  Let others get involved.

Have you faced a difficult situation at work? What step do you feel is most important? What other steps do you feel are important when you face a crisis? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
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  • MJGottlieb

    Great article Skip. I think the underlying message here is to face crisis as opposed to hiding from it (much in the same way we must face our fears). Getting out in front of the problem also shows that you are unfazed by the condition and eager to face the challenge and handle it with a leading hand.
    Being proactive also instills confidence and this reminds me of how the administration and political leaders got out front of the situation after 9/11, went to Ground Zero, grabbed the bullhorn (literally) and attacked the issues head on. This showed confidence that not only we would recover from the situation, but also that we would come out on the other end stronger than ever. For some reason this post reminded me of that situation.

    I think this post also can provide a great learning experience for the millions of people currently saddled with debt as too many of them avoid the calls, the letters and try to run away from the situation only to find out that things become incrementally worse the longer and longer they take to face the issues.

    Very relevant post, and very applicable to our current state of affairs. Have a gr8 one. -MJ

    • http://www.skipprichard.com/ Skip Prichard

      Great observation and link to people’s personal experience. Thanks for the thoughtful add.

  • http://www.jmlalonde.com Joe Lalonde

    Great stuff Skip. When a crisis arises, it sure shows whether or not a leader has the goods.

    As for the most important step, I’d have to say COMMUNICATE. Without that, everything and everyone tends to be in a mess. They’re worried, rumors float, life becomes miserable. But if you’re communicating during a crisis, people at least feel like they have a grasp of what’s happening.

    • http://www.skipprichard.com/ Skip Prichard

      Agree–whether a crisis or not, good communication equals leadership. But during a difficult time people want more info or they invent their own version of what happened.

  • Tom

    Well done as always

    • http://www.skipprichard.com/ Skip Prichard

      Thanks for that and jumping in here.

  • http://twitter.com/bennettdoneit Heather Bennett

    I think being as honest as possible about the situation is important. Your co-workers aren’t stupid….but the trouble is, they can bunny trail into stupid assumptions – that’s when the mill begins…

    • http://www.skipprichard.com/ Skip Prichard

      Heather, what a smart add! I’m a huge believer in open and honest communication. Fail to do that and these steps are meaningless.

  • Steve Pate

    Reading this particular posting is an example of another important consideration for dealing with a crisis: prepare contingency plans for the spectrum of possible emergencies and crises you and your company might have to deal with. The seven steps you’ve outlined here, for example, would be a great list to tuck in the back of a day planner or in your wallet.

    • http://www.skipprichard.com/ Skip Prichard

      Good point. We don’t always know what crisis will occur, but the odds are one will come…so be prepared.