Have you ever been in a major crisis as a leader?
One that may devastate the employees.
Devastate the patients.
Devastate your bottom line.
We face economic crises in America.
We also face health crises.
We face major crises over and over, but how do we survive these bad circumstances?
When crisis come, how do you lead your team through it?
How do you make sure you all come out better on the other side?
We need a new skillset focused on how to manage crisis, but I’m not here to teach you that.
I am here to teach you how to lead in a crisis.
5 Tips To Leading In A Crisis
Stay calm
The best thing a leader can do in a crisis is stay calm.
You have to keep your wits about you when everyone else is losing their wits.
It’s easy to get emotional in a crisis, but a leader has to stay devoid of emotion.
You’ve got to slow down and stop to absorb more information.
Find a way to keep yourself settled so you can think clearly about your next steps.
The best leaders are the leaders who always remain calm. They work hard at never letting you see them sweat.
What are you going to do to make sure that you stay calm in a crisis?
Tell the truth
Your team has some questions.
“Are we going to make it though?”
“Are we going to survive this?”
When they ask these questions, tell them the truth.
You have to tell your team the truth, even if the truth is unpleasant.
Transparency is the most important thing in a crisis because people will act on whatever information that you give them.
If you tell them the safest place to go is left, they’re going to go left.
If you tell them the safest place to go is right, they’re going to go right.
So if you don’t know which way to go, don’t tell them to go left to right.
Tell them to stand still until you have more information.
People don’t like bad news, but they would rather have the truth than to have a lie.
The greatest leaders are the ones that always give people the truth.
Have a heart
You’ve got to be empathetic.
Realize that people have emotions that they are dealing with.
Have a heart of empathy for people who are experiencing hardship related to the crisis.
Listen to them, understand their pain and let them know that you’re right there with them.
People want to be connected when they feel alone and isolated.
It’s up to you to set that tone, to create the environment where people can be connected.
You do this by maintaining empathy and having a heartfelt approach to everything that you do as a leader
Seek out experts
You may be the leader, but you’re not the expert on everything.
You could be in a health crisis, an economic crisis, a socioeconomic crisis, an environmental crisis or a business crisis. It doesn’t matter.
You will need experts around you to help you make good decisions.
You don’t have all the answers.
Seek out the expertise of those who have a skillset in whatever crisis you’re in.
Aask them for their best advice and mot importantly, listen to them.
There’s no purpose in bringing in an expert, only to do the opposite of what they say.
If you want to succeed, listen to the experts around you.
Have a vision for the future
Share with your team your vision for the future after the crisis.
Inspire and empower your team to believe that you’re going to be better after this, no matter how hard it is.
It doesn’t matter how much damage you take.
It doesn’t matter how many bruises and bumps you face.
It doesn’t matter how much your revenues dip down.
You’re going to be better after it is over.
Sharing this message with your team will give them the encouragement you need to get through tough times.
Many people want to know how to manage crisis, but I want you to know how to LEAD through one. My goal is to help you become the admired executive.
