It is normal for every business to experience a crisis at some point in time. A crisis causes fear, anger and makes you anxious if youíre in charge of leading others. Most managers, employees, shareholders and customers expect you to set aside your own fears, staying calm and leading with confidence. But how is that possible when you are overwhelmed by strangling emotions and fear-filled thoughts? The reality of the matter is that if you want to serve effectively as a leader, you need to know how to lead without panic in a crisis to find effective solutions quickly.
Most people let their feelings spiral out of control during stressful times. They become anxious and worrisome, often paralyzed by fear. Others have been accused of ignoring the crisis altogether, putting their head in the sand, so to speak. While these reactions to such situations are ‘normal’, as explained by Stephen & Mara Klemich in their recent book, Above the Line: Living and Leading with Heart, “The worst thing you can do is suppress your feelings,” says Allison Troy, a psychologist at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, PA.
Strong servant leaders acknowledge these feelings but are able to manage them so they can deal with handling the difficult situation as effectively as possible. To ensure success you need to have strategies in place to calmly lead and serve your team during a crisis.
Strategies to consider when leading a team during a difficult time:
Don’t take things personally
It doesn’t matter who is responsible for the crisis, what is important is that everyone gets safely to the other side.
Keep your emotions in check
Our emotions have been designed to protect our primal (basic) needs, and will most certainly cause confusion in terms of perceived danger versus actual danger. Emotions cloud our ability to make objective and informed decisions.
Acknowledge your feelings
Acknowledge your feelings, but letting them get in the way will not help. Put aside your feelings and focus on the purpose.
Be an ambassador
You need to show your employees that you are in control of the situation. Model the behaviour that is most important for surviving the crisis, like transparency, honesty, integrity, kindness, etc.
Show composure
Be humble and maintain your composure while expressing your concern and care. Show that you take the situation seriously, and implement measures that are aimed at providing for the safety, security and wellbeing of employees, management, customers and shareholders. Leaders who remain composed during a crisis are fully committed to taking care of the issue. They are accountable and assume responsibility for the problem. They take the steps needed to solve the problem in a humane and considerate manner.
History matters…
Remember the obstacles you overcame in the past. Everyone faces crises that can have serious consequences at some time in their lives. When faced with a crisis when leading others, remember how you got through difficult situations in the past. Give yourself a pep talk if you have to.
Acknowledge that you cannot control the crisis…
Objective judgement, now at this very moment. Unselfish action, now at this very moment. Willing acceptance – now at this very moment – of all external events. That’s all you need.
– Marcus Aurelius
Remove yourself emotionally from the problem. Look at it as an outsider. You’ll have to learn how to trick your brain into this type of thinking. Pretend you are trying to help a peer solve the same problem. Ask the questions you would ask them. Listen to the advice you would give them.
Take swift action…
Step up to the plate and quickly take action. Don’t procrastinate. You don’t have time to dwell on the things you cannot change. Instead, you have to focus on what you need to do and do it. Identify what you can control and take action on the ones you need to do immediately.
Stay positive
“It isn’t what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it.”
– Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People
Keep your mental attitude positive and talk to your employees in a positive way to keep them hopeful and inspired. Stay strong and smile often. Stay focused on moving forward through the crisis.
“Your attitude, not your aptitude, determines your altitude.”
– Zig Ziglar, Born to Win
Nothing new
Act like you’ve been through the crisis before. One of the most effective ways to maintain composure through a difficult situation is to act like it’s happened before. Approach it with a sense of grace and patience.
What’s the point?
A crisis is bound to happen in almost every business. It’s easy for someone to lose their composure when faced with adversity, letting concern and anxiety turn to fear. Leaders who have learned how to lead without panic during a crisis are able to step back and evaluate the problem critically.
Step up today, take one or more of the strategies we discussed, and lead your team through the crisis we are facing today. COVID-19 and the effect it’s having on the world’s economy is a devastating crisis. Let’s be leaders who can lead effectively in this time of need. Let’s serve…
Empowering Comments Welcome
You are welcome to keep us updated on what you are doing to serve and lead your team through their current crisis.
What is working for you, and what is not?
What advice do you have for leading teams through a crisis?
If you prefer audio, there will soon be a podcast version of this post available here: How to Lead Without Panic During a Crisis @ The Safe Life Revolution Podcast
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