Creating Confident Leaders - Leading In A Crisis Situation
Volatile situations all around the world at present, remind us that crises can hit at any time and leaders need to be prepared. At some point, some form of crisis is bound to hit most leaders.
Crises come in many forms …………..
- A cyber attack
- An incident which sparks accusations of racism or sexual harassment
- Social media attacks
- An incident in which a mistake by your organisation threatens the health or safety of clients or your community
- A high profile staff grievance
- A fire, an explosion or a flood
- A reputational crisis
- A terrorist attack
- Some of your people are in a part of the world where an earthquake or environmental disaster hits and there are serious injuries
- An economic or financial crisis
- A member of staff being arrested for criminal activity or fraud
I’m sure you can think of many more!
At this point leaders are tested, they have to show their true quality and they are defined.
So what are the most important things that leaders need to do during a crisis situation?
- First and foremost – stay CALM . Many of you will be aware of the quote “If you can keep your head while all about you are losing theirs……..” from the poem “If” by Rudyard Kipling. This is so important, Keep Your Head! If you panic and have a knee jerk emotional reaction, then you lose your leadership credibility immediately. Its important to take the time to breathe and calm down BEFORE you launch into action.
- Linked to the above, get your facts straight. When a crisis hits, facts tend to suffer, so make sure you have all the facts, all the information you need.
- Be Visible– you must be there, visible and present to both your people and your customers. A leader who is not “THERE”during a crisis will instantly lose credibility and confidence. No matter how difficult, no matter where else you might be, if there is a crisis drop everything for that.
- You must show that you understand the anxieties and uncertainties others have. If you cannot show your empathy for them and help them feel you are connected to them and care about them, you will lose them. A client of mine had just started a new leadership role in 2017 when the London Bridge/Borough Market atrocity was perpetrated. One of her organisations branches is located very close to the area of the attack. The first thing she did was go straight there to talk to the security staff, to connect to them, make sure they were ok and reassure them as far as she was able. This made a real difference. Be visible and connect.
- Own Responsibility. If a mistake has been made, don’t push blame or responsibility onto others. Demonstrate your integrity – by saying – this is mine and I will own it. Make sure you also tell people what you are doing to help and/or fix the problem.
- Be Decisive And Communicate. You cannot dither in a crisis. Still remain calm and gather facts, however, once you have all the information, you need to make a decision and act on it. Decisiveness gives confidence. You must also communicate the action you will take and make sure its visible to both your people and your clients. Think very carefully about how you communicate what your actions will be.
- Show The Way Forward. People need to feel that there is a way past the crisis and even if you don’t have all the steps in place, leaders need to demonstrate their confidence in the future and give grounds for hope. Kenneth I Chenault, chairman of American Express who successfully led the company through both 9/11 and the financial crisis perpetuated in 2008, borrows a phrase from Napoleon “define reality : give hope”. He sees this as a crucial part of a leaders’ role, particularly in crisis.
- Don’t Go It Alone! Gather your team around you, ask key people and experts for help. Its not a sign of strength to be a lone wolf, great leaders value the talents of others and will tap into them.
We hope that crises are the exception rather than the rule, however, you will be very rare in leadership if you are not too experience a serious crisis of some form, at some point in your career and it can be a defining experience for you. Make sure you have thought this through and know how you will respond.
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Lead with confidence
Warmest regards
Lois
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Author
Lois Burton
Author
Hello I’m Lois and welcome to my blog. I ‘m a believer in potential, an international leadership coach, published author, speaker and coach trainer. I am committed to helping brilliant leaders to greatness and creating the next generation of extraordinary leadership coaches. I work with my clients to inspire and help them create the lives, careers and businesses they truly want. I’ve already helped tons of people to make massive positive changes in their leadership and their lives and I want to do more of it! Here is where I will be sharing my thoughts, ideas and all manner of stuff to get you moving, using your amazing potential and creating miracles in your own life and work. I hope we laugh here, I hope we cry, I hope we dream big, shout and punch the air but above all I hope we think together and help each other into the actions big and small that make the miracles not just possible but inevitable. Lois Burton is an international executive leadership coach and senior team coach who has been working in the field of leadership development for over 20 years. She is passionate about helping leaders become the best they can be and developing future leaders and leadership teams. The other side of her work is training and developing the new generation of leadership coaches and helping raise standards in the coaching and team coaching world. She is also an author and speaker on leadership, success strategies and the value of great coaching.
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