Great leaders are not discovered during times of ease. Instead, a strong leader is spotted during the time of a crisis. During tough times of crisis, leaders should be analysed because how they behave and cope with the problem will showcase their strengths or weaknesses as a leader.
Studies have found that 70% of business leaders believe that a crisis will negatively impact the business. Only those businesses that have strong leaders were able to showcase resilience during the crisis, which in return had a positive impact on the business.
Despite this, there is no step-by-step guide for leaders to follow during a crisis period. A good leader will use their initiative and deal with the problem appropriately. All crises will be unique and therefore there is not one way to solve them. It is almost impossible to prevent a crisis from happening which is why it is so important to have a good leader in your business who can take control and resolve the issue by using the right choice of approach.
Due to the unpredictable nature of a crisis, leaders tend to have zero time to prepare for the problem. It is also difficult to know how long a crisis will take to solve. In some cases, it could be a few days whereas in others it could even last years. How the leader copes during this period will showcase whether they are a strong or weak leader.
Leaders are capable of sinking a business extremely fast, or lifting a business from the ashes, simply through their approach to problem-solving in a period of crisis.
When a crisis arises out of nowhere, the workplace environment will quickly become chaotic due to high emotions, stress and fear from employees. This is the stage where it is critical for the leader to not panic, and take full control to keep the team calm and collected. A good leader will act swiftly but smoothly, delegating tasks where appropriate to restore order whilst resolving the issue. A crisis action plan will only work if the team is focused directly on the task at hand, and not it is made clear what is expected from everyone.
Final Thoughts
Whilst preparing for a crisis is not always possible, a strong leader will have the soft skills, as well as technical skills at hand to deal with any issues that arise. A crisis can not be avoided, but dealing with the crisis badly can be avoided. A crisis should never be ignored, it should always be dealt with by hand. A good leader will tackle the crisis head-on, using it as a stepping stone to create change within the business.
A crisis creates an opportunity to acknowledge responsibility as a leader and to find new ways in which the business can do better.
