HOW TO LEAD IN A CRISIS

There is an article in the WSJ archives How To Lead In a Crisis that is worth reading. Mike and I teach a two day class at Villanova's Executive MBA program on this subject that is much more in depth but this article is well done.

There are a few key things I would add to the seven lessons listed. Communications. There is no such thing as over communicating during a crisis. Get the right team. You not only need expertise you do not have but you need people that are not as emotionally involved. There is also Mike's all time favorite comment, "work the process". There is so much you do not control in a crisis and you can not guarantee the outcome. What you can control is the process that you follow.

But the most important is for you as the leader is not to over react. Yes, you have to walk through the fear but do so after you have taken a deep breath. Walking through the fear is very different that acting on fear. Leaders stay focused on the better future ahead.
Until Next Time,
Gail