Home Features Mastermind Videos About Advertise Blog Network Contact
   

Have A Suggestion?
Toronto Salsa Classes / Toronto Salsa Lessons Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
Have A Suggestion?

Featured Ebook


ebook Famous Entrepreneurs - Modern Empire Builders


Featured Ebook

More Evan Carmichael
More popular articles
Have A Suggestion?

Sales Lessons From Starbucks And Dell

Crisis - What Crisis?



Crisis - What Crisis?
   

In an ideal world, we would never have crises. Yet in the real world we do. Managing crisis is quite a challenge, so here are some thoughts on how to make it work best for you.

Crisis management is about focus, pure and simple.

It's about getting into a frame of mind where you entirely focus on those things which are vital in the circumstances in which you find yourself and your business.

The things that must happen - and ditching those things that don't need to do right now, until a better day.

For me, customer or client focus has always been the place to start. What would those most important to your business people expect from you?

They are not, quite rightly, concerned with what your problems are - they just expect to be looked after as well as ever. This is your top and if you want, only goal, on a day when everything seems to be going wrong. It's actually a great place to go if you need focus and freedom!

Priority One Focus all your attention on the most vital thing your customers will want from you today and park the rest.

They want the usual high levels of attention they usually get - and this must be your total focus. Many bureaucratic jobs can be postponed - so be the skilled manager you are and take a position to be brave and do just that. Ditch anything unimportant.

Priority Two Communicate quickly, simply and personally to those at the sharp end about what they must do and those balls they can drop during the crisis.

This is time for you to show your face on the shopfloor and help out. Now it doesn't mean that you do everything yourself, because you have to be able to get above the crisis and focus on the big picture.

Priority Three Be with your people, recognise what they are doing and tell them how proud you are with what they have achieved. Praise, thanks, encouragement and pride in them. Right here, now!

Priority Four (yet no less important)

Reflect on what's gone on. Starting with working out what went well during the challenge you've had and also about what could have gone better. Fit that into a clear plan for the next time.

Reflect also on the capabilities of your people and let them know more formally how well they did. Celebrate in some tangible way with them. It's a two-way street.

It's also time to reflect on a bigger strategic plan over how to prevent such crises happening in the future. There is no time like the present to do this. Learn while it's still fresh in your mind. And in the minds of your people.

It is quite possible to be crisis free. If that's what you want.

To learn more about this author, visit Martin Haworth's Website.

Like this article? Share it with your friends


Related Articles Related Articles
Do You Know Where Your Disaster Recovery Plan Is
  Disasters of major magnitude are major news again after the Gulf coast region of the United States was hit by 2 major hurricanes. So it is very timely for me to ask each of you: “Do you know where your disaster re...
The Fundamentals of Crisis Communications
  Crisis communications at its most basic level consists of three elements: crisis planning, crisis response and crisis recovery. This article explores each of these categories and provides helpful tips for how to get...
Reputation Preservation in a Crisis
  Every company and organization should have a crisis communications plan in place. The risk of not having one is just too great, for you never know when or how a crisis will strike. And every crisis has the potent...
Managing Crises Before They Happen
  Book Review -- Managing Crises Before They Happen: What Every Executive Needs to Know About Crisis Management – by Ian I. Mitroff, AMACOM, January 2000, 172 pages
“Crisis Management Planning – What’s Happening Where We Work?”
  Crises continue to be in our newspaper headlines and the lead stories on radio and television broadcasts. And crises continue to affect businesses in many forms and continue to occur without notice. But what’s hap...

Related Forum Posts Related Forum Posts
Appropriate Images Appropriate Images
Book: Talking From 9 to 5 Book: Talking From 9 to 5
How's the economic downturn affecting your business? How's the economic downturn affecting your business?
Build up an antistress online business Build up an antistress online business
Re: What financial education *do* kids receive in school? Re: What financial education *do* kids receive in school?
What financial education *do* kids receive in school? What financial education *do* kids receive in school?
Re: Really Young Entrepreneurs - 3 kid CEOs making big bucks Re: Really Young Entrepreneurs - 3 kid CEOs making big bucks
Really Young Entrepreneurs - 3 kid CEOs making big bucks Really Young Entrepreneurs - 3 kid CEOs making big bucks

 
About the Author


Martin Haworth
(Visit Martin's Website)
Martin Haworth is a Business and Management Coach & Trainer. Combining his 20+ years hands-on management experience with independently accredited coaching skills, Martin has an eclectic range of clients. From managers of small, developing businesses and their teams, through to one-on-one work with senior executives, he enables a new generation of managers - and their businesses - to meet their potential - and deliver performance they only dreamt about. Martin Haworth.com
Have A Suggestion?

View Author's Video
Become An Author

Free Downloads


Martin Haworth's

Complete
List Of
Business-Coach
Articles


First Name
Last Name
Email
 
If you enjoyed this article, get Martin Haworth's Complete List of Business-Coach Articles For FREE!
Become An Author