3 things you must do when managing a team through a crisis.
First is managing stress. As the leader you have to be the calm one. Everybody is looking at you for guidance therefore if you are panicking then the whole team will be panicking.
You might be panicking inside but you have to show outwards how calm you are and things are under control.
Second is clear & fast decision making. During a crisis, things can be a bit kelam kabut. There is a tendency that many people want to be involved and have a say. Therefore it is important to establish who has the final say, and who makes the final decision.
For example who makes the final approval for a press release?
Third is transparency to decision making. Some tough decisions will have to be made. You cannot satisfy everyone in your team 100%. Mesti ada yang tak puas hati. Therefore make sure that your team understands how a decision has been made. In crisis, there is no such thing as over communication.
Those were my 3 points when we were discussing this topic during the panel discussion with Ozbay Memet Dr. Lavanya Pillai and Nitin Goil a couple of days ago at the Leadership Summit organised by MindZallera
Being a leader is tough and going through a crisis will show you how good you are.
