How to Handle a Crisis Situation
How to Handle a Crisis Situation
Whenever you face a crisis situation, it is easy to become overwhelmed and disheartened.
Instead of that, take the following steps:
- Get the facts (apart from the speculations and uninformed opinions).
- Sort the facts into four categories: Fundamentals, major, minor and details.
- Set your goals.
- Formulate your best plans designed to deliver the goal.
- Implement the plans and observe their results.
- Go back to step one and repeat the process.
1. Get the facts (apart from the speculations and uninformed opinions).
Whatever response you make to the crisis situation, it should be based upon a logical evaluation of all the available facts.
In science, there is no room for the arbitrary, or guesswork. Therefore, make the distinction between:
- Facts and speculations,
- Facts and opinions.
- Facts and predictions.
Base your actions on facts, as measured by people who are in a position to know, by direct personal experience.
2. Sort the facts into four categories, Fundamentals, majors, minors and details.
When you have the facts, sort them into four sets.
- Fundamentals are the most essential facts.
- Majors are subsets of the fundamentals.
- Minors are subsets of the majors.
- Details are subsets of the minors.
Think of facts as being interrelated, in a hierarchical manner, like a tree.
The trunk is the fundamental. The related main branches are the majors.
The associated smaller branches are the minors and the twigs are the details.
3. Set your goals.
Now you have a clear mental map of your current situation, it is time to set your goals.
In general, your goal is "To improve upon the current situation and move one step closer to a state of perfection".
We all have different ideas of what a State of Perfection would look like, but we should all be striving to make progress to our personal conception of perfection.
Ensure your goals are clearly and specifically defined, and moral.
Immoral goals are not allowed!
4. Formulate your best plans designed to improve upon your current situation.
Now you have your goals, you need a practical plan that is capable of delivering the goal.
You need to know who will do what, how and when.
The plan should be in writing and should be as detailed as possible.
5. Implement the plans and observe their results.
A plan is a theory. And all theories need to be tested against reality. So, implement the plan with gusto, and with as much skill as you can.
As you act, observe the reaction.
Since nobody is perfect, neither your plan nor your actions will be perfect, and you probably wont solve the crisis in one attempt, but you will have made some progress.
Then, you should.....
6. Go back to step one and repeat the process.
Life is a reiterative routine of gathering and understanding facts, setting goals, making and implementing plans, and observing their results.
You should be always trying to move towards your conception of perfection.
You may never attain perfection, but it is fun trying.
Definition: six-step crisis management cycle
In business, the six-step crisis management cycle is a process that helps teams face trouble in a calm, logical way. It gathers hard facts, orders them by value, fixes a firm moral goal, writes and carries out a detailed plan, then checks results and repeats the loop. If any of these steps is missed, the cycle no longer works.
Show CG4D Definition
- Starts by collecting facts and discarding guesswork
- Ranks facts as fundamental, major, minor or detail
- Sets clear, moral goals to improve the situation
- Builds, acts on, reviews and repeats a written plan until the goal is met
Article Summary
Strong crisis management means you stay calm, gather checked facts, sort them, set a clear moral goal, write a short plan, act fast, watch what happens and repeat until things improve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some questions that frequently get asked about this topic during our training sessions.
What is the first thing to do when a crisis hits?
How do I separate facts from opinions in a crisis?
Why rank facts as fundamental, major, minor and detail?
How can I set moral goals when I feel stressed?
What does a good crisis action plan include?
How soon should I review results after acting?
Why must the six-step cycle be repeated?
Thought of something that's not been answered? Ask Us Today!
Did You Know: Key Statistics
The 2024 BCI Horizon Scan Report found that 82% of firms had to use a crisis plan in the last 12 months. Deloitte’s 2024 Global Resilience Report says firms that test their crisis plans at least once a year are 60% more likely to fully recover inside 30 days.About the Author: Chris Farmer
Chris Farmer is the founder of the Corporate Coach Group and has many years' experience in training leaders and managers, in both the public and private sectors, to achieve their organisational goals, especially during tough economic times. He is also well aware of the disciplines and problems associated with running a business.
Over the years, Chris has designed and delivered thousands of training programmes and has coached and motivated many management teams, groups and individuals. His training programmes are both structured and clear, designed to help delegates organise their thinking and, wherever necessary, to improve their techniques and skills.
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