Many career transitions are begun, and many are ended, in crisis. Your reputation can be defined by how well you lead your people through the choppy waters of business chaos.

Wikipedia defines Crisis management as the process by which an organization deals with a major event that threatens to harm the organization, its stakeholders, or the general public. Three elements are common to most definitions of crisis: (a) a threat to the organization, (b) the element of surprise, and (c) a short decision time.

What is your strategy for responding to a crisis challenge at work?

__  I respond, rather than react, to a crisis

__  I have a reputation for having a calm perspective and demeanor during crisis

__  I ask questions before I decide on the solution

__  I reach out to others for ideas and assistance at the onset of crisis

__  I avoid rolling up my sleeves to fix the problem myself

__  I communicate more during a crisis than I normally do

__  I keep my head up and stay focused on the goal while dealing with the crisis details

__  My other priorities are on hold, but not ignored, while the crisis is being dealt with

__  I always find some value or learning that results from the crisis situation

__  I make time in my calendar to identify potential opportunities for crisis and act to circumvent them

Based on your responses, what are your opportunities for growth before the next crisis crops up?

Steps to enhancing your crisis management toolkit:

1. Select two strategies from the list above that you want to master
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2. Determine the skills you need to develop in support of each strategy
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3. Identify current situations that provide opportunities to develop each of these skills
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4. Observe a leader with the crisis skills and strategies that you want to emulate and model their behavior

Resources:

Leadership in a Crisis - How to Be a Leader, Feb 2011 Wall Street Journal

Great Crisis Leaders - 10 Key Characteristics by Pat Rowe