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So … you are faced with a critical situation, aka a crisis. What now? The outcome depends on the next step you take and how you manage the situation to its conclusion. Whatever the critical situation in front of you, how you turn this negative into a positive for your organisation largely depends on how well prepared you are.
The everywoman workbook, Tackling Critical Situations, has great advice on how to plan ahead to be as prepared for a critical situation of any magnitude as you can be. The advice can be scaled up or down accordingly and is really easy-to-follow with charts and questions to guide you along the way. The workbook covers four main steps to take:
1. Understand your starting point
How do you typically respond to a crisis? Are you likely to run around like a headless chicken spouting words like disaster, emergency, drama, etc.? Or, are you able to put matters into perspective and articulate the problem? You need to be aware of how others perceive you in a critical situation so you know if you are sending out the right message. You should convey an air of calm, not panic.
2. Conduct a risk assessment
Look at the key processes and skills that allow you to do your job and note down the potential risks that could affect them. Assign whether each risk has a high/low impact/probability (see the chart) and this will indicate what you do next. For example, do something NOW about the risks that are high impact / high probability, and decide whether you can accept / reject those risks that are low impact / low probability.
3. Create a contingency plan
As a contingency plan relates to the risks that are high impact / low probability, it is easy to fall into the trap of not bothering with a contingency plan, or a ‘Plan B’. If you think of a contingency plan as an insurance policy – you don’t think you need one until you need to have one - then you will realise why you need to have one in place. Remember to keep it simple, know the trigger for putting it into action, have one person with overall responsibility for putting the plan into action, identify roles and responsibilities and, importantly, link it to your business plan, vision and the original critical situation plan.
4. Build a support network
We all need to know who we can turn to for advice, support, resource and inspiration. When faced with a critical situation the last thing you want to do is worry about who can help you. Create a list of stakeholders to call upon and identify what each will do for you, e.g. sanity check, perhaps a confidence boost. Don’t forget to tell them you would like their assistance should the situation occur!
You can’t predict the future but you can certainly prepare for the unexpected.
The advice given here has been taken from the everywoman workbook, Tackling Critical Situations. You can download a sneak preview of it from the bookshelf on our Personal Development page. To download the complete workbook and learn more about planning, plus managing and learning from a critical situation, go to www.everywoman.com/join and sign up as a member of the everywomanNetwork*. As a member you also gain access to exclusive online seminars that support other areas of your personal development.
* everywomanNetwork membership gives you access to workbooks, webinars, interviews, case studies and expert advice, plus promotional opportunities for you or your business, member discounts and offers, and the ability to connect with like-minded women.
No responsibility for loss caused to any individual or organisation acting or refraining from action as a result of the material in this publication can by accepted by Everywoman Ltd or the authors.
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