Definition of a Crisis: A disruption or breakdown in a person’s or family’s normal or usual pattern of functioning. A crisis cannot be resolved by a person’s customary problem-solving resources/skills. A crisis may be different from a problem or an emergency.

The Four Stages of a Crisis

• Stage 1: Prodromal (Pre-Crisis)
• Stage 2: Acute (Crisis)
• Stage 3: Chronic (Clean-Up)
• Stage 4: Crisis Resolution (Post-Crisis)
• Crisis Intervention 101.

The 3 Types Of Crisis

• Creeping Crises – foreshadowed by a series of events that decision makers don’t view as part of a pattern.
• Slow-Burn Crises – some advance warning, before the situation has caused any actual damage.
• Sudden Crises – damage has already occurred and will get worse the longer it takes to respond.

Crises occur when management takes actions it knows will harm or place stakeholders at risk for harm without adequate precautions. Lerbinger specified three different types of crises of organizational misdeeds: crises of skewed management values, crises of deception, and crises of management misconduct.

5 Steps to Handling a Crisis Like a Boss

1. Plan ahead. Make a list of the five most likely things that could go wrong — and at least a couple of unlikely things — that would cause your business big problems.
2. Lead on empathy. A simple and sincere apology will often calm even the angriest of customers.
3. Don’t be too risk-averse.
4. Take action.
5. Keep calm.

There are six stages within every crisis: (1) warning; (2) risk assessment; (3) response; (4) management; (5) resolution and (6) recovery. This is the fifth of six topic briefings to explore a specific crisis stage, identify the specific issues of that stage and provide manageable solutions.

Communicating in a Crisis: What?

1. Deliver essential information in a quick, clear, and transparent manner.
2. Share what you don’t know, in addition to what you do know.
3. Make it clear what people can look to for stability and guidance.
4. Communicate broadly, repeatedly, and through multiple means.

1. Show Appreciation.
2. Provide Individualized Support.
3. Involve Employees in Decision Making.
4. Entrust Employees with New Responsibilities.
5. Designate Time and Space for Team Bonding.
6. 8 Ways Managers Can Support Employees Mental Health.

A crisis communication plan means you avoid the customer feeling left out about how the business is reacting to the crisis. With a communication plan in place, companies are able to build and maintain their existing relationships.

Keep in mind the three E’s: empathy, engagement, and escalation. The team will need to continue to monitor the situation for as long as it takes. A crisis may last days or weeks. Make sure to have your team ready, but allow time for them to rest.

Crisis Cycle. We all experience stressors that lead to escalation. This cycle is typically referred to as the Crisis Cycle. By following basic recommended responses, you can minimize the time and intensity of each episode. An awareness of each phase and possible responses promotes better outcomes for all involved.

Be prepared: 10 steps to take now for crisis readiness

1. Identify potential crises.
2. Analyze your company’s state of readiness.
3. Check the crisis readiness of your “bull’s-eye” team.
4. Research your company’s record.
5. Build the image of key leaders.
6. Review your social media status.
7. Examine and strengthen key relationships.
8. Schedule media training sessions.

How to prevent situations from becoming crises

1. Anticipate and have a plan.
2. Respond immediately.
3. Do not overtalk.
4. Always tell the truth.
5. Accept responsibility.
6. Select the right spokesperson.
7. Stop rumors and correct misinformation.
8. Show compassion and remorse.

Crisis management is identifying a threat to an organization and its stakeholders in order to respond effectively to the threat. When and if a crisis occurs, the organization must be able to drastically change course in order to survive.

A crisis management plan (CMP) describes how your business will react to a crisis, including who will be involved and what they will do. The plan strives to minimize harm and restore operations as soon as possible.

Members of a crisis team are usually employees who hold other positions in the organization; often, team members are human resources managers, heads of departments, senior managers, public relations representatives, communications and marketing executives, key operational staff, and site managers.

Crisis Management helps the managers to devise strategies to come out of uncertain conditions and also decide on the future course of action. Crisis Management helps the managers to feel the early signs of crisis, warn the employees against the aftermaths and take necessary precautions for the same.

Human behavior during any crisis may be much different than we might expect. In the immediate moments following a major crisis, people frequently experience anxiety, fear, confusion and disbelief. Hysteria and panic are rarely seen. A situation may be abnormal, but, in general, people’s reactions are not.

How to improve crisis management skills

1. Focus on the situation at hand. As stressful as it may be, panicking is not the solution.
2. Act promptly, not in haste. It is an undeniable fact that a crisis situation requires you to respond and make decisions quickly.
3. Provide perspective and manage expectations.
4. Be flexible.

Crisis Management: The Overlooked Leadership Skill

• Anticipate– predicting what lies ahead.
• Navigate– course correcting in real time.
• Communicate– continually.
• Listen– to what you don’t want to hear.
• Learn– learning from experience to apply in the future.
• Lead– improve yourself to elevate others.

How to Become a Better Leader Through a Crisis

1. Know what being a great leader means. What specific qualities and traits do strong leaders demonstrate in times of crisis?
2. Prioritize your people.
3. Model healthy responses.
4. Evaluate and modify your business goals.
5. Communicate with transparency.
6. Observe without controlling.
7. Keep moving forward.

When a crisis hits, leaders should focus on managing their internal experience first before providing direction to their teams and communities, Hunter says. “Your ability to manage yourself in this process—to stay grounded and clear in a situation that’s totally disorienting—is really what will make or break you.”

DEFINITION OF CRISIS LEADERSHIP ➢It is the process by which an organisation deals with a. major unpredictable event(s) which threatens to cripple the organization, its stakeholders, or the general public.

Key Steps for Effective Crisis Management

1. Create a plan.
2. Designate a spokesperson.
3. Be transparent and honest.
4. Inform employees on all relevant details.
5. Keep the lines of communication open with customers and suppliers.
6. Update your community early and often.
7. Use social media as another excellent form of communication.

When dealing with a crisis, it’s easy to become disheartened and for low morale to set in. As a leader, it is important to use this time to motivate your employees, remind them of the positives of your organisation and its values. You’ll need support and trust to handle whatever is coming your way.