Game over first
all Crises most often occur when you least expect it. How do we deal with the damage and move forward? Lt. Gen. Mike LeFever and Lt. Gen. Roderick Jones say: Game over first, “In a crisis, you must first consider the end game. At some point in the future you will be out of danger and back to your normal life. “Where do you want to be when that happens?”
The end game is an exit strategy. This is where we want to be after the crisis, not at the end of it. It is the result of actions taken rather than letting the crisis lead you. The end game is about how you actively shape the outcome.
Any decision you make during a crisis involves risk. But it's better than staying still. If you don't identify and act in line with your end game, you'll be caught unawares as the world moves on without you.
The authors identify: 4 stages of crisis—Dynamic but predictable path:
Step 1: 911
The moment a crisis begins, immediate action is needed, often reactionary. And that's normal. However, at some point you will need to take a step back and observe what is happening so that you can develop a strategic end game plan.
As your 911 moment begins, you'll face numerous challenges. This is a time to endure the initial confusion and trust your instincts and preparation. Even with proper planning, this can be a difficult step. Motions can escalate, teams can become anxious, and unpredictable changes in direction can occur at any time. Information is a powerful currency. In the first phase of a crisis, you need to distinguish between information (raw) and intelligence (analysis) and take every new information with a grain of salt. Inconsistent information abounds in confusion.
Step 2: Secondary and Tertiary Effects
Once the chaos is over, it's time to address the secondary and tertiary effects. Stage 2 is characterized by moving from reaction to action, a recovery mindset.
The main characteristic of Phase 2 is that none of these solutions are permanent. You are making decisions that move you forward, but they are not the final decision on the situation. As a leader, you must realize that a fix is really just a bandage. Some solutions also create new problems. This is an important part of this stage of the crisis. As a leader, the decisions you make can close one leak while creating another. We cannot be discouraged by cascades of events, but we must recognize that they can happen.
Stage 3: Steady State
We are not out of the crisis yet. “A steady state can put you into a sense of routine, but it doesn't cause you to lose focus. You can make decisions and take actions that move you toward your end goal.”
Stage 3 is a stable but not sustainable environment. Or rather, it cannot be a self-sustaining environment. A steady state is indicated by re-establishing some sort of routine that allows for some degree of reset.
Step 4: Restoration of normality
At this stage, based on the reality of the situation, the crisis is recognized as over and emergency infrastructure is dismantled.
Getting out of the crisis means returning to a changed world. No matter how much you want it to, life doesn't work out the way it used to. When a disaster occurs, people change. Priorities change. Infrastructure changes. That's why the final game needs to take this evolution into account. Just as we exist in the aftermath of a crisis, so must you. Things have changed, and you must change with them.
Knowing what stage you are in will help you decide your next steps. Each stage has its own set of problems. Exploring each one with the end game in mind can put you in a better position than before the problem was solved.
You should always keep the end in mind, but the decisions you make at each stage will vary greatly. In a crisis, you need to know not only where you are, but also how you will transition to the next chapter or phase. Crises unfold at different rates in different parts of an organization. It is important to recognize where the rest of the organization falls within the scope of the crisis.
The authors spend a lot of time covering the key components of crisis management, including team building, communication, information gathering, creativity about what needs to be done, mental health, and relationships.
Post-crisis is a good time to evaluate what worked and what didn’t. What's also important is to always look for the undercurrent of your industry. where are you going? A crisis can accelerate these scenarios. Are you ready to adapt to the changes happening around you? Missing change can lead to a crisis.
Objectively, it's hard to know when you've become too accustomed to your current situation to escape it. That's why we need more eyes and ears looking for undercurrents. If you miss, someone else has a chance to catch it.
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Posted by Michael McKinney at 2:02 PM
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