The Cold of the Decade and Crisis

 
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"Don't just sit there staring at the screen," my wife poked her head into my office. "Go back to bed."

I complied. The "Cold of the Decade" had struck.

Years ago, my daughter gave it that name. She noted that everyone else seemed get a cold a year.

"Not you, Dad," she said. "You only get one cold every ten years but it's like ten colds rolled up in one. It's 'The Cold of the Decade.'"

There are some good things that come out of my cold. For one thing, it has a positive effect on orange juice consumption levels. And laying flat on your back allows some time for reflection.

That's how I realized that my Cold of the Decade is like a serious business crisis. Dealing with both involves four steps.

Step One: Admit you have a problem. Unless you recognize that something serious is happening, you won't do what's necessary to deal with it. Don't waste time denying that you have a problem or trying to keep it secret. 

Step Two: Stabilize the situation. This is the equivalent of the First Law of Holes: When you find you're in one, quit digging. This has to be your first priority or the crisis can kill you.

Step Three: Get on the road to recovery. Do the things you must do so that the situation changes. This may not be quick or easy.

Step Four: Don't just get healthy, get fit. Tomorrow I'm going to try working out again for the first time since The Cold of the Decade struck. In business you should learn what you can from the crisis and make sure that you've changed things so this crisis won't happen again.

Boss's Bottom Line

Heed the First Law of Crisis: You will have crises. No one makes it through without them no matter how hard they try or how much they plan.

And hearken to the Second Law of Crisis: When a crisis hits, your most important job is to deal with it.

Wally's Working Supervisor's Support Kit is a collection of information and tools to help working supervisors do a better job. It's based on what Wally's learned in over twenty years of supervisory skills training. Click here to check it out.

 

Posted by Wally Bock at 3/5/2010 12:21 PM
Categories: Crisis
Tags: Crisis
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