Leading And Succeeding In Crisis
Everyone is looking for guidance and direction to make the next best decision to protect themselves, their families, their staff and their communities. “What do I do next?”
Practice realistic optimism.
That was Ben Sherwood’s answer to the question,
“What’s the one leadership idea to impart today? How do we lead in a time of crisis, rapid change and disruption?”
Sherwood is Producer & Co-Chair of Disney Media Networks
He understands Disney magic. Even Disney magic gets shut down in a time of crisis. That’s when realistic optimism is better than magic.
What I’ll Do Next
Flatten the Optimism Roller Coaster.
James Stockdale was the highest-ranking officer in Vietnam serving as a prisoner of war. He remarked that the optimists were not the ones who survived.
Optimists rode their emotions up and they rode their emotions down and it was too much for them–the dashed expectations.
When brutality continued, Stockdale observed it was the realistic optimists who endured and survived and managed to lead.
A realistic optimist is someone who has an unflinching sense of their surroundings, and is ruthlessly honest about the challenges that they face.
Embrace true situational awareness – the military term for all of the threats and the realism to maintain optimism about the future.
Maintain my Point of Reference.
A point of reference is important in determining motion because in order to say that something is moving, you need to have something stationary to compare it to.
Know where you are and where you’re trying to go. No matter how hard you get hit, no matter how hard the knock is, if you maintain your point of reference, you stay on course.
It’s when we lose our point of reference that we get lost.
Obeying God is my point of reference. God causes everything – even a crisis - to work together for the good of those who love God.
Wait for a Sudden and Violent Motion to Stop.
Things settle, even in a crisis. Sometimes it's a hard stop. But there is a calm that follows.
In the calm, you can grab a hold of the people you lead and inspire them to pursue the direction that you’ve set out.
This is when the calmest and coolest decisions can be made.
Start Now.
The airplane crash survival school trains flight attendants and other safety experts on how to survive a plane crash. The first 90 seconds is all the matters. The way to get started is to quit talking and start doing.
Focus on what you are certain of and start working on it. Now.
Make a needed phone call.
Workout.
Cook a healthy meal.
Organize your living/office space.
Find a small project that will improve an aspect of your vitality.
The people you lead through this crisis need you to succeed.