Crisis Means “Decide” in Greek
Knowing how to resolve a crisis begins with the right mindset.
“When going through hell, keep going.” — Winston Churchill
No Ordinary Crisis
The word “crisis” comes from “krisis” and “krino,” ancient Greek for “to decide” and “turning point.” So think of a crisis as that particular moment you decide to go in a different direction. Most problems suffer from this — and turn into a crisis — because of a tendency most of us have to decide too quickly, and head in the wrong direction.
Jared Diamond, UCLA professor of geography and author of numerous best-sellers on the impact of culture and science, including Upheaval: Turning Points For Nations in Crisis, provides a useful example of a crisis narrative. Diamond believes the most troubling aspect is that we waste precious time on non-effective approaches.
On November 28, 1942, at 10:15 P.M., the Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Boston engulfed hundreds of patrons unable to get through the exit. The fire escape was blocked, probably to ward off intruders — by 11. P.M., 492 people died of burns, but mostly suffocation or trampled beneath the feet of those trying to escape.
It happened on a Thanksgiving weekend. People were celebrating with friends after spending time with family, looking forward to watching the game. Even those who survived suffered psychological symptoms such as “survivor disorder” that occurs when loved ones such as relatives died while, at the same time, they managed to live — crating profound feelings of self-guilt. People’s lives were blown off course. “They feel ashamed that they were alive while a dear one was dead. The fire shook faith in a world of justice. A few committed suicide.”
Diamond suggests that when we are in the middle of a global crisis such as a pandemic, like the people in the Boston fire, we focus on running away, not seeking safety. The two phenomena result in entirely different strategies, and outcomes.
Three tools or processes are critical for a successful crisis decision:
- Plan
- Team
- Communications
Crisis Plan
Solving a crisis is no different than any problem that happens to feel overwhelming. No emergency is so great we can afford to skip “planning,” even if the plan is to form a line to get out the doors. We need to rely on proven methods in these circumstances, finding the problem, conditions, probability, and then iterate:
- Identify the problem (e.g., is it the flame, the smoke, or the fire)
- Prioritize conditions
- Implement the best probability
- Iterate continuously
When we simply ‘react’ and do not ‘plan’ in panics and pandemics, our survival instincts kick in, and we make the worst possible decisions. It is what incited the ’08 Financial Crisis, and the same impulse led to the Great Depression, as political leaders focused on the wrong problem.
In the Financial Crisis, the punishment of bankers mesmerized the U.S. Congress, brought about the collapse of Lehman Brothers, and precipitated the global recession. In the Great Depression, revenge against stock market speculators led to a reduction in the money supply and strict limits of the gold standard, the consequences of which doomed the world to eight years of devastation.
Crisis Team
In every case, we all wish we had spent more time training for a crisis.
It suggests we also need to build the right team. Some companies choose team members involved in critical activities while others have a team already in place, depending on the business model.
The main thing to remember, a crisis team is not ad hoc. It requires a SWAT mentality that can deal with long periods of boredom punctuated by panic. The crisis task force should include mid to upper middle leaders in the organization (not senior management. The team should represent the following four characteristics:
- Diversity
- Confidence
- Experience
- Access
— The team should include diverse age groups, backgrounds and cultures, and experts in essential functions.
— The organization must have confidence in their ability.
— They must have access to anyone throughout the organization at any time.
— Specialized training and compensation may be required.
Crisis Communication
The Crisis team should have the communication skills to investigate the problem, engage with external and internal groups to smooth relations between media and activists, governmental authorities, and the C Suite. They also give the CEO time to think through the problem and understand what is really at stake in the mind of the public. To restore credibility, they need to be able to intervene with external and internal groups and recommend changes to policies, as required. Finally, their job is to restore order to a chaotic situation, and do whatever is necessary to make that happen.
- Investigate
- Engage
- Intervene
- Restore
