Earlier this week I was going through some old Gary Keller notes, and this was in one of my notebooks from 2014. Gary had described this year (2014) as a particularly tough year for reasons which I do not recall.
On Dealing with Crisis
- Nothing matters more than your people. If I had to, “I’d sell everything” (to keep them). It is your role as the leader to give your people unconditional support, and make sure they know this. Constant communication is absolutely crucial.
- As the leader, you must walk the line of numbing yourself yet “experiencing”. This is a difficult dichotomy for all leaders, new and old.
- You need a support network around you — yes, even as a leader . Do not go at it alone. You think you can shoulder everything because that’s just who you are and what you always do. That’s dumb.
- When a disaster strikes it exposes you. You’ve been spending unwisely, and now you have a financial crunch. You’ve been sacrificing your health to spend your time on other things, and now you are at risk. You’ve neglected important relationships in your life, and now you feel even more abandoned. Take note of these things and fix them. Do not wait until the crisis is “over”. Fix them now.
- Go to the “end” (the solution) and work backward….what does it look like? Give yourself over to simplicity.
You can imagine, of course, that while I was reviewing these notes I was thinking about our current state of the world. While these notes are from 2014, it is evident that these same points still apply to our businesses today. I encourage you to take these notes and apply them to your own life and business today; take action now!