Every business has it’s own varying degree of risks. Many times, these risks are accompanied with the necessity of handling a stressful situation or potential crisis. Oftentimes the smaller the business, the less likely you have a team on-hand to help solve your problems. We recommend a five plan that we think will help best handle and react to a situation when it arises:
1. Don’t delay. But do think before you act.
One of the biggest keys in responding to a crisis is speed, but only after the situation has been fully analyzed. Try not to immediately freak out, instead figure out what your options are and move forward quickly.
2. Find perspective.
It’s easy to let your emotions take control when something goes wrong; fears get compounded and worst-case scenarios start to play out in your mind. Try to avoid that. After you’ve acted on the problem, gain some perspective. Once you’ve calmed down, recognize that you’ve survived a crisis and that this too shall pass.
3. Chill Out.
After you’ve done all you can, it’s time to simply chill out. If you’re lucky, your hard work to solve the problem gets things going in the right direction. This is the time to manage your undoubtedly high stress level.
4. Refocus Your Energy.
In the midst of an all-consuming problem, it’s likely that something else of importance has slipped passed your radar and requires your attention. This is also a great opportunity to focus on the parts of your business that are going really well.
5. Get ready for the next crisis.
Being prepared in advance for various outcomes allows you and your team to quickly respond with all action and no emotion. It’s called scenario building, once you’ve got a handle on a crisis, start planning ways to avoid it from happening again.