For many employers, their true capacity of leadership is tested in times of crisis. During stressful periods, behaviour and performance are key indicators on how you cope deal with a situation. As a business owner, it is important to stay calm and collected in difficult circumstances. Therefore at Recruitment Genius we have listed the five things you should do in times of crisis.
Don’t let your emotions get in the way
During a crisis it is important to keep calm and keep stress levels down. This way you can work out a solution more effectively and efficiently. You need to set an example for your employees. How you react will show them what type of leader you truly are and will set the precedent for how they should react to stressful situations too. If you stay cool and composed then you will show that you are a leader who is in control and can cope with any curveballs thrown your way. If you get too stressed and crumble under pressure than your leadership is weakened.
Stay composed and take control
Though this is a very stressful time, you need to help prevent yourself from getting overwhelmed. It is understandable to be nervous when a crisis arises within your business, as your livelihood on the line, but you need to stay composed. Take control and do whatever needs to be done to ensure your business does not suffer more than it already has. By showing these traits, your employees will too and together you can build a strong team who can reach a solution.
Be accountable for your mistakes
If you make mistakes then you need to be able to take responsibility for them. No one is perfect and the quicker you notice a mistake the quicker you can rectify it. An admirable trait in a leader is one who can own up to their mistakes. If you do this then your employees will respect you even more and appreciate the courage it takes to admit you made an error. It will also encourage them to be more honest and admit mistakes when they arise.
Don’t take failure personally
Separate your personal feelings from the crisis in order to focus better on what is happening. Instead of concentrating on how you will look to your employees if you fail, focus on reaching a solution. When you can change your mindset to that then you can deal with it in a way that will be most successful for you and your business. A work crisis brings out power dynamics in the workplace and in order to be a successful leader you need to avoid letting office politics get in the way.
Be positive from start to finish
Keeping a positive attitude and pushing the excellence of your team will keep morale high. If you stay positive once a problem arises then your energy will bounce off others. This will help put your business back on track and earn you the trust and respect of your employees. Furthermore it is important to stay positive once the crisis is over and establish procedures to stop it from happening again. Call a meeting and thank everyone involved for their efforts and discuss what happened during the crisis. Not only will staff feel appreciated for their efforts, it also helps ensure that if another crisis was to happen again then staff can be more proactive.
Though a crisis at work can spark stress, panic and pressure it is important as a business leader to stay in control. Build a strong team of people who can help resolve the matter and delegate work. The way you react will speak volumes to your employees on what type of leader you are. If you want to show that you are still in control then you need to stay calm, positive and composed throughout.
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