One of a leader's most important responsibilities is to steer the ship during a crisis, and there are a few things every leader should remember when they find their organization in crisis, according to the Harvard Business Review.
Here are six things every leader must remember to help cope with a crisis.
1. You cannot pick your crisis. Make sure you are prepared for anything, because when the time comes, you never know what crisis your organization will be faced with.
2. Don't leave it all to lawyers. Legal consultation is important in a crisis, but there are other considerations to take into account, such as the perspective of employees or customers.
3. The story is worse than reality. If leaders decide to not be open and share information, the stories that people come up with will be worse than the reality and create momentum of their own.
4. Find your north star. It can be easy to get lost in the small fires of a crisis, but it is important to keep coming back to your ultimate goal, whatever that may be.
5. It's not what you say. When a crisis strikes, there is often little an organization can say to make up for it, so as a leader you must make sure to generate enough goodwill in calm times that they can leverage during a crisis.
6. Fix the underlying problem. Sometimes, crises are the result of deeper cultural and organizational issues. Use your crises as opportunities for transformation.