How to Lead Through a Crisis Instead of Being Dragged Through

As your brand grows into becoming a powerful presence in the market, crises are something that is bound to happen. Whether it’s a data breach, the comments of an unsatisfied customer going viral or another global pandemic, every brand will face challenging situations that threaten its success. However, effective leadership during moments like this is key in steering the ship through the storm.

Here is how you can become a competent leader and transform from being a passive participant to someone who navigates the situation with strength and purpose:

Embrace Transparency and Communication

Nothing screams a recipe for chaos than unclear communication. When there is a lack of information, rumours grow rampant and fear takes charge. To avoid that, make sure that your team is well-informed of the crisis at hand without only sharing bits and pieces of information.

Get information out quickly and acknowledge the situation by explaining the next steps to gather more details. Remember, a lack of communication can be just as damaging as misinformation and being transparent is of the utmost importance in times of crisis. This helps you build trust and foster a sense of control during a volatile time.

Delegate, Delegate, Delegate

No one can handle a crisis alone. Identify key team members and establish a crisis response team. Ideally, this team should include individuals with expertise in communication, legal matters, operations and human resources.

Assign tasks clearly and empower your team members to take ownership of their roles. This frees up your time to focus on the bigger picture matters while ensuring all aspects of the crisis are being dealt with.

Prioritise, Analyse and Act Decisively

Crises are messy and information overload can be a real threat. Take a moment to gather all the facts, assess the situation and prioritise what needs to be addressed first.

While acting quickly is important, avoid making rash decisions based on half information. Consult your team, consider different solutions or better yet, partner up with a social intelligence agency like iWISERS to help you gather the real-time data that you need to help you make informed decisions in how to handle the crisis that your brand is facing.

Focus on Solutions, Not Blaming

Playing the blame game leads to nowhere and it does nothing during a crisis. Instead, channel your energy into finding solutions and mitigating the damage. Conduct a root cause analysis based on the data that has been gathered by the social intelligence team and plan on how to prevent similar future occurrences

Explore all available options and contingency plans and be willing to adapt your approach as new information emerges. Going through a crisis can also be an opportunity for innovation and positive change.